CASE STUDIES
from the files of
Networking Unlimited, Inc.

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Miscellaneous Examples of Other Projects

Copyright © 1999, Networking Unlimited, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Strategic Planning

The chief information officer for an international company was stymied in his efforts to modernize the networking infrastructure for information systems and provide supportable LANs for all departments. Dr. Jones joined the corporate network architecture committee and worked as a trusted third party to mediate between the opposing factions. This helped all parties understand the technical impact of their individual choices and consequently, the impact those choices were having on the ability of others to meet their business needs. Agreement was reached on an architecture that met all must requirements and provided a solid foundation for meeting future needs. The purchase of equipment incapable of participating in corporate wide information sharing was avoided.

Protocol Development

A controller manufacturer was losing business because customers were demanding that their distributed control products use standards-based networking technology rather than proprietary dedicated cabling. Existing 10 Mbps standards could not support their bandwidth or reliability requirements. Dr. Jones designed a network protocol that utilized IEEE 802 multicasting to share information between an arbitrary number of controllers over multiple independent LAN segments. This enabled them to respond to bids which they previously could not have and enhanced their reputation as a supplier committed to quality products.

Problem Solving

An organization with numerous departmental LANs in multiple locations connected by routers needed to provide a UNIX application on a TCP/IP LAN with the ability to print on any Novell or LAN Manager printer. Dr. Jones identified several deficiencies in their original approach to LAN Manager printing, and developed a temporary gateway solution (using only off-the-shelf hardware and software) that could be used until low cost, reliable dual-protocol servers became available. As a result, printing became a non-issue for the application, allowing the project team to proceed without delay and without compromising the inherent reliability of their router network.

SNMP Network Management

Network managers for a national corporation needed to monitor the status of remote systems running X.400 to SMTP and Telnet to 3270 gateways. Their SNMP management system, NetView/6000, could detect and report failure of the remote system or its communications link, but was unable to detect the status of individual applications. Dr. Jones showed them how another IBM product, SystemMonitor/6000, could be used to provide the required status information and helped them install and learn the product. He then worked out a failure reporting methodology they could use that allowed them to use SNMP traps for efficient reporting without risking failures going unreported due to lost packets. As a result, many more modes of gateway failure could be automatically reported, triggering immediate corrective action by the network control center, and reducing service down time.

Product Review

A major computer manufacturer had contracted with an outside firm to develop OSI networking services for their computer line. When the first design documents were delivered for review, they realized that they lacked the resources in house to truly judge the fitness for use of the product design. Dr. Jones reviewed the contracted design documentation, along with related products in the manufacturer's product line, to identify discrepancies in approach and shortcuts in the design. In addition to dozens of minor discrepancies, Dr. Jones found that the contractor really did not understand the unique requirements of this manufacturer's customers. Armed with this knowledge, the project manager successfully lobbied for the internal engineering resources required to monitor the contract more closely, ensuring the project's ultimate success.

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