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Troubleshooting wireless connectivity: Plug it in, plug it in

Troubleshooting wireless connectivity is often about fixing the physical issues first. Although we like to think that “going wireless” means there are no wires involved, anyone in networking knows that this is not at all the case. To quote Neil Schubert at last year’s Mobile Wireless World conference “there are a lot of wires in wireless.”

Wireless access seems so complicated at times that when a wireless connectivity issue occurs, our brains skip right past the simple steps and jump into the world of other possibilities: Am I getting a DoS attack? Do I need to replace my wireless card? Did somebody in the kitchen turn on a microwave? But the first step to take is to start with the most obvious and simplest task. As much as we hate to ask if everything is plugged in as a helpdesk administrator, we should get accustomed to asking ourselves that same question — is everything plugged in?

Case in point, wireless networking expert Lisa Phifer resolved one user’s connectivity problem after learning that the user had a loose wire inside the desktop. And it’s not hard to see how that might have happened in these pictures:

As you can see, hands are much larger than much of the technology we work on. And to offer more perspective, my hands (in the pictures to the left) are much smaller than most other people’s.

So in the event we have to crack open a desktop or replace a network card, be mindful of what your hands are knocking against. Before you check network configurations and replace hardware that might be faulty when troubleshooting wireless connectivity, check to see if everything is connected. This simple procedure can be a real time (and money) saver when tracking down connectivity issues.

For more extensive information on wireless troubleshooting, view Lisa Phifer’s expert response or check out SearchNetworking.com’s Wireless Troubleshooting Guide. Xfce’s Notes from the mousepad also mentions this Ubuntu Wireless Troubleshooting Guide.

P.S. Let me know if you have a way of reaching into spaces you’re otherwise unable to.

The IT Guy: Cable under the table

> View all our IT Guy cartoons on SearchNetworking.com.

This cartoon is partially based on an idea suggested by our reader, Jim Shumaker. Jim will receive The Cubes IT Guy playset (not affiliated with The IT Guy or TechTarget) for his suggestion. Thanks, Jim!

World Cyber Games network taking shape

Day two of setting up the network for the World Cyber Games has seen the network take shape.

After a quick trip to Sears to grab some extra tools — a wrench and a screwdriver set — the 25 switches have been configured and assigned names and IP addresses, which will allow the team from ProCurve Networking by HP to manage them centrally. The more than 700 PCs have been fired up and assigned to their switches, making each gaming station its own miniature network. Ben Van Kerkwyk, the lead engineer, said each switch will provide gamers with 1 gig speeds and localizing the network to each gaming table cuts down on hops, which could degrade performance, which in a gaming environment could be disastrous.

Crews laid down more cable, creating a maze of multi-colored wires streaming to and from all of the ports. Once cabling is complete, the network will be segmented into separate VLANs and subnets, making it easier to manage, Van Kerkwyk said. The ProCurve team will also make some sections of the gaming area wireless for VIPs and admins.

There is also an overflow of extras — two more core switches arrived today, and there are extra 2650 switches on hand in case something goes wrong.

“We have three core switches and 15 power supplies, so we’re good if something goes down,” Van Kerkwyk said.

Here’s a draft of what the network will look like upon completion:

And here’s ProCurve technical consultant Chris Ruybal rack-mounting the 8212 core swtich:

World Cyber Games set up delayed, thanks to Bryan Adams

The World Cyber Games Grand Final is gearing up to be the gaming event of the year, with gamers from all over the globe gathering at Seattle’s Qwest Field Event Center to battle each other in FIFA ‘07, Counter Strike, StarCraft and others…sorry, no Ms. Pac Man or Donkey Kong for us old-schoolers. Picture the Super Bowl of the gaming world, a contemporary version of the events documented in The Wizard or King Of King.

But before the game-fest kicks off in earnest on Oct. 4, teams are working feverishly to set up the massive network to ensure the games go off without interruption and without a hitch. Imagine the network dropping out the final lap of Need For Speed Carbon?

In less than 48 hours, a team from ProCurve Networking by HP — with help from several other groups along the way — will assemble an enterprise-grade network powering roughly 1,000 network devices, more than 700 of which are gaming systems. A tall order for a temporary network.

Today was all about setting the stage. The ProCurve team used diagrams to plot the layout. It spent some time tracking down an elusive ProCurve 8212zl core switch (which was in the building, but nowhere to be found … despite the gaming festival being the 8212’s first public appearance). The rest of the day was spent powering up and troubleshooting more than 20 ProCurve Switch 2650s and mounting the found 8212. Elsewhere, teams laid cable, set up PCs and ensured things were good to go. And that was just in the balcony.

But, alas, progress was cut short on Thursday and the main event floor was off limits because 80s rocker Bryan Adams is performing at the venue Friday night. His sound check was set to begin at 4 p.m. Thursday, meaning all set up was suspended until Friday morning.

“That’s one of the challenges for setting up for an event like this,” said ProCurve Technical Consultant for the Americas Chris Ruybal. “The on again and off again.”

I guess Adams was right when he crooned, “It cuts like a knife.”