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Posted 2008/06/19

ITS vs cows (dig setup day 2)

Today we finished sorting out the Ethernet LAN, generators and electrical cabling. The ITS staff continued to work on the problems with the WiFi link to the barn. Here are some pictures of what we have been up to.

Scaffolding and water pipe ducting
This is the LAN connection to the classroom. It runs out the back of the VERA cabin, behind the HQ toilet and round the Roman garden. We are running the cables through steel scaffolding poles in light pedestrian areas and water pipes in places where people can't walk. All the cables have been tested and there is no more Ethernet to go out. Following the long standing engineering tradition after this photo was taken we gaffa taped the crap out of everything.

Wireless testing
ITS have not managed to get the WiFi back haul link to the barn working. This means that we have a function Internet connection in the barn and a switched LAN on site but currently no way to link them. ITS assure us they will continue to hack until they have a working solution and are back on site on Thursday. This picture shows one of many temporary rigs that have been tried out.

Moo cows
These guys might be mocking us, we can't be sure. They successful guarded their field from invasion by ITS who wanted to test some WiFi gear.

UPS and switch gear
This flight case runs our switch gear and provides clean power via a UPS for all the IT equipment.

Frequency
Last year quality of the electrical power was a major problem for us. This year we have a dedicated generator for the IT gear and a much more beefy UPS. Today we could see some fluctuation in the frequency of the power but the amount of juice being kicked out by the generator seems to steady at the moment.