Why Leave Token-Ring?

Title: “Why Leave Token-Ring?”Copyright 2002Author: Andy QuickContact Author: mailto:[email protected] Publishing Guidelines: You keep permission to impart this thing electronically or in p

Why Leave Token-Ring?

Why Leave Token-Ring?

Title: “Why Leave Token-Ring?”Copyright 2002Author: Andy QuickContact Author: mailto:andy@findmyhostingcom. Publishing Guidelines: You hold permission to disclose this object electronically or in print, unchain of charge, as want as a join to “FindMyHosting – Web Hosting Search” is included For the link URL, please use http://www.findmyhosting.com Although preferred, no notification requisite Introduction Why Leave Token-Ring?Andy QuickOne day I was having a discussion with a telecommunications director, swapping stories about trellis projects we were each working on “We adduce to spend $100,000 replacing all of our token-ring local department networks throughout the system later year.”, he spoken “Token-Ring is old, out dated debris that has reached the second of its life” “So what?”, I responded. “Just because body is expired doesn’t mean it needs to be replaced.” “Come on”, he responded, “Token-Ring wholly verge the capacity of new applications on the desktop to manage behalf of client-server and web-based applications PC’s are useless on Token-Ring networks” “I fairly disagree”, I argued. “I’ll gamble you’re about to wasteland some of your company’s pecuniary on this project.” Before you decide to make a decorate switch from a Token-Ring architecture to Ethernet, analyze the costs, benefits, and risks Show Me The Money”What money are you saving by switching to Ethernet?”, I asked my colleague “What’s the cash justification?”. “Like I said”, he responded, “Ethernet is cheaper and faster Over time, our gang commit spend less on keeping the networks up” Although this may be true, investing $100,000 without quantifying the benefits up front may mean you’re throwing pecuniary down the sap We shouldn’t rely on our gut to make these types of spending decisions. Unfortunately, many technology professionals attempt to justify projects using qualitative benefits Always strive to friary qualitative benefits into strenuous numbers. “That would be nice, but it would carry forever to quantify the benefits” he uttered “This is a shrewd envisage You really can’t put a value on this kimd of initiative” I fairly disagree But fairly than argue further, I striking to perform the analysis on the spot with the offices of my colleague Identify Conversion CostsBefore you can determine whether switching from Token-Ring to Ethernet makes sense, you hold to discern the costs of the veritable conversion. Usually, these are practicable to quantify My fellow provided me with the next figures:Per PC, the conversion costs are:Labor – $75Cabling – $200 (they’re running category I cabling and need to priory to category 5)Per floor, the conversion costs are:Ethernet protuberance – $150 (includes labor)Per site, the conversion costs are:Intra-floor cabling – $200 (includes labor)The following problem I asked was how many sites, floors per site, and PC’s per floor were in the radius of his visualize He again provided me with profit numbers:Site A – 5 floors, 20 PC’s per floorSite B – 1 floor, 50 PC’s per floorSite C – 3 floors, 17 PC’s per floorSite D – 8 floors, 22 PC’s per floorSo the complete project fee would be calculated as follows:Site A Conversion Cost = $200 + (5 x $150) + (5 x 20 x $275) = $28,450Site B Conversion Cost = (1 x $150) + (50 x $275) = $13,900Site C Conversion Cost = $200 + (3 x $150) + (3 x 17 x $275) = $14,675Site D Conversion Cost = $200 + (8 x $150) + (8 x 22 x $275) = $49,800Total Project Cost = $106,825Identify the BenefitsAfter you quantify the conversion costs, quantify the benefits At this point, my colleague didn’t obtain an gloss off the top of his commander After a few seconds to think, he spoken “ethernet cards come built into the PC’s we purchase There’s no incremental price If we hold Token-Ring around, we’d keep to buy a new Token-Ring card for every new PC” Now we’re obtaining closer, but we inert haven’t justified this envisage yet. I asked him how many new PCs did he expect to purchase following year. He vocal about 100 and provided me with the successive costs:Card – $150Toke-Ring Cabling – $250Total emolument for a new PC = $150 + $250 = $400″See I told you This is a no brainer!” But then I asked him, “Of the 100 PC’s, how many were incremental vs. replacements of void PC’s ?” He gave me the successive information, by site location:Site A – 20 incremental, 10 replacementsSite B – 50 incrementalSite C – 10 replacementsSite D – 10 incrementalThe $250 per PC cabling emolument does not apply to replacements, so the costs would only be $150 for each PC replacement You further cannot replace allowance of a floor, but you could hold ethernet installed on some floors, and Token-Ring remain on others I asked him to breakdown the PC poll to a macadamize level:Site A- 20 incremental are all on one floor, the 10 replacements are scattered throughout the further floorsSite B – Only one tile in the buildingSite C – 10 replacements are scatteredSite D – 10 incremental are scatteredNow the brighten bulb started to go. We figured out the costs of keeping Token-Ring vs installing Ethernet on a site-by-site, floor-by-floor ground We came up with the sequential costs (I didn’t needle describing the calculations You could succulent quantity it out for yourself using the assumptions made earlier):Site A – Token Ring ($8,000 for one floor, $1,500 for the others), Ethernet ($6,500 for the one tar or $28,450 for the perfect building)Site B – Token Ring ($20,000), Ethernet ($13,900)Site C – Token Ring ($1,500), Ethernet ($14,675)Site D – Token Ring ($4,000), Ethernet ($49,800)The brighten bulb was wholly on at this dab The boon procedure to this project would be to phase in ethernet by converting one floor at Site A and all of Site B Let’s compare what would have happened if my individual had foregone with a perfect replacement vs. a phased replacementFull Replacement – Spend $106,000 to reuse $34,500Phased Replacement – Spend $20,400 to recycle $28,000My colleague was very thankful at this dot He realized that thrifty planning and analysis could ensure that his company’s budgetary was being spent wisely. Clearly, there are additional benefits of changing a LAN architecture that were not even touched upon Router integration costs and application deed could moreover assistance drive the scorn Take the circumstance to ascertain all of the attainable costs and benefits of a Token-Ring to Ethernet conversion before starting the envisage You could be throwing fiscal down the drain!Andy Quick is co-founder of FindMyHosting.com (http://wwwfindmyhosting.com), a free openwork hosting directory offering businesses and consumers a badger release routine to find the amend hosting manoeuvre for their needs Feel unchain to influence Andy at [email protected] in point you have any questions or comments regarding this article.

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