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Not Your Network !!!!

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by jeffz

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I?ve been in IT for a long time, ranging from mainframes and 300 baud modems (back in the day), to today?s current server/client architecture. I?ve planned, created, managed, and administrated networks. This is a job I loved to do before it becamethe ?in? career field. I?m not ?tooting? my own horn, but just adding ?insight? into my background.

After reading many posts over several years on this site, I hate to inform many of you that -- THE NETWORK IS NOT YOURS!!!!! There are business rules, polices, practices, network performance issues, user productivity, time constraints, budgets, legacy applications, vendor inoperability, management, and get this one ? ETHICS, to consider on each LAN/Network.

1. This is not a career field for EGOS ? Nobody is above getting their hands dirty or doing the ?little? things. Remember ? IT is there to help achieve organization?s goals. That?s what you were hired for.

2. The LAN is not for games: You don?t own the bandwidth orthe computers, so WHY do you think you should be able to play games on something that's not really yours? Answer ? Go home and use your own resources!!! If the business polices or rules doesn't state that you CAN play games, then don?t assume thatyou can because you exist and the games exists that you are free to play it on something that is not yours.

3. Self-Importance: This one is funny. During the boom the IT people received a lot of attention and praise. Currently, in today?s climate that?s not happening as much. So, when many IT people ?fix? a problem or come up with a ?solution? their feeling are hurt when management or someone doesn?t ?bow down? because they did their JOB!!!!! (I?m talking smaller issues)I can go on for days on this one.

19 replies

by jeffz

4. News Flash --- You Can?t Know Everything!!! I know that may hurt some feelings out there. I know I don?t know everything, but I know I can get the job done by researching, networking with peers, training, and other methods to gain knowledge in areas that I?m weak on. The more I know ? The more I realize I don?t know. I love that statement ? it?s so true.

5. The many of the ?pre?boom? gals and guys know the importance of adaptability when dealing with different working environments, and their role in that environment. They had too ? just look at the changes in IT sector in the past 10 years. (Assuming they are currently employed by adapting to those changes)

The bottom line is you are being paid to perform a function and provide a service which benefits the organization for whom you WORK for.

by lordinfidel

Since I am one of the biggest propents of the attitude you hate. I see it fitting to reply.

Yes, I am employed by the company to do a job.

Yes, It is "technically" not my network. Hell for that matter it's not the companies either, it belongs to the shareholders.

No, Games should not be played on the LAN during working hours.

No, the bandwidth is not reserverd for my whims and pleasure.

So with those things out there. This is a different enviroment then the one I grew up with. When I was first introduced to systems (back in the 80's, granted I was a teenager). I did not even know what the term Network Admin was.

All of the "engineers" that I knew who worked at IBM had a air about them and they "WOULD NEVER" allow youto touch their systems.

So is it really that much different now. Now that I am the supreme geek of the company.

Do I have a distaste for users. Yes, of course I do. Do I help them, of course I do. Do I lambast them for doing BoneHeaded things, Damn right I do.

And when it comes to corporate IT policy, Who do you think creates it. The CIO and/or the Sys Admin. Not joe blow HR or even the ceo. They have no comprehension as to what the policies should or need to be.

As far as gaming. When guy's like me make references to it, it's not serious. I'm not off playing UT while things are blowing up around me.

You need to put things into perspective and take the comments and jokes in the way they were intended.

(actual stickers on my work laptop)
I am god.
Fear me for I have the power to destroy you.
Satan works for me now

(and no, one knows everything, that is just an ignoramous thing to proclaim, but then again I am just a babbling idiot)

by jeffz

Actually, We agree most points. I've read some your posts, and none of them where the ones I had in mind while writing this.

by lordinfidel

Sorry,

I just sounded like you were blasting me since I am probably one of the biggest abusers on this site.

But something had to yank your chain to blast off like that.

by lordinfidel

It's on my car (i read your e-mail) and I have the t-shirt. (other bumps include a NIN sticker, keep music evil, and the double f FF [www.fetish-factory.com].

Other t's include,

"It must be user error"
"No, I will not fix your computer"
"Goaway or I will replace you with a very small shell script "
"There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary, and those who don't"
"Got Root?"
"127.0.0.1"
"" ""
"bow before me for I am root"
"WTF?"
"scan mynetwork and die"

And for my wife

"I love my geek"

by jeffz

LordInfidel, you have a good sense of humor (boardline warped, but acceptable) -- work with me on this one -- "I think that may be a little controlling trying to disallow network gaming." Once you stop laughing, can you rational that point of view to me?

I need a vacation.

Article Discussion: How would you handle a tech wannabe who wreaks ...

Message 24 of 106:

Is using a LAN for games a deadly sin?
I agree that the rogue user needs to be shut down, but as you say, "worst off [sic] all use the LAN to play network games" Was this as an employee or as a college student? I think that may be a little controlling trying to disallow network gaming. I understand the unauthorized software being a problem, but I wonder, do you still think you did the right thing?

by lordinfidel

Users under no circumstances should be playing lan games on a corp netwk.

However, since we, the gods of the netwk control the access and should also control software access. A gray hush hush area is one of where some of us install (and secure) aserver in let's say an un named colo some place so that we have unrestircted bandwidth to our personal gaming server.

Have I played games on my netwk.

Yeah, but usually after hours when I am not working. Or on the weekend. But usually not during working hours. Unless of course I need some sort of stress release then it's time for:

"fLaK MoNkEy!"

by jeffz

LOL, But at least your know the rules of the game before you "cheat".

by radiic

It may be the companies network, but they pay me a nice salary to treat it like its my own. Because I treat it like my own, it works very well. I take the time to tune it to perferction.
Make sure that it has maximum uptime, and that my users have all the resources that they can posibly need.

I call it my network because it is my network. It is my hard work and blood, sweat, and tears, that keep it humming like a well oiled machine. So pardon the hell out of me if I call it " MY NETWORK"

\rad

by jeffz

I wasn't addressing the "my network" term.

I also say "my" network. And, I like yourself have placed blood, sweat, tears, yadda, yadda, yadda into all of my networks. But, there is a box that we all operate in. Very few network/LAN admins can make a system wide change that affects the organization without consulting someone. But, if you noticed the people that replied so far have been around, and for the most part we agree on the same issues because of that fact.

The statements I made wouldn't/shouldn't even bother someone who has been around. They understand the organizational picture and their role in it. The statements are most directed to people that haven't been around, and has a very narrow focus.

by leehellcat

Something must have really wound you up today.
I agree with you in sentiment, but when you put your life (or at least a large part of it)into keeping it running at peak efficiency, then you are going to be inclined to call it yours.

Everyone calls their house their house, but it is actually owned by the Bank/Mortgage company until you pay for it.

As for playing LAN Games. I agree that it can be irresponsible, but there is a time and place for everything. If there are only 3 computers in the office, and you have nothing better to do, then by all means play LAN games, but it it completely out of order to do it on a large corporate LAN.

by road-dog

The network is really owned by the shareholders or the actual owner(s)of the company. The IT hierarchy decide what is an appropriate use for it.

Some companies allow some use for the network for gaming, obviously within reasonable limits. The only constant I've seen in such environments is that its considered bad form to repeatedly frag the boss. A good rule of thumb is that the boss account for no more than 40% of your kills.

Let he who is without any company pens in the junk drawer at the house cast the first stone.

On a final note, If my phone rings when it is down, then the network IS mine!!!!

by admin

I kind of wonder who owns any business network today technically in the broad sense. Of course we own the equipment and maintain it, yet we don't necessarily own the content or even the software itself usually. We don't own the mail, the acks, the addresses we lease, most of the content spewing around in packets or even the right to run it however we want.

I think we might just own the car and the private roads and not the travelers or even the majority of infrastructure. In the narrow sense of course this is what we mean when we say "own" a network, but it just doesn't ring as all that accurate of a description really.

by jeffz

Exactly. There is ownership in each network from different sources. Network admins function is to maintain and improve the network to the best of their ability. But, they must have a broad view and analyze the affects of there actions. Some things are pretty cut and dry, but the larger the scope of your responsibilities or network, the more you have to take into consideration outside influences.

In your position, you probably do it without thinking about it. An improvement for one work center, may hinder another work center or some processes, that has as much invested in ?your? network as the first work center. And even through you may have the perfect solution or a way to improve ?your? network; you have to take into consideration other investors.

Example: There is a process that I can improve on in the data collection area. Our remote users are across the nation. Technically it works. But, in this solution to improve ?my? network, the users must use handheld devices.If I can?t get the remote users to by-in to using handhelds, then this solution is dead in the water. Background on the users: most are not computer users at all, and many don?t like to use them. They will tell you upfront that they know nothing about computers. If I try to force the issue without getting majority buy-in by making it easy, simple, and straightforward, I can imagine that I?ll have many ?Ooops, I dropped it? handhelds. There are more factors involved.

Now, I must admit for30 user network, the attitude I perceive from some posters would probable work. The I, Me, My, God, I know what?s best, everyone without ?god? status is beneath me, I know everything, and the good old ?I?m an MCSE, yadda, yadda? attitude would probably pass because the scope is smaller. (I?m not taking the importance of the business processes itself into consideration in this example)

by admin

where Cartman kept playing the game "Lambs" ?

hehehe.... It was so seriously warped funny!

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