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

Why Leave Token-Ring?

Title: “Why Leave Token-Ring?”Copyright 2002Author: Andy QuickContact Author: mailto:andy@findmyhostingcom Publishing Guidelines: You have permission to communicate this item electronically or in print, discharge of charge, as enthusiasm as a link to “FindMyHosting – Web Hosting Search” is included For the join URL, please use http://www.findmyhostingcom Although preferred, no notification needful Introduction Why Leave Token-Ring?Andy QuickOne day I was having a debate with a telecommunications director, swapping stories about openwork projects we were each working on “We present to spend $100,000 replacing all of our token-ring local domain networks throughout the means following year.”, he spoken “Token-Ring is old, out dated debris that has reached the later of its life” “So what?”, I responded. “Just because phenomenon is former doesn’t mean it needs to be replaced” “Come on”, he responded, “Token-Ring wholly margin the knack of new applications on the desktop to manage sake of client-server and web-based applications PC’s are useless on Token-Ring networks” “I absolutely disagree”, I argued. “I’ll gamble you’re about to dry some of your company’s money on this project.” Before you decide to make a envelop knob 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 financial justification?”. “Like I said”, he responded, “Ethernet is cheaper and faster Over time, our group leave spend less on keeping the networks up” Although this may be true, investing $100,000 without quantifying the benefits up surpass may mean you’re throwing budgetary down the drain. 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 convert qualitative benefits into fatiguing numbers “That would be nice, but it would bear forever to quantify the benefits” he uttered “This is a tactical project. You really can’t put a value on this sort of initiative.” I completely disagree But fairly than argue further, I striking to perform the analysis on the dab with the backing of my colleague Identify Conversion CostsBefore you can determine whether switching from Token-Ring to Ethernet makes sense, you retain to distinguish the costs of the actual conversion. Usually, these are doable to quantify My fellow provided me with the successive figures:Per PC, the conversion costs are:Labor – $75Cabling – $200 (they’re running category I cabling and deprivation to cloister 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 next matter I asked was how many sites, floors per site, and PC’s per macadamize were in the reach of his visualize He again provided me with benefit 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 suppose emolument 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 own an guide off the prime of his captain After a few seconds to think, he uttered “ethernet cards come built into the PC’s we purchase There’s no incremental price If we retain Token-Ring around, we’d hold to buy a new Token-Ring card for every new PC” Now we’re getting closer, but we torpid haven’t justified this suppose yet I asked him how many new PCs did he expect to purchase subsequent year. He oral about 100 and provided me with the successive costs:Card – $150Toke-Ring Cabling – $250Total remuneration 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 succeeding 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 moreover cannot replace measure 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 record to a pave level:Site A- 20 incremental are all on one floor, the 10 replacements are scattered throughout the more floorsSite B – Only one floor in the buildingSite C – 10 replacements are scatteredSite D – 10 incremental are scatteredNow the adorn bulb started to go We figured out the costs of keeping Token-Ring vs. installing Ethernet on a site-by-site, floor-by-floor cause We came up with the sequential costs (I didn’t goad describing the calculations You could succulent number 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 asphalt or $28,450 for the finished 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 totally on at this iota The blessing approach to this think would be to phase in ethernet by converting one asphalt at Site A and all of Site B. Let’s compare what would keep happened if my partner had ended with a perfect replacement vs a phased replacementFull Replacement – Spend $106,000 to save $34,500Phased Replacement – Spend $20,400 to salvage $28,000My colleague was thumping grateful at this iota He realized that thrifty planning and analysis could ensure that his company’s financial was being spent wisely. Clearly, there are other benefits of changing a LAN architecture that were not even touched upon Router integration costs and application act could besides backing drive the scorn Take the point to identify all of the easy costs and benefits of a Token-Ring to Ethernet conversion before starting the project You could be throwing pecuniary down the drain!Andy Quick is co-founder of FindMyHosting.com (http://wwwfindmyhosting.com), a free network hosting directory offering businesses and consumers a hound discharge method to find the rectify hosting tactic for their needs Feel unshackle to collision Andy at andy@findmyhostingcom in juncture you obtain any questions or comments regarding this item