JC - Technology and Stuff

John’s World is not quite as crazy as Wayne’s World; but sometimes it feels a little like it! I’ve been thinking a little about my home setup over the last few days and then ‘future thinking’ it. Apparently future thinking is one of my strengths, therefore I might as well embrace it! Anyway, in order to work out where my home setup was going I needed to record exactly where it was at present. So I started drawing. After about 30 minutes or so I ended up with the drawing that is replicated below. I have to admit it, I like the drawing!

The drawing has helped me to put things into perspective and understand what I rely on and what is connected to what. Also it has shown me where the areas of vulnerability are and where there are opportunities for improvement. All in all it was a very worthwhile exercise.

John’s World is primarily concerned with access, backup and redundancy. That is to say I need to make sure I can get to any of the files I want from wherever I am; I need to ensure all my important files are backed up; and I need to ensure that if I lose one of my critical means of access I can continue working without panic. Some may argue that the last two are one and the same, but I disagree. There’s a difference between having a backup of something and being able to carry on when something fails. When I look at my setup I think I’ve managed to achieve all my requirements. I am a long way further forward than I was just 6 months ago. I think the turning point was Microsoft Mesh. I’ve gone on about this piece of software several times but, you know, it’s just so good. Not only does it replicate important files (and synchronize them) to different PCs if I want, it stores other synchronized copies in the Internet cloud. Furthermore, it allows me to log on remotely to any of my ‘mesh’ PCs and do things as if I was actually logged on myself. I know it works, I’ve tested it, but I haven’t had to use it in anger yet. It’s one of Mesh’s stealth features that I’m sure some users don’t realize exists, but it’s an amazing added feature. So much so that it’s a feature Windows Home Server uses as a selling point. Mesh just has it and it’s free. Hmmm (go Microsoft Marketing!).

So, a little more detail about John’s World. I connect to the Internet via a Verizon DSL router. It only delivers me 1.5mbs of speed, but for now it’s enough. (I am trying to decide whether to wait for FIOS which is supposed to be coming ’soon’ or to switch to cable). My Verizon router connects to my T-Mobile @Home router which I’ve configured as a bridge. I made this configuration change in order to make things easier for my Windows Home Server which is very particular about how it connects to the Internet if you want to access it remotely. My @Home bridge basically has everything hanging off it. Firstly there’s my home phone! As I’ve blogged before, I use T-Mobile’s VOIP service for my home phone and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s great! Further, when I’m at home my cell phone connects to my @Home router and uses UMA technology for all its calls (both in and out). This means I don’t have to rely on which parts of my apartment have good or bad signal coverage, I always use the Internet for my calls, just like my home phone. I love technology that just works! Apart from the phones, everything that’s hanging off the bridge is normal stuff. There’s the network printer/scanner, a network drive (which I got before I installed Windows Home Server), my desk Vista PC, and lastly my latest addition, the Home Server (a converted Windows 2003 server) which I’ve also blogged extensively about. The @Home bridge also supports wireless connections and so I use it for the other PCs in the apartment to connect to. I could have chosen to connect the wireless (or wired) devices direct to the Verizon router but the T-Mobile router has built-in prioritization for the phone connections and so it makes sense to let that unit make the decisions about what traffic takes priority over the Internet. After all I wouldn’t want to lose a call because I was downloading a huge file on another PC. Clever stuff.

I also manage several websites and these are hosted by 1and1.com and so I need access to these at any time. Mesh also manages the offline copies of my websites nicely for me. Then lastly zoho.com manages my ‘online’ documents (which actually aren’t backed up anywhere else at present. That’s another project for a rainy day. I need to install Google Gears and then I can have these documents available offline and backed up via Mesh or Windows Home Server). All in all, I think I’ve taken most possibilities into account. I’m no longer reliant on any particular PC for access to things. I no longer need to have the latest greatest speed demon or mega-hard disk PC. I’ve moved to the world of only needing something that connects to the Internet and functions at a relatively decent speed. Lastly I can travel the world and confidently access anything I need in a variety of ways without having to think about it beforehand. I can even travel and not take my PC with me. Now that’s a scary thought for someone who’s had a PC attached at the hip since the early 1990s!

There you have it - John’s World.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 at 4:04 pm and is filed under Home, Technology, Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.