Expert CAD Management The Complete Guide phần 7 pdf

16531c08.qxd 3/19/07 3:11 PM Page 158 159 ■ MANAGING NETWORKS, IT, AND HARDWARE Managing Networks, IT, and Hardware I get a lot of questions from CAD managers who wonder how much they need to know about IT topics like hardware and networks. The answer is probably different for every CAD manager; but in this chapter, I’ll try to give you an adequate amount of general information and let you decide for yourself what you should concentrate on. 9 16531c09.qxd 3/19/07 1:43 PM Page 159 160 CHAPTER 9: MANAGING NETWORKS, IT, AND HARDWARE ■ As you read this chapter, I recommend using the strategies and approaches I’ll out- line to get the most from the information. I’ll break out the topics in terms of target audi- ence and then explain in a little more detail as I go. I’ll try to keep the IT coverage brief because many, if not most, CAD managers can do with little detailed IT knowledge. How Much IT Do You Need to Know? The best way I’ve found to advise CAD managers about how much IT knowledge they need is to determine what their work situation is. Of course, all CAD managers need some IT familiarity, but some may need more or less. The following list identifies the common CAD-manager demographics I see in industry and gives some recommenda- tions for each. If you don’t fit into any of the categories, try to find the two closest matches and make your own determination: Everyone Every CAD manager should understand the basic concepts behind hardware and networking structures. These parameters include concepts like bandwidth, disk throughput, and local area networks (LANs) versus wide area networks (WANs) and Internet access. If you know the basics, you’ll never be totally in the dark in an IT conversation. Figure 9.1 The days of CAD managers doing machine configuration is dwindling as dedicated or outsourced IT departments increasingly handle IT tasks. Note: My bias on IT involvement for CAD managers is to recommend less rather than more.The basic rea- son I feel this way is that CAD managers have a lot of other priorities that are probably higher than messing with computers or networks. 16531c09.qxd 3/19/07 1:43 PM Page 160 161 ■ QUANTIFYING NETWORKS: A FACILITATING TOOL OR A BARRIER TO PRODUCTIVITY? Those who report to the IT department The trend of having CAD managers report to the IT department infrastructure is increasing. The bottom line is that if your boss is an IT person, you should probably try to learn more about IT than you otherwise would to have a basis for communication. The other thing about trying to learn more IT with an IT-focused boss is that you have somebody who can help you learn—take advantage of the opportunity. Small-company CAD managers Even if you don’t have to do IT specialty work, the possibility that you may have to make an emergency fix becomes more likely as com- pany size gets smaller. Learn whatever you can as you go along, and take good notes. You never know when you’ll need them. Large-company CAD managers In large company environments, IT is usually taken care of by a dedicated IT department that doesn’t want anyone messing with their net- work. You should know the IT basics I’ve recommended for everyone, but you proba- bly don’t need to know more unless you just want to. I do recommend keeping up with IT changes and modifications so you’ll know what’s going on, but don’t worry too much about understanding all the nuances. To sum up, you’re never too well informed about IT, so you can spend as much effort here as you’d like. Let’s dig into a few of the topics I’ve suggested. Quantifying Networks: A Facilitating Tool or a Barrier to Productivity? Is the network your friend or your enemy? Will your network allow you to do great things and facilitate awesome new work processes, or will it be an albatross to bear? The answers to these questions can be yes or no, depending on what you expect. Any network is a complex combination of hardware, software, and telecommu- nications components that form an almost living environment that stores and routes all data through the company. Based on how well you understand that environment, you’ll know what to expect, how to configure software, and where to place shared data to take advantage of networking strengths and avoid weaknesses. The first thing we must do is map out a typical large-company network and define all of its components and characteristics. Once you understand the terms, it becomes much easier to see how you can operate your CAD tools for optimal efficiency. Note: For more detailed information about assessing your network environment, see “Network, IT,and Security Assessments”in Chapter 2. 16531c09.qxd 3/19/07 1:43 PM Page 161 162 CHAPTER 9: MANAGING NETWORKS, IT, AND HARDWARE ■ Understanding the Environment A network is a combination of computers (some workstations and some servers) con- nected by data-transmission lines (with varying bandwidths) that form a cohesive sys- tem. To understand this system, you have to understand what each computer does and how quickly it can move data from point to point in the network. As you can see in Figure 9.1, a CAD workstation is a small component of the overall computing system in your company. The specific components that affect soft- ware operation and some pertinent statistics for each are summarized as follows: Local machine The user’s machine that the CAD software runs on. These machines are typically fast and have a high-bandwidth disk connection that delivers anywhere from 1.0 to 2.4 gigabits/second (gbps; or 1,000,000,000 to 2,400,000,000 bits/second [bps]) throughput using IDE (older) or ATA (newer) disk controllers. Although the processor speed and amount of RAM contribute to machine performance, CAD files are so big that disk performance is a more accurate barometer of how fast a given machine will run your CAD applications. Figure 9.2 Your company’s CAD software doesn’t run on one machine, but on an interconnected system of servers and networks. LAN connection The network that ties local machines in close proximity to one another to the company’s overall network. In more complex networking environments (like multiple branch offices with Internet support), the LAN is the first networking connection your machine sees. In smaller companies, the LAN may be your only net- work connection. LAN connections typically deliver 100 megabits/second (mbps; or 100,000,000 bps) of bandwidth from the CAD machine to the network. That 100 mbps bandwidth is Internet Disk Disk Server CAD Station CAD Station CAD Station LAN WAN Connection LAN Disk Disk Disk 16531c09.qxd 3/19/07 1:43 PM Page 162 163 ■ QUANTIFYING NETWORKS: A FACILITATING TOOL OR A BARRIER TO PRODUCTIVITY? shared with other users, so chances are you’ll never get the full bandwidth. It becomes obvious immediately that the LAN connection moves data 1,000 to 2,000 times more slowly than a local machine writes data to its own hard drive. Ever wonder why your LAN seems slow? Now you know why. WAN connection The WAN is the network that ties your LANs together over large geographic distances. The problem with WANs is that you can’t run high-speed net- working wire to a branch office in another country, so you’re at the mercy of the telecommunications company’s services. WAN connections typically deliver 1.5 to 4.5 mbps (or 1,500,000 to 4,500,000 bps) of bandwidth from LAN to LAN. Again, that 1.5 to 4.5 mbps bandwidth is shared with other users on the respective LANs, so chances are you’ll never get the full band- width. Some quick math shows that a WAN connection is 40 to 100 times slower than LAN connections, and you know how slow LANs are compared to local machines. Ever wonder why moving files between branch-office LANs seems glacial in pace? Now you know why. Internet connection The age of the mobile worker has enabled anyone to work from home via a DSL or cable-modem connection. These types of commercial Internet services are broadly available and relatively cheap but deliver low bandwidth to the end user. DSL connections are typically called ADSL, where the A stands for asynchronous. ADSL means that download speeds and upload speeds are different, with the download speed usually being much faster than that for uploading. Typical download speeds are 1.5 mbps (or 1,500,000 bps) of bandwidth, and upload speeds are typically one-third that, so those who need to upload large file sets will perceive ADSL connections as being slow. The only good thing about ADSL is that the connection usually isn’t shared, so at least the user gets all the bandwidth they pay for. Storing Data The entire purpose of having a network with CAD machines on it is to produce CAD data and share it between users. The question is, how can you do that best? Referring again to Figure 9.1 above, we can draw some conclusions about data storage and the practical factors affecting the data in the various locations. Note: Cable modems are usually a bit faster than DSL modems but not enough faster to alter our discussion. 16531c09.qxd 3/19/07 1:43 PM Page 163 164 CHAPTER 9: MANAGING NETWORKS, IT, AND HARDWARE ■ I’ll summarize the benefits and drawbacks by using each system component that I defined in the previous section: Local machine Storing data on the local machine gives the fastest possible data access because the local machine’s hard-drive bandwidth is always higher than that of any network connection. One downside of storing data on a local machine is that other users can’t access it. In addition, it won’t be backed up as it would be on a network server, thus offering lower security. Possible compromise procedures include check in/check out methodologies that allow users to copy working files to the local machine and then copy them back to the server each night for backup. Understand that any time data is stored on a local machine, there is more risk of data loss due to a lack of backup. LAN connection Storing data on the LAN increases data security but slows data access because CAD files are opened and saved over the LAN instead of on the user’s hard drive. From the CAD user’s perspective, using the LAN is slower than storing data on their local machine due to the much lower bandwidth of the LAN; thus this situation will generate complaints. However, IT departments will correctly point out that storage of CAD data on the LAN facilitates centralized backups that protect the data, and that no amount of speed is worth the security risk. Again, check in/check out methodologies may provide common ground between users who want speed and IT departments that want security. WAN connection The situation here is essentially the same as for a LAN environment but a lot slower. CAD users who complain about performance problems in LANs will throw fits about WAN speeds. As a practical note, CAD files tend to be large, and sharing those files over sluggish WANs can sometimes be impossible due to time lags. Note: WAN environments are the worst-case scenario for CAD managers because there’s not much you can do to make the WAN faster or the files smaller.All the while,users will complain, and rightly so, about slow speeds degrading their productivity. Note: Network speed determines how fast users can access data.Faster is always better from the user’s perspective. Note: In environments where collaborative teams need to work with the same files,storing data on local machines is impossible because sharing can’t be facilitated without a network connection. 16531c09.qxd 3/19/07 1:43 PM Page 164 165 ■ QUANTIFYING NETWORKS: A FACILITATING TOOL OR A BARRIER TO PRODUCTIVITY? Internet connection This scenario is essentially the same as a WAN, with one psycho- logical difference: When home-based or traveling workers access data through the Internet, they expect it to be slow! Oddly enough, users who go ballistic over WAN speeds may be tolerant of Internet access speeds. Running Software Your users can’t get any CAD work done unless they run CAD software, right? The question becomes how to best run that CAD software based on the network topology we’ve discussed. I’ll warn you that I have some strong feelings about how CAD soft- ware runs, precisely because it’s the sole network component that allows work to get done! Figure 9.3 When running software over WAN or Internet connections you'll only achieve the speed that network switches and hardware permit, thus leaving you no room to improve speeds users experience. I’ll summarize the benefits/drawbacks of running CAD software in various envi- ronments by using each system component that I defined earlier: Local machine vs. LAN connections CAD software works best on local machines because the local machine’s hard-drive bandwidth is always higher than that of a net- work connection. When IT staffs want to run CAD software from a network server, it’s almost always because doing so makes their life easier with little regard for how much slower the CAD user’s work experience is. There’s no better place to run CAD software than on the user’s own worksta- tion, where it achieves its greatest performance and enables the user to achieve maxi- mum productivity. 16531c09.qxd 3/19/07 1:43 PM Page 165 166 CHAPTER 9: MANAGING NETWORKS, IT, AND HARDWARE ■ WAN connection A WAN is out of the question for running CAD application software because the extremely slow bandwidth would slow any CAD application to a crawl. User productivity would be so severely compromised by running CAD software over a WAN that there would likely be a revolt. Internet connection This is essentially the same as the WAN scenario, which is unacceptable. Buying the Right Hardware Buying the right hardware is always a tough call because no matter what you buy, you know it will be obsolete in a few years. The good news is that hardware is always get- ting better, so you can run better programs all the time. Over my 21 years of CAD usage, I’ve observed that some rules for buying hardware always seem to work, whereas other rules change as new technologies are developed. To start the discussion, let me sum up the rules I think always work; then, we’ll get more specific: Buy it just before you need it Machines always get faster and drop in price. It makes no sense to buy a machine too early, because even if you buy in bulk, you’ll probably save more by waiting. And when you wait, you know you’ll get a faster machine. Be frugal but not cheap Don’t buy the most expensive machine, but don’t buy the cheapest either. I typically go to Internet computer vendors like Dell and Gateway and find the priciest machine and the cheapest machine, determine the average price, and then target the machines that fall above the average mark. For example, if the cheapest machine cost $500 and the most expensive cost $4,500, I would start my search at the $2,500 level. The upper and lower costs in the range will almost certainly get cheaper as time goes by, but staying in the middle of the range tends to steer you toward higher-end processors, RAM, and disk systems without going overboard on huge monitors, multi- media accessories, or luxury items. Prices will always drop, but this dollar-cost averag- ing approach has worked remarkably well over the years. Buy new CAD machines, not office machines When you buy new computers, get nice, high-performance machines for the high-power CAD users and move the older CAD Note: If your company’s IT staff wants to run CAD tools via the Internet or over a corporate WAN, you should be concerned about the impact it will have on user productivity and should make your concerns known immediately. 16531c09.qxd 3/19/07 1:43 PM Page 166 167 ■ BUYING THE RIGHT HARDWARE machines to general office use. This approach puts your new computer dollars on the desktops of those who make the best use of them and turns slower CAD machines into still-speedy office machines. Using this approach typically yields a useful PC life of three years or more because each computer will be used by two types of users. By con- trast, a three-year-old CAD machine is obsolete in almost all cases. Figure 9.4 When your job requires you to run CAD software fast,having cutting-edge hardware is a necessity. This fact is frequently overlooked by management and even some IT departments. What sort of technologies are relatively new that will affect hardware-purchasing strategies in the 2007/2008 timeframe? Those questions can only be answered in time, but I’m willing to bet on a few trends and make some recommendations based on them: Single-processor machines are obsolete for CAD Is management sorely tempted by basic, single-processor machines that can run most programs for less than $500? Of course they are, because they think there’s value in getting something so cheap. But single-processor machines are fossils in today’s world of multicore processing. Don’t buy a single-processor machine for CAD work ever again! Buy multicore-processor machines at reasonable prices Need a machine that’ll burn through CAD, analytical, or rendering tasks? Multicore machines run rings around single-processor machines via faster RAM architectures and increasingly multithreaded software applications. At the time of this writing, dual-core processor machines are common, and newer, quad-core-processor-based machines are hitting the market. 16531c09.qxd 3/19/07 1:43 PM Page 167 [...]... resources can be frustrating unless they’re printed out and compiled Most CAD managers can use online resources if they catalog frequently referenced materials into a searchable index Online CAD Management Resources www .cad- manager.com www.cadalyst.com/cadman This is a well-indexed summary of CAD management articles, forums, and pertinent industry news, formatted for the working CAD manager User groups You’ll... learning preference: Many CAD managers have substantial lecture and note-taking experience that serves them well in these environments, but they may find the pace of learning slower than anticipated CAD managers who take the most notes and ask probing questions of their instructors gain the most in these training environments CHAPTER 10: BUILDING CRUCIAL SKILLS ■ 178 Peer Activities The hardest component... Note: CAD managers should question how online work management will lower current CAD user productivity and raise the issue with senior management if IT doesn’t address the concerns adequately 16531c09.qxd 3/19/ 07 1:43 PM Page 171 Wide-area electronic document management Similar to online work management, but with the difference that electronic document management systems build database archives of information... resources on CAD management, software customization, and industry trends specifically for CAD managers 16531c10.qxd 3/19/ 07 1:43 PM Page 178 Instructor-led training courses These are normally thought of as the way other users learn new material, so why not use the method yourself? Although it’s rare to find a CAD manager training course, you can focus on taking short classes in programming, general management. .. The problem with this statement is that formal classroom-style CAD- management training is extremely hard to find The further you advance in management, the more you’ll realize that training for managers is hard to come by, period; and CAD managers have an especially hard time The good news is that alternative training resources are available if you look for them, which will allow you to piece together... information read the Budgeting section in Chapter 7, “Understanding Financial Processes.” 16531c10.qxd 3/19/ 07 1:43 PM Page 183 Building Your Management Style While you’re pursuing all the information and technology you need to do your job, don’t forget to be a management student at the same time I’ve said before that whether you like it or not, management is part of the job, so don’t neglect your management. .. turnover All other things being equal, your style determines how much people want to work for and support you—so work on your management expertise! Useful Management Book References There are probably a thousand management books you could read, so why do I recommend these titles? The main reason is that I feel they offer you a different perspective from what you’re used to (CAD and technology), and they’re... to piece together your own CAD management training program You’ll gain new insights either by jump-starting your knowledge in a different area or by seeing another perspective on how to teach and approach the information And although many CAD managers feel they can never leave the office, you can do an adequate job by phone or beeper, providing you let users know that you’ll be out of the office for... materials to enhance your CAD- management learning experience, what kinds of resources will you look for? What methodologies can you use that will give you the greatest return on the time you invest? I’ve found that the 175 ■ LEARNING EFFICIENTLY IS ESSENTIAL Taken together, these educational components of most CAD managers’ backgrounds profile a person ready, willing, and able to learn on their own with little... allow smaller groups of CAD managers and users to partake of specialized training Sometimes these events are sponsored by software resellers or software publishers Costs for these events are usually low or even free, so there’s no cost barrier to attending CAD management blogs These blogs are ever growing, ever changing, and always topical Start searching the blogosphere for CAD management resources, . bandwidth from the CAD machine to the network. That 100 mbps bandwidth is Internet Disk Disk Server CAD Station CAD Station CAD Station LAN WAN Connection LAN Disk Disk Disk 16531c09.qxd 3/19/ 07 1:43. data on the LAN increases data security but slows data access because CAD files are opened and saved over the LAN instead of on the user’s hard drive. From the CAD user’s perspective, using the LAN. doesn’t address the concerns adequately. 16531c09.qxd 3/19/ 07 1:43 PM Page 170 171 ■ OPERATING SYSTEMS Wide-area electronic document management Similar to online work management, but with the difference