networking.

<p>This is an account of my experiences as the network administrator of Selaiyur hall's IKC.
The year started off on a completely hopeless note. There was no proper transfer of documents and information from the previous cabinet. </p>

<p>This should have been a problem, but i was determined to make the best out of the chaos and implement the many ideas that i had in mind. Easy enough except that i needed a plan. </p>
But it was not simple enough.... and the plan didn't come easily. I had initially planned to integrate the entire connections through a server network that would give me enhanced monitoring edge over last year progress. Unfortunately i had over looked the elements of cost and residents reactions. Both of which turned out to be on the opposing side. </p>

<p>Still not to worry, i could manage with out a server. If the server had come then i would have a hard time setting it up... initially of course. Anyways that would have to wait. To make matters worse i was entirely new to the concept s of administration. The LAN terms like 'routing' 'ip-address' 'default gateway' and such things completely baffled me. Now that you know the truth. I must ask you to keep it a secret. lol. </p>

<p>So finally after a lot of google-ing around and some pretty bad experiments on my part, which resulted in  some drastic results, i finally got it. The configuration was simple, essentially there was a modem, a router, an 8-pot switch and a tangled heap of LAN cables. Now that i had the resources at hand, i had to figure out a proper way to connect all of them to make a sensible and working network.
After finding out the working of the many devices that i had at my disposal, a little bit of common sense  gave me the correct configuration. Modem > 8-Port  switch > desktop computers > Router and then all the wireless users. Seems simple enough?? Well not exactly, to figure it out in the beginning I actually had to do a lot of reading and configuration works before I got it right. Then there was the question of having to monitor the users and get their usage data which was impossible under the given resources.</p>

<p> The worst of my problems actually came from the ISP. Frequent network failure was the biggest among them. One night of heavy rain would ensure that the net was out for another week. There was 3 connection that we had to manage. Two of them had frequent problems and refused to show constant performance. It became difficult to convince the residents that the ISP was responsible, They wouldn't buy it anymore. Cant blame them, even I found it difficult to believe myself.</p>

<p>One very difficult thing to do is to divide one home connection and distribute its bandwidth among 20 users. The per-person bandwidth would reduce like unbelievable. The solution ?? Well i didn't actually have any solution. Well in theory yes but in practicality, it had to be decided by the residents. I was thinking of going for a corporate plan. And a long range enterprise router. But like i said the elements of cost and resident opinions kept far from reality.</p>

One semester has gone by, and now the many ideas and visions that i had initially seem gone and the network is in a big mess, mainly due to the many external factors. Much of the resources of the network are old and obsolete many have outlived their useful life. Purchasing new ones aren't that easy. It is my hope that some miracles happen soon. Or else we could always continue to follow in this scheme of things. It would hurt. But Selaiyur Hall has always been known for its creativity and innovation.</p>

Faith like Potatoes.

Last Sunday, I was invited by a friend of mine for a movie screening in their church that afternoon. The afternoon being a very lazy time and me being a not-so-active person, violently debated whether or not to go. The name of the movie was 'Faith like potatoes' and... that didn't help very much either.

To sum it up, a dear friend of mine was also going and so i went along. After the movie i was extremely sad that i had initially decided not to go. The train trip was long and monotonous, my friend decided to spend the time flipping through the day's paper and i joined in occasionally. Frankly speaking I preferred the online news. The person who invited me was waiting at the station with another friend of his and two bikes. Now thats what I'm talking about. The movie was half way thorough when we arrived. Just perfect, cause thats when the story actually starts.

The movie is about a farmer in the African desert, trying to grow potatoes on his farm when the rains are actually not that supportive. He has taken a loan from the bank, despite the risks and BELIEVES that it will turn out well. His belief stems from his faith in Jesus Christ. Thats the outline. I cant actually narrate the details, because i missed half of it remember?? In this crisis situation people are unwilling to take the risks invest in their produce. The Bank considers his entrepreneurship a crazy venture, they have their doubts and warn him that if the crops fail he will be bankrupt. He assures them that the crops will make it and that he will be one famous farmer. In this not-so -good time another tragedy strikes the heart of the family. A small boy falls off his tractor while he is driving and goes under the wheels. The incident actually make an unbelieving father a believer. The ways of the Lord are beyond our reasoning.

The farmer in discussion, here calls his fellow farmers of the region for a meeting in a stadium which he cant afford to rent. He asks them to put their trust in the Lord and not in the weather. He goes ahead with the planting of potatoes and with faith does his work.

All done and the time for the harvest finally comes. The farmer stands at his field with his trusted helper, and together they pray for the blessings they have received. Reluctantly but with faith they dig up the ground. But what do they see? Fully grown Potatoes of very good size and quality. Despite the lack of rain and the parched dry ground the miracle happens. It spreads like wild fire and everyone comes to view the potatoes of faith.

In the end the farmer sums it up as this " your faith should be like the potatoes, you must be able to feel them".
Faith is a beautiful thing, because we do not know. That is the beauty of it, and the reward is very pleasant. In my life I have only one person of this kind of faith. My GRANDFATHER. He was always ready. For the uncertainty of death to me was a promise of CERTAINTY for him, that he would be with his lord and savior Lord Jesus Christ. Despite the many pains of old age that constantly challenged him physically. He was always happy in his Faith. His heart problems gave him a lot of pain, he used to have sleepless nights and yet his faith sustained him. His death was a great loss for me. But his life is a lesson for me. And i am daily learning from him.

What bothers me is that i couldn't learn when he was alive. For all those reading this, don't make this mistake.
May the Lord make us grow in faith !!