Need some advice on learning networking

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

Let's leave the politics in the Rants and Raves section. Let's try and keep the work related topics, work related. Tough to do, but it keeps the threads from getting hijacked into oblivion.

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You're better off just ignoring. Trust me.


Hey, quick question. Can you name a few key benefits to incorporating Microsoft Teams with SharePoint? I'm concerned that it may be too much for my customer to learn?? Or am I off base thinking that?

[rthonpm]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

The trick isn't to use Teams with SharePoint, it's to use Teams AS SharePoint. The backend for both Teams and OneDrive is SharePoint. By creating a Team within Microsoft Teams you are essentially creating a SharePoint group within SharePoint Online.

If your folders and files for the Team are set within the Files tab of the Team, there's no need to even go into SharePoint itself to add or edit files. Teams works as a more user friendly frontend for SharePoint Online. SharePoint itself isn't very intuitive in terms of navigation.

For one customer, I set up a Team for the Accounting group with all of their PO templates and disclaimers in the Files tab and a web tab for their ERP system. Instead of going into SharePoint in one browser tab and ERP in another, they never have to leave Teams to do 90% of their work.

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[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

The trick isn't to use Teams with SharePoint, it's to use Teams AS SharePoint. The backend for both Teams and OneDrive is SharePoint. By creating a Team within Microsoft Teams you are essentially creating a SharePoint group within SharePoint Online.

If your folders and files for the Team are set within the Files tab of the Team, there's no need to even go into SharePoint itself to add or edit files. Teams works as a more user friendly frontend for SharePoint Online. SharePoint itself isn't very intuitive in terms of navigation.

For one customer, I set up a Team for the Accounting group with all of their PO templates and disclaimers in the Files tab and a web tab for their ERP system. Instead of going into SharePoint in one browser tab and ERP in another, they never have to leave Teams to do 90% of their work.

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Understood. Well, I don't fully understand but I'm gonna work on it.


One another note, I just had one of those "oh wow" moments.


Tomorrow morning I will be demoing the new SharePoint site to the company owner and a few key people there.

My only concern was that, while they can access their files from anywhere, it's different. When they were on Server 2019, they simply went to File Explorer and clicked on the file they needed. Now they must go to office.com, sign in with their credentials, click on site, and finally they can access the document.

I discovered that I can "sync" Sharepoint docs with One Drive and now they can go to File Explorer and it's business as usual. I also downloaded the mobile app and will demo all of this in the morning. I don't know how they'll react, but I'm blown away.


PS - Thanks for all of your help. I don't know how I can ever repay you for all of your help.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

There's more to this than meets the eye. While syncing Sharepoint with OneDrive is fantastic for saving drafts and working on a document solo, it's best practice not to collaborate on a document from OneDrive. Best practice is to go to SharePoint if more than one use is working on a document.

[rthonpm]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

OneDrive is perfectly suited for sharing files, but it's more for an individual file, or for sharing with a smaller subset of people, like a document that two or three people are collaborating on, or a document that needs multiple people to enter data for a single person to analyse or collect.

Within my own OneDrive, I'll share draft documentation or a file that needs input from one of my other support staff so that I can collect information for a project. This isn't necessarily true production work that we keep in our Technology Services Team, or in SharePoint, but it is needed to be able to do work.

Think of SharePoint as your Group or Department sharing, and OneDrive as your individual sharing option.

Pretty much it keeps from having drafts of files emailed back and forth or scattered in places where they may not be ready for a wider audience.



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[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

I have a client that is a nonprofit school and they share an old school building with Gulfport School District. Anyway, I've been volunteering my time to help upgrade their network...among other things. It was working beautifully but then a rouge DHCP server magically appeared out of nowhere one day and we lost connectivity to 2 classrooms.

For reference: My client is on a 192. network and the rouge DHCP Server is on a 10. network.

I started by tracing the cat 5 cable from point to point. The school has a drop tile ceiling and I found years of wiring that had been overlaid on top of each other. It was a mess. I used a toning probe and traced the cat 5 cable to a room that belonged to Gulfport School District. We didn't have access to this locked room.

We ended up having to call their IT dept and when he arrived he told me he had been segmenting (VLANS) the different networks and that it was probably something that he did that introduced the rouge DHCP server.

This guy was eager to show me how much he knew about networking and started asking me a lot of questions. He asked me if I knew what a VLAN was. Then he asked me about routing protocols. I told him that I knew about all of that and gave him a brief explanation. He then took me into their server room and showed me a 64-port HP switch.


I don't want to make this story too long but here's what I learned from the guy. He was Cisco certified but said that Gulfport School District moved away from Cisco routers and switches because of the cost and instead used HP. He said that HP switches basically emulated Cisco and were similar in terms of command line. He also said something about HP's warranty being better.

In the end we got it all straightened out but it involved me having to run a lot of new cat 5.

[Tricky]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

Apparently you can host a website on the tor network (darknet), and you don't need to set up port forwarding, how cool is that.

I've got an old laptop, may give it a go sometime

[Tricky]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

Someone gave me a Raspberry pi model1b. Using the official graphical desktop, it's so slow as to be unusable.

So I installed the lite version without desktop, getting tor working was simple.
i put a DARK WEB website on a Raspberry Pi!! - YouTube

[rthonpm]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

For any kind of desktop use of a Pi, you need at least a Pi 3. Anything earlier than than should only be used for the original purpose of an embedded system.

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[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

I have some time so here's some random thoughts on networking.


First, I still consider myself very inexperienced and needing to learn more. But now my eyes are wide open. When I started, I was completely in the dark with no direction.


IMHO, the word "networking" encompasses so much information until isn't almost meaningless. I mean, are we talking about servers, switches & routers, virtual machines, ect., ect?

It seems like I've covered a lot of ground since starting this journey back in November. I've set up a server from scratch, installed active directory, created a file server and granted the access level that the customer desired. For good measure, I also set up a file server on SharePoint and all that covers.

I've installed security systems and did port forwarding to allow the customer to view cameras remotely.


And then I've studied the hell out of Cisco routers & switches. (vlans, inter-vlans, routing protocols, ect.)


Before I go any further, I'd like to thank everyone that's helped me along the way. You know who you are. Yes, even bsm2 helped me along the way.


I've done stuff that I never dreamed about doing. Yet, I've only been doing this for 10-months, so you can imagine that I'm far from an expert. There are no shortcuts when it comes to learning this. This journey will take years.


I leave on this note. I always read rthonpm's posts and many times I'm left wondering what the hell he's talking about. Hopefully I get there one day.

[PrintWhisperer]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

I have some time so here's some random thoughts on networking.


First, I still consider myself very inexperienced and needing to learn more. But now my eyes are wide open. When I started, I was completely in the dark with no direction.


IMHO, the word "networking" encompasses so much information until isn't almost meaningless. I mean, are we talking about servers, switches & routers, virtual machines, ect., ect?

A more apt industry term would be 'Connectivity' and when it comes to this industry that means more rabbit holes than Nevada scrubland. It used to be simple print and scanning with standard protocols but now there's the Cloud, Security, and Apps. The age of the geek has arrived and Professional Services are 'money in the bank' profits for dealers who can engage in it. That means having someone good enough that you can charge for their services.

As you have seen, you learn by doing and have to become an expert when the technology is presented because you never know what they'll hit you with next. The best answer to any question you can't answer is "I don't know but I'll find out" and that means being a lifelong learner which you have done, so hats off to ya!

Business Solutions are fun and challenging so you have to like puzzles too 'cause it's like that.

I leave you with a couple mnemonics to remember the OSI networking model:

Please Do Not Throw Service Profits Away
Please Do Not Take Sales Peoples Advice

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

I want to preface this point by saying that I don't have a current need to do this but rather this is a learning exercise.


Here's the (made up) scenario. There's an office in Orlando, Tampa and Miami. There's a Kyocera MFP at each location. The central windows server is at the Miami office. I want all of the copiers to scan to a shared folder at the central server in Miami.


What's the best/correct way to do this? I have an idea but not 100% sure. I'm looking for an in-depth explanation if possible. Thanks.

[slimslob]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

I want to preface this point by saying that I don't have a current need to do this but rather this is a learning exercise.


Here's the (made up) scenario. There's an office in Orlando, Tampa and Miami. There's a Kyocera MFP at each location. The central windows server is at the Miami office. I want all of the copiers to scan to a shared folder at the central server in Miami.


What's the best/correct way to do this? I have an idea but not 100% sure. I'm looking for an in-depth explanation if possible. Thanks.

One option, assuming that they are using the same ISP at all three locutions, id to let the ISP set up a secure WAN for them. If the ISP offers fiber connections, all the better and faster.

[BillyCarpenter]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

One option, assuming that they are using the same ISP at all three locutions, id to let the ISP set up a secure WAN for them. If the ISP offers fiber connections, all the better and faster.

Thanks slim. From my understanding these are the most likely options:

a.) WAN
b.) VPN
c.) cloud


I'm more interested in the first 2 for learning purposes.

[Tricky]

Re: Need some advice on learning networking

For any kind of desktop use of a Pi, you need at least a Pi 3. Anything earlier than than should only be used for the original purpose of an embedded system.

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This one is more fun command line, I have learned a lot and the best part is power consumption, it's running from a Samsung 5 volt 2 amp fast charger, so the power is there if it's needed, but it's running at less than 2 watts !