If i take down someones network what are the penalties in Australia.

[oldrn]

Another thing, many of the younger techs grew up with this stuff and can whip around it like nothing. It's some of us older folks who really didn't keep ourselves up to date who suffer if we have to do it ourselves.
Don't let yourself fall behind the technology.

I found this thread while looking for help on installing connected copiers on a network with a server. This older folk copier tech is having a tough time keeping up with technology. A small office supply business tech in an economically depressed area (depressed even before the recession) selling few multi-function machines makes it tough to find opportunities to learn or practice connectivity issues. I work in an office where the owner does not allow me to learn(much) on our small pier-to-pier network.( He knows less about networking than I do.) I am allowed to install print drivers on the service dept PC to test equipment but that's about it. If anything happens on the network, he doesn't consider it a useful learning experience. I went to a local college to learn inter-networking but did not get into servers. Even if our customers have someone doing their IT work, it would be good to know more about server environments. I could set up a server on my home network but don't know how many copiers I could get into my house to practice with... Any thoughts on training avenues for this 50 something year old tech who isn't afraid to learn?

[mrwho]

Most of the basic network experience you can learn is done while practicing. What I usually recommend to people when they ask me that is "Get a couple of PCs at your home and make your own peer-to-peer network, then do the usual stuff: share the internet between them, share your home deskjet or otherwise printer (if it has a network card it's a big bonus) and configure all your PCs to print to it, etc". That probably won't tech you much about networking the MFPs, but at least will make you comfortable setting up and troubleshooting common network problems and, while at it, you'll hopefully learn about IP addresses, DNS, gateways, subnetmasks, and what they are about.

[Venom]

Have the customer sit in front of the server and tell them which buttons to press...if it crashes...you didn't touch it

[tcs04]

I just LOVE it when the on site (Or external) IT guy says "I'll install the driver myself" because I KNOW the first call will be "WE can't staple" and the driver won't have the finisher set up!!... Or the LCT... OR the paper bank... Great way to gain points with the operator!! Just say "We won't charge this time and when something does go wrong remind them how you helped last time!

[D_L_P]

...the first call will be "WE can't staple" and the driver won't have the finisher set up!!... Or the LCT... OR the paper bank...

AMEN!

Very good advice about playing with your home network, MRWho. I have 2 computers and an inkjet printer and just setting it up to share 1 folder to transfer files was extremely helpful.

I agree with TheOwl, if their network is that important you probably won't be allowed near it. On the other hand if there is no in house IT staff you probably don't have much of a choice and they probably aren't going to be that inconvenienced if their server needs a reboot. But technically I know I'd be liable if anything happened so I just use my best judgment.

[KenB]

I just LOVE it when the on site (Or external) IT guy says "I'll install the driver myself" because I KNOW the first call will be "WE can't staple" and the driver won't have the finisher set up!!... Or the LCT... OR the paper bank... Great way to gain points with the operator!! Just say "We won't charge this time and when something does go wrong remind them how you helped last time!

Oh. man, that seems to happen a least once a week! I've had some of the otherwise sharpest IT guys out there not add the accessories.

Of course, then there's the smart@$$ who tries to pin the goof-up on us.

[paulg]

Insurance is vital and make sure the real bosses ie people who will get hit with the lawsuit know whats going on. If your in a big company with a legal department of its own etc then i doubt you have to worry much but if i was with a small dealership find out what is in place. whats the offcial policy of your company?

Remeber you may never actually "bring down" or be to blame for any issue on the customers network but if the customer accuses you/your employer someone still has to deal with the lawsuit.

No point your supervisor/call controller saying to you over the phone "well you go its a simple task" and the directors turning round saying well you broke our policys/regulations your responsible!!

If the company do keep asking you to do network calls ask for formal training preferably with certification which people recognise A+ and N+ are a good start. While its good of them to give you a few days shadowing the network guru of the company or a few old computers and what not to play with.
It may even be really good for the way you like to learn and develop but means you have nothing to show either customer or potential employers ;-)

Dont ever bite off more than you can chew and I would advise you document all that you do (keep a copy and leave a copy with the m/c or cusomer) and explain clearly to others what you have done.

Documenting the calls covers you (best if you can get it signed while at the customers) and of course is useful for remebering what you did last time both at that customers and others.

[DAG COPIERS & COMPUTERS]

I advice all copier techs to seriously consider taking short courses in IT.Forget this rubbish of being only a copier tech or old time copier-tech. be old physically but mentally young. The term photocopier itself is next to obsolete. modern digital copiers are essentially network devices. its therefore important that a technician be highly knowledgeable in all technical aspects of these modern machines in order to keep abreast of the technological advances and maintain the market. modern copiers are essentially IT EQUIPMENT. Thanks.

[Copier Doc]

Unfortunatly us old school copier techs have had to come into the world of IT.
But the IT techs (in my experience) seem to think we are an inferior species!!
Example..... I posted an issue 3 days ago, installed a ricoh cl7300 printer & setup on customers network with their remote support centre.
Following day i get a call saying nothing printing, turns out out that remote support people had been looking through web monitor & locked printer down to one IP address!!
Who gets the blame?? 'YOUR PRINTER DOESNT WORK!!'
Bloody IT techs eh!!

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

why not get a wavier signed before doing any work. This way you are not liable if their system goes down.

That's what we do. Too many times we got burned from customer bull shit. Get a 100% liability waiver, and oh by the way...we charge an IT fee if we do it.

[kingpd@businessprints.net]

I'm old enough to remember when we had the first /HPCanons something like LS or LPT( my memory is gone) something or something printer engines in 1984 and we would go out on a service call and say well its not the hardware so it must be the software or the computer and then the customer would call the software guy and he would say its the computer and the computer guy would come out and say it was the software and the printer, well you get the idea, nobody back then did it all and the customers had to pay everyone or in some cases no one cus it was the fault of the something else so they did'nt want to pay for the call.
There was also what I think was called Errors and Omissions Insurance or some other liability insurance that the dealership added to their policy and that was suppose to cover them/ tech in just this very case, if you brought down a customers website or any other IT related issue they may have caused.
Our neighbor has an online retail store that does 3/4 of a million a year in business and his provider went down for 2 days and they blamed a tech doing work at the server. Well 3/4 of a million divided by 365 days x 2 = $4,109.58 on average and their insurance paid.
Recomendation: Buy the insurance if your a dealership that plays with the customers IT stuff. It should be part of your standard liability insurance policy, check.

That's a good idea too. Get a waiver anyway though.

[slybot]

Unfortunatly us old school copier techs have had to come into the world of IT.
But the IT techs (in my experience) seem to think we are an inferior species!!
Example..... I posted an issue 3 days ago, installed a ricoh cl7300 printer & setup on customers network with their remote support centre.
Following day i get a call saying nothing printing, turns out out that remote support people had been looking through web monitor & locked printer down to one IP address!!
Who gets the blame?? 'YOUR PRINTER DOESNT WORK!!'
Bloody IT techs eh!!

i can SOOOOOO relate to that. 99% of the IT depts that i have to deal with wouldnt know their arse from a hole in the ground