Firewall Issues

Just a quick little note about the replacement of the computer. The folder on the print server is a shared folder. In order for the lab technician to print an order they go to the shared folder from the computer/printer in the back. So if the network is down the printer in the back can't pull the jobs. While I was there the lab technician kept having problems seeing the folder. I realized that it was the McAfee firewall settings on the new computer. I had to go into the settings and allow the traffic to pass.

Computer Replacement

I had come by earlier in the week to load all the software on the new computer in hopes that the replacement would go smoothly. All the software was available on the software companies web page. I inadvertently downloaded and loaded the wrong software on the computer. I wouldn't realize my mistake until early Monday morning.

Kevin and I got to Fairbanks Fast Foto early Monday morning. We started working a 6:00 am to get the computer replaced. Wanted to get their early so I didn't have to deal with the stress of customers getting in the way. We also chose Monday morning because customer support for the photo kiosk software was on the east coast and their hours are something like 9 - 5 eastern time.

After everything was setup I couldn't set my photo request to the print server. I wasn't going to fool around chasing my tail, so I put aside my pride and called customer support. From the error code he told me that I was using the wrong software. He told me which one to download, so that is what I did. I got the right file and installed it on the new machine. No more error, the photo kiosk and the print server were able to communicate. That was the hardest part.

Next we had to add a printer locally to the new machine. We also had to configure the software to communicate with the actual large photo printer in the back. Configuring the software was not that difficult with the help of the manuals Kevin had given me earlier in the month. Overall I would have to say the computer replacement was a success.

Need more Info

The first me and Kevin decided to do was replace an older computer with a brand new Dell that had a dual core processor. This new computer was going to replace a computer that was acting as a print server for his photo kiosk machines. I was unsure of the whole set-up I couldn't understand how everything tied together. I stop by to ask Kevin some more questions so that I could get a better understanding. Kevin was nice enough to provide me with 3 manuals to read. One for the photo kiosk, one for the printer server, and another about the greeting card templates (which I will get to later).
The manual reading is going a little slow but having them available for next week when we replace the computer will be helpful.

First Meeting

I met with Kevin, owner of Fairbanks Fast Foto, in the month of February to discuss with him some of his concerns about his local network. It was a lot to try and understand right off the back. The network is not setup like a traditional office, where you have a bunch of workstations all set-up the same. He has two computers used for cash registers, three computers running a photo kiosk software, one office manager computer, two networked printers, and one computer/printer (the main printer that prints all the photos). I had to ask a lot of questions to try and understand exactly how the work flowed in the office and how all the computers worked together.
We discussed all the work he would like to see done and prioritized all the task. I tried to take notes but, when I got home to review what we had talked about my notes weren't very good. They were hard to read and to brief for me to try and remember what the note was referencing. After the first meeting I knew this was going to be a lot of work, but the results would be measurable. With measurable results I could determine success or failure.

Introduction

My independent project is working with Fairbanks Fast Foto. This is a great independent project because it will test my abilities any different aspects of an IT career. I have proposed 4 different areas in which to help improve Fairbanks Fast Foto.
1) Replace an older computer.
2) Configure third-party templates to work with existing photo kiosk.
3) Test and configure overall network security.
4) Redesign the existing network infrastructure.