17 September, 2007
Licensee Paul Boggia
explains how to make the most of your pub's computer system
Other small businesses have computer networks, so why not pubs? They can
bring plenty of advantages to a busy and
overworked publican.
If one of the computers has a printer attached, other computers can print
to it. If one of the computers has certain files on it, someone on another
computer can access those files over the network rather than having to copy
them onto a floppy disk or CD. You can configure the computer holding these
files to back up the data to another computer, CD or hard disk.
If you have an internet connection, you can share it so all your computers
can access the web. And perhaps most importantly, if you have staff in your
living area using your computer, having a network keeps them out of your
private space.
By using typical Microsoft operating systems (Windows 2000 and XP), and
investing only a modest outlay for hardware, you have all the tools to install
a business network.
Doing this at my pub has proved a great success – and the best bit is staff don’t have to use the computer in our living area!
We put PCs in the cellar (for the manager, assistant managers and
accountant), the corridor outside the kitchen (for the chefs), my partner’s
office and my office.
Setting up a PC doesn’t take much room, and using the space in your pub
imaginatively can reap great rewards.
So here’s a step-by-step guide to creating your own network.
Assuming you already have broadband, the first item you need is a router. Many
new routers combine wireless and Ethernet (cable) technology, and include a
firewall.
A firewall ensures any PC on your network doesn’t have ports exposed to the
internet, protecting your network from malicious users and websites.
With this router plugged into your broadband connection, and some
configuration on the router (explained below), you can connect your computers
to it and soon be sharing your broadband connection through a firewall.
You need to decide how to connect your computers to the router. Options
include Ethernet, wireless, powerline and phoneline networks.
The first two are the most popular. In both the router does most of the
work by directing the traffic between the computers, printers, and so on.
To connect each computer or printer to the router you’ll need a Network
Interface Card (NIC) in each computer and a cable to run between them. Most
fairly modern PCs will have a NIC already included, so check for this first.
Ethernet networks are faster than wireless networks and, unlike wireless,
are incredibly simple to install. The main downside is that you’ll be able to
see the cables.
The least obtrusive way to connect your computers is to use a wireless
network (Wi-Fi), which uses radio waves instead of
wires, making it very flexible.
For example, you can move a laptop from room to room without fiddling with
cables and without losing your connection. The downside is that wireless
connections are generally slower than Ethernet.
Signals extend about 100 feet (30 metres) in all
directions, but walls can interrupt them. You may need to purchase a range
extender or repeater to get thorough coverage. Having said that, I have just
the one wireless access point and I regularly have customers at my pub tell me
they can get my wireless access from the end of our street, about 50 metres away, and through several walls.
You’ll also need a wireless adapter (similar to a NIC) in each computer you
plan to connect to the network. You can add printers and other devices as well.
Some new models have built-in wireless adapters, and you can use a wireless
Ethernet bridge to add wireless capabilities to ones that don’t.
If you have a wireless network, you’ll need to protect it – you don’t want neighbours hitch-hiking on your wireless signal.
Wireless security is full of technical terms, but by following the
instructions that come with the wireless router you’ll soon understand the
jargon and learn how to make your wireless network available only to you and
your staff.
The router and computers have to recognise and
talk to each other. To do that they’ll need IP (Internet Protocol) addresses,
DNS (Domain Name System) information, a Default Gateway and Workgroup name. It
looks pretty complicated at first, but there’s a lot of information available
on the web. Check the following sites:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/813936/
http://www.home-network-help.com/
The other option is the DHCP (Dynamic Host Control Protocol) function found
on the router. This will give out network information to all devices on the
network automatically.
Now you have a working network, do something useful with it. You can share
files across the network so other users can access them. Choose a computer to
store all your business data – this machine will become the file server. On
this machine create a folder for all the data your business uses. This is the
folder to share across the network.
The last thing you need to ensure is that the data on the file server is
backed up. If you have a small amount of data a CD back-up might be enough. But
if you back up to another networked machine your data will be available at all
times.
Use the back-up application in Microsoft Windows 2000 and XP to schedule
back-ups to happen at a given time or to perform immediate back-ups.
Don’t want to use Microsoft products? Then don’t. There is a wealth of
reliable operating systems out there.
Most of them are Linux based and they include Office-type applications
(OpenOffice.org), and a safe and secure lightweight browser (Firefox). They’re immune to nearly all viruses, and are
free!
And there aren’t any licensing costs. Some of the more popular Linux
operating systems include: Ubuntu
(www.ubuntulinux.org), PCLinuxOS (www.pclinuxos.com),
and OpenSuse (http://en.opensuse.org).
Paul Boggia
is licensee of the Kingston Arms in Cambridge
|
Top tips for setting up a network |
|
1 Don’t be put off by the technical
jargon. The computing world loves to use weird terms that aren’t the least
bit user-friendly. Once you read about a particular subject you’ll soon get
used to the relevant terms. |