Forest BB

WiFi in the cafe is down again, with different computers reporting different errors.

Internet is working in the office, but not in the Action Room - where it's been down for weeks, now that I think about it.

Mike, would it be possible to train up a couple of seconds in maintaining Forest's internet? We're getting too many errors to rely on one person all the time, I think! And some labelling on all routers saying "I don't care who you are, if you're not trained up don't touch this" might be good.

*Sigh* Probably due to someone putting it in front of the flykiller. Might be time to swap in the backup router.



Are there even any working computers in the action room?

.

We wouldn't be getting so many errors if people stopped fucking with the stuff.

There were others, but they all seem to have drifted away. It's not a very easy thing to train someone in because it's one level up from just being good with computers, you have to know and have experience with internetty things on a low-level.

Ideally what we need is some fresh blood who already has the knowledge and can just be given the passwords and left to get on with it (much the way I was).



Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha. Sorry. Been there, done that, people just ignore them. The last router got broken because it had an intermittent fault, and no-one stopped a customer climbing up, ignoring the notices and fucking about with the router sufficient to break it. If we can't even challenge a non-volunteer who is ignoring the signs, what hope do we have to get vollies to pay attention to them?

I'll do my best to make it in and have a look tomorrow (today) but I can't promise anything.

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Mike

Dawnsio 'mlaen i'r gwres prynhawn a rwy'n addo erbyn yfori byddai wedi mynd, hwyl fawr i pawb, hwyl fawr i pawb...

I have previously solved a similar problem by taking a cash box, drilling some holes for cables, inserting the unit and screwing it to the wall. That tends to stump the ungodly!

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consistency is the hobgoblin of small minds

Yes. Currently the middle one, which used to have internet, but no longer. Quite a lot of us use it for printing.



Well, then we need to find a way to communicate with people that they mustn't, even if they think they know what they're doing -- and to prevent them doing so.



If you could draft a "vollie spec", we could put a callout round a few of the usual routes, if you're willing to meet people and get them going? It'd be a bit extra work for a weeek or so, but then would massively lighten your load.





Actually, I did challenge him, repeatedly, and was first ignored and second aggressively shouted at by him. Forest being what it is, extreme situations like that are going to happen; we have to find ways of dealing with them when they do.

As far as I know, there was no sign on the router at that time.

And since that incident, I think the message has got around not to mess with the routers, and it's been happening a lot less. I do tell people not to. I do think clearer signs would help. Part of the problem is, because response time is understandably slow, and because it's so important for so many people's daily work to keep Forest running that we have internet, and because a hard reset often superficially works, people will just impatiently do one after a couple of days.

I think Ken's idea could be pretty good, and I think it's essential to find more web techie vollies. A bit more work in the short term; a load off everyone's backs in the long term.

Everyone does really appreciate the work you do; it's just fairly clear that we need more on the team these days!

Started working again this afternoon, but just now, weirdly, the only website I know I can access is this BB.

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Nowadays most people die of a sort of creeping common sense and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one's mistakes. (Oscar Wilde)

Cut the crap & make it happen.

I tried the cafe kiosk computer, and it wanted a username and password to get past 192.168.11.1. Is it supposed to do that?

No.

I think that confirms my suspicions that putting the cafe router in front of the fly killer has fucked it.

Luckily, I had the foresight to make sure we ordered a spare, so I'll get in and set that up as soon as I can, probably tomorrow.

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Mike

Dawnsio 'mlaen i'r gwres prynhawn a rwy'n addo erbyn yfori byddai wedi mynd, hwyl fawr i pawb, hwyl fawr i pawb...

Can't remember the last time that computer has worked. It, like the Action Room computer, has been offline for over a month.

Wifi update: judging by the questions I'm getting from frustrated customers, it looks like the above problem is occurring on all computers running Ubuntu or a Mac operating system, while Windows computers are, ironically, getting online fine (though I am getting randomly booted occasionally).

Really really important we get this fixed soon -- so that vollies can do their work, and we stop losing customers who want internet.

Same problems still ongoing. We need a tech action day!

- No printer for the office
- Unreliable WiFi everywhere
- No connection for computers in front room or action room

Wifi should now be fixed.

Front room computer should be ok now too, but I don't have time to check.

I think action room problem is a cabling issue, I will look into this as soon as I can.

Printer to office can't work till action room connection is sorted.

Donated printer is here, so that can be set up pretty easily. Again, don't have time right now but should be able to do that over the next few days.

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Mike

Dawnsio 'mlaen i'r gwres prynhawn a rwy'n addo erbyn yfori byddai wedi mynd, hwyl fawr i pawb, hwyl fawr i pawb...

Thanks for fixing the WiFi! Keep us updated on the other issues.

If a recruitment email for a tech team were sent out, would you be able to organise a quick train-up in the next couple weeks?

Macs are still reporting connection errors today.

Yeah, macs always have an issue with this.

What happens is, they save the settings for Forest network, including the MAC address of the wireless-router. When I swapped out routers, all the network settings stay the same, but the MAC address changes, and this is enough to confuse crApple products.

Solution is to use a computer with a real operating system. Apple have a massive history of having obnoxious bugs like this, that they never fix.

I think it's fixable by turning off Airport, going into the settings and removing the stored settings for the Forest network. then restart the computer, if it auto-reconnects to the forest network without asking for a password, you didn't remove the settings properly. Once restarted, reconnect to the forest network and you should be prompted for the password, enter it and then that should be you sorted. (Disclaimer: I don't own or use a Mac, but this is how I fixed it for a couple of people last time).

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Mike

Dawnsio 'mlaen i'r gwres prynhawn a rwy'n addo erbyn yfori byddai wedi mynd, hwyl fawr i pawb, hwyl fawr i pawb...

Hey folks,

Got the internet working on the Action room Macs this afternoon. The issue was the router above the cafe needed restarting in order to reconnect properly (this also fixed the connection for the free comp in the front room).

If the action room Mac doesn't have a connection you can try a soft reset of the router downstairs.

By soft reset I mean turn the power on and off (do not touch the router in anyway or allow anyone else to touch it). I've left directions below the router on how to do this.


The other Mac in the action room seems to work. I managed to get internet on that and typed and saved a word doc. I've left a power and network cable in it although we'll need a USB keyboard and mouse to actually use it alongside the other mac.


As far as cafe user's Macs having issues connecting goes I've left some relatively straight forward ways of trying to sort this by the till. (there's one more surefire way of sorting it but that involves going into the System Config folder and deleting files so didn't want people working in the cafe to be giving out that as advice).

PS the plates and cups delicately balanced on the top shelf around the router look very nice and also make the router very hard to mess with without risking a china avalanche so well down whoever put them up there!

Cheers for fixing this

mega !

martin

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Heaven is a disaster

Lambchop , The Saturday option .

Nice work gordo

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Mike

Dawnsio 'mlaen i'r gwres prynhawn a rwy'n addo erbyn yfori byddai wedi mynd, hwyl fawr i pawb, hwyl fawr i pawb...

No worries.

Put a new post in the People's Forum to see if anyone could spare a keyboard and mouse. Might try the Gumtree stuff wanted section as well.