Messy network problem - thoughts?

[ljtechservices]

for future reference, Medical offices, mechanics & autobody shops all seem to have some vendor supplied computer that runs a device.
When customer's want you to do something as described in the original post, do yourself a favor and ask first if they've contacted the vendor to see if it's possible. chances are they haven't or are ignoring the vendor recommendations.

A lot of the machines are purpose built or off the shelf units that have been modified so that nothing else can be done to them.
On the occasion where it's just a PC with a controller card and software, you still need to ask if they really want to take the chance of a virus hosing the machine that makes them money.

as for dirty dead animal spaces, ask them to clean it up. because many a time i've moved equipment in a tight dirty space like that and dislodged something that I couldn't see. let them break it.

 

[tankman1989]

Yes, it has one, though I don't know if it works. Things are complicated by all the random switches and there's still the problem of getting things in and out of the metal enclosure.

If the computer has power, follow the cable. This really doesn't sound that difficult IMO. They could be using the switches as extenders as well, but I doubt they are reaching the distance limit for Ethernet.

 

[nesrinamb]

Well something that's a windows 2000 I wouldn't even have on the network and like ljtechservices said sometimes theirs computers costume built and you really cant do much with them.

I had a client who had a custom built computer that ran a large chemical analysis machine and he had it running on the network with no antivirus and browsed the internet with it. I showed up told him we had to cut it off the internet since a it was a huge security risk. I told him he could still keep it on the network with a vlan but no internet and I explained to him why.