Encryption upgrade update

The work earlier today went smoothly with no problems.

Encryption Upgrade on new backhaul segment today

Now that the new backhaul radio has been in place and working well it is time to do the next task in the upgrade program. The recent work to split out the backhaul segment from the client radios provides the ability to use a higher level of encryption over that segment of the network, so later this afternoon there will be a short interruption while those changes are put into effect.

Other then the short outage for users in West Bay Landing and Center Bay, users will not notice any change in the network's performance.

West-bay link update and Sean's Back

First off, the problem with the Center-bay, West-bay link I spoke of in the last post was solved the next day, it turned out to be water infiltration into the enclosure for the radio on the Carmelo Point ridge overlooking West Bay. To solve it I have completed part of the planed upgrade at that site ahead of schedule.

I have also unfortunately pinched a nerve in my back, this has kept me from getting as much done as I would have liked over the last week or so, especially as sitting down (say in front of the computer) exacerbates the problem, thus the slow update about the problems of last weekend. My back is though slowly getting better, and I will be on the mainland tomorrow to see someone about it, so I hope to be back on track next week.

Packet-loss problem in West-Bay

As of this morning there is currently a problem with the link between Center Bay and West Bay. As a result most traffic from the West Bay Landing area is being lost.

I have narrowed the issue down to the physical lines linking the Center Bay station and the backhaul repeater on the ridge above west-bay and will update the site later today with more details.

What the heck am I doing anyway??

As I have been talking about doing upgrades to the network infrastructure I thought I might list out what I have done and will be doing in the coming months. To start with I have:

• - Upgraded the West-Bay Station (spring 07)
  
• - Upgraded the West-Bay to Carmelo Point backhaul link (fall 07)
  
• - Upgraded the Center Bay Station (winter 07/08)
  
• - Designed, Built, and tested a back-pack cartable generator that can be started and monitored over the internet(!). Destined for Hope Point, where not even an AVT can reach. (Fall 07-Summer 08)
  
• - Initial install of a new network segment based off the ridge above Carmelo Point (Spring 08)
  
• - Upgraded the Solar Power system at Hope Point Station (more then double the collecting power). (Summer 08)
  
• - Reconfigured/replaced the electronics (including the routing computer) at Hope Point Station. (Summer 08)
  
• - Took down the tower and performed repair work on the faulty wind generator at Hope Point (time will tell if this was successful). (Summer 08)
  
• - Created a new Backhaul segment for the Center Bay (and beyond) networks at Hope Point. (Summer 08)
  
• - Attempted implementation of a 900mhz segment at Hope Point (Summer 08)
  

Still to come will be:

• - Installation of the new remote-startable generator at Hope Point (this month)
  
• - Construction/Installation of a new station to service the Lightwork Ecovillage below Hope Point (solar powered) (this month)
  
• - A new G.R.I.P. website that will allow for automatic billing for G.R.I.P. members and the ability to use credit cards. (already started)
  
• - Completion of the new Carmelo Point Station (next 2 months)
  
• - Upgrade of the Hope-Point to Lion's Bay backhaul radios (next 3 months
  
• - Software upgrade of the main gateway system at Lion's Bay. (next 3 months)
  
• - Re-implementation of the 900mhz segment once equipment issues are solved. (unknown timeframe, but soon as possible)
  

Possible future work includes:

• - Installation of a new mini-station to cover a shadowed area near the government dock in West Bay
  
• - Installation of a solar-power based station to shadowed areas in Long Bay.
  

In addition to all this, since mid fall 07 through to mid spring 08, due to wind generator damage, etc, I order to keep the system up and running smoothly had to hike up the steep trail to hope point at least once a week with a can of gas on my back to run a generator manually. That is every week, in *all* weather. And did I mention steep? Also during that time my other company, a software development company, saw some difficult & stressful times due to problems with one of the partners that eventually forced the closure of the company. That naturally sucked up a lot of my energy and time.

As a result of all this I am a bit behind on getting some new G.R.I.P. members set up and online, but am catching up with that as well!

Let me know if you have any questions.

- Sean

Infrastructure upgrade update

The work at the Hope Point tower last week was a partial success only. I had two objectives for this work:

1) Split traffic from Center Bay, West Bay, and Carmelo Point onto a separate backhaul radio to reduce high-load slowdowns (reduce packet collisions at the Hope point radio)
2) Add a 900mhz network segment to allow people obscured by trees to get access.

Objective one went smoothly and is running as expected.

When it came to objective two though things did not work out so well. The equipment used to implement the 900mhz spectrum was also in charge of serving the existing (2.4ghz) G.R.I.P. members who communicate directly with Hope Point and unfortunately while the 900mhz segment was working, the 2.4ghz side of the radio performed far below its specifications. This resulted in signal strength for many current G.R.I.P. members to drop below minimum levels. I was able to diagnose the issue and replace the equipment the next day and am now trying to work with the manufacturer to see what can be done about the issue. Until I am able to solve the issue with the 2.4ghz side of the device the new 900mhz segment will have to stay on hold.

Let me know if you have any questions

- Sean

Infrastructure upgrades on the main tower

I will over the course of today and tomorrow be doing upgrade work on the main tower at hope-point. These upgrades will help reach some of the difficult coverage areas and reduce the chances of congestion slowdowns for members directly connected to hope-point.

The work to implement these upgrades has actually been in the works for a while now, but the next steps will require outages as the new hardware is brought up.

Let me know if you have any questions

- Sean