[geeks] Windows 7 File & Printer Sharing Nightmare

[Mark Benson]

On 07/01/2015 20:13, Lionel Peterson wrote:
> By your own admission you've gone about the task of sharing up network
> resources in one of the worst ways possible and one of your major constraints
> forcing you down this path is the number of network drops.
>
> Windows offers better ways to accomplish what you want to implement, but you
> choose (or inherited) the worst option in almost every case.

I've done what I've done inside the constraints I have, chiefly 
financial. Peer-to-peer isn't ideal but it worked for 10 years. Until it 
broke. I need to fix it or I'm going to go mad. I have no budget TO fix 
it, so it's going to have to be a no/low cost solution. I'm not working 
for JP Morgan here, we're a small company and most of what I've built is 
on necessity and low cost. Had I known what I know now in hindsight I'd 
almost certainly have done it differently, but we'd all love that 
ability, right? I believe this is one to 'chalk down to experience'. 
Right now it is what it is.

> I'm not here to defend Windows, but it offers many services that are more
> reliable than a peer-to-peer network solution like the one you are working
> with...

To be honest, I accept the system in place isn't anywhere close to 
optimal, it's not that I'm grumbling about (it's my own burden after 
all). I am more annoyed that, as with many other things that have 
stumped me over the years with Microsoft, it seems this is some fuzzy, 
weird issue caused by obscure esoterica. It always is when it trips me up.

I am open to suggestions as to something cost effective and more 
effective than what we have (which wouldn't be hard, admittedly), and 
that's not just me giving you a thank-you-damn-you, I appreciate any 
advice. Just bear in mind anything that involves numbers is likely not 
going to wash.

FWIW I plan on moving our file sharing server-centric as soon as the 
server in question to host the VM is online (in the coming months), 
taking some issues off the table.

The printer issue is more awkward. I can't just move the printers, the 
physical space in the office prevents it. Physical LAN connections are 
at capacity (all ceiling drops and wall sockets) so GBit switches would 
need to be deployed to split wall connections. That's extra cost on top 
of a print server. IT might come to that but I'd prefer it didn't.

-- 

Mark Benson