Dear Users... (A thread for Sysadmin, Technical Support, and Help Desk people)

[Dr. Keith]

Yup. I did that just today. It always takes me a moment to realize it and then I have to figure out what got deleted.

NumLock isn't a problem. I mostly use a laptop with an external keyboard. Both have separate keypads. The other laptop doesn't have a numlock key or the keypad on the letters. It also doesn't have a removable media drive, enough USB's, or an ethernet port. But hey, it's thin and supposedly light. And wider and deeper than the one with the keypad.

Everyone needs at least one Mac in their life.




(The above is an attempt at a self deprecating joke by a long time Mac user who simply recognizes that some of the recent design choices made by Apple can be frustrating to users. It is not an attempt to derail into a Mac v. Windows v. Other debate.)

 

[Hellbound]

(The above is an attempt at a self deprecating joke by a long time Mac user who simply recognizes that some of the recent design choices made by Apple can be frustrating to users. It is not an attempt to derail into a Mac v. Windows v. Other debate.)

Spoken like a typical Mac user

 

[arthwollipot]

I literally just had to use the words "Have you tried switching it off and switching it back on again?" Those exact words.

 

[Norman Alexander]

I literally just had to use the words "Have you tried switching it off and switching it back on again?" Those exact words.

[qimg]https://media.giphy.com/media/LZ2VNzdceAtlfEyH0I/giphy.gif[/qimg]

You needed to go to lunch at that time and could not be bothered dealing with this user much longer?

 

[zooterkin]

You needed to go to lunch at that time and could not be bothered dealing with this user much longer?

Sometimes, it really is the answer.

 

[Norman Alexander]

Sometimes, it really is the answer.

It so is.

 

[arthwollipot]

It so is.

Affirm. But usually I don't use those exact words.

 

[Norman Alexander]

Affirm. But usually I don't use those exact words.

It's "Not True" according to Snopes, but...damn! Haven't we all been there.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/word-imperfect/

 

[Dancing David]

Sometimes, it really is the answer.

Affirmative!

 

[P.J. Denyer]

I had a director who thought that he knew all about IT because he used to be FD of an ISP once lecture me that although the only website that didn't work was (his bank) it had to be our fault because big companies websites never went down.. The story hit the news five minutes later.

My best moment with was when his laptop "wasn't working", I walked in, turned on his monitor, walked out.

And my bosses boss (IT Director) once called me in because he couldn't change a print a border in Excel....

 

[arthwollipot]

It's "Not True" according to Snopes, but...damn! Haven't we all been there.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/word-imperfect/

While that is an amusing little story which has been doing the rounds since before Windows, it's not related to what I was talking about.

 

[JoeMorgue]

Okay this is something I want some real feedback on from the tech and the user side of things.

Is it a reasonable expectation to be able to walk around a building the size, shape, layout, build, etc of your average hospital with a laptop on Wi-fi and expect to never lose signal?

I have several users who do this, they are mobile users who move from office to office, station to station and so forth with laptops and constantly complain that on occasion they will lose signal for a few moments (never for long).

I honestly don't see a whole lot I can do about this. The Wifi network in the hospital is what is is and not controlled by us, I've updated all their drivers and modified their "Wifi Roaming Aggressiveness" to the best possible level. And I just don't see "I dropped off connectivity for a few seconds" as that big a deal, even in this environment.

And I'm being serious here. Am I treating this as too little of a deal?

 

[CORed]

Okay this is something I want some real feedback on from the tech and the user side of things.

Is it a reasonable expectation to be able to walk around a building the size, shape, layout, build, etc of your average hospital with a laptop on Wi-fi and expect to never lose signal?

I have several users who do this, they are mobile users who move from office to office, station to station and so forth with laptops and constantly complain that on occasion they will lose signal for a few moments (never for long).

I honestly don't see a whole lot I can do about this. The Wifi network in the hospital is what is is and not controlled by us, I've updated all their drivers and modified their "Wifi Roaming Aggressiveness" to the best possible level. And I just don't see "I dropped off connectivity for a few seconds" as that big a deal, even in this environment.

And I'm being serious here. Am I treating this as too little of a deal?

I can see why people in that environment would be unhappy with losing connectivity, but most likely, the only solution would be to install more access points, which is not something under your control. I can only suggest making clear to them that it's not something that you can fix, and suggest that they raise it with the people who can do something about it, whoever that might be.

 

[CORed]

Sometimes, it really is the answer.

Very often it really is the answer. Generally speaking, if a computer, printer, router or other electronic device is misbehaving, the first thing I will try is a restart or power cycle. It usually works.

 

[Wudang]

What are the actual real-world consequences of them losing wifi for a moment, if any? Is it, for instance, longer than their email polling period? If so, and if this is a problem, then is email the right channel for these messages?

 

[JoeMorgue]

What are the actual real-world consequences of them losing wifi for a moment, if any? Is it, for instance, longer than their email polling period? If so, and if this is a problem, then is email the right channel for these messages?

It's... odd.

These are legit systems being used to actually access patient information through website portals, schedules labs, stuff like that. It's not time sensitive in the "OMG this patient is gonna die!" sense, but I won't call "unimportant."

We maintain psychically connected Ethernet workstations through the sites. A lot of customers though have just gotten used to using mobile devices for the convenience, which is fair. We don't (at most sites) maintain the Wifi network, it's maintain at the hospital level or "medical business center" (since some of them technically aren't hospitals) level and... often near as I can tell are just there for public convenience and aren't provided as part of their lease or as promised business service if that makes any sense.

Tl;Dr a bunch of my users jump on the public hospital wifi to do stuff because it's easier then finding a terminal, logging onto it, pulling up the website/portal, but they complain to us when the wi-fi doesn't meet performance/reliability standards it was never really mean to.

 

[Wudang]

Managing user expectations is ......... (don't swear, stay calm) ....problematic. (Whew we got their with no ******* swearing) dammit!

 

[Dr. Keith]

It's... odd.

These are legit systems being used to actually access patient information through website portals, schedules labs, stuff like that. It's not time sensitive in the "OMG this patient is gonna die!" sense, but I won't call "unimportant."

We maintain psychically connected Ethernet workstations through the sites. A lot of customers though have just gotten used to using mobile devices for the convenience, which is fair. We don't (at most sites) maintain the Wifi network, it's maintain at the hospital level or "medical business center" (since some of them technically aren't hospitals) level and... often near as I can tell are just there for public convenience and aren't provided as part of their lease or as promised business service if that makes any sense.

Tl;Dr a bunch of my users jump on the public hospital wifi to do stuff because it's easier then finding a terminal, logging onto it, pulling up the website/portal, but they complain to us when the wi-fi doesn't meet performance/reliability standards it was never really mean to.

My first thought as a non-technical person was "Holy ****, how is using public wifi ever going to be HIPPA compliant and damn what are the security risks of doing that." But, I will assume that you have tackled those issues since they would be squarely in your wheelhouse, not mine.

Sounds like someone needs to set up a separate wifi environment for the medical professionals that is intended to give them uninterrupted access throughout their workspace. Whether that someone is the landlord, hospital, or medical professionals acting in concert, I don't know. But you could bring up the HIPPA and security concerns and probably convince someone like me that it would be better to have all of this on a separate system.

 

[jimbob]

It's... odd.

These are legit systems being used to actually access patient information through website portals, schedules labs, stuff like that. It's not time sensitive in the "OMG this patient is gonna die!" sense, but I won't call "unimportant."

We maintain psychically connected Ethernet workstations through the sites. A lot of customers though have just gotten used to using mobile devices for the convenience, which is fair. We don't (at most sites) maintain the Wifi network, it's maintain at the hospital level or "medical business center" (since some of them technically aren't hospitals) level and... often near as I can tell are just there for public convenience and aren't provided as part of their lease or as promised business service if that makes any sense.

Tl;Dr a bunch of my users jump on the public hospital wifi to do stuff because it's easier then finding a terminal, logging onto it, pulling up the website/portal, but they complain to us when the wi-fi doesn't meet performance/reliability standards it was never really mean to.

Pity you can't enter the MDC anymore

 

[arthwollipot]

Okay this is something I want some real feedback on from the tech and the user side of things.

Is it a reasonable expectation to be able to walk around a building the size, shape, layout, build, etc of your average hospital with a laptop on Wi-fi and expect to never lose signal?

I have several users who do this, they are mobile users who move from office to office, station to station and so forth with laptops and constantly complain that on occasion they will lose signal for a few moments (never for long).

I honestly don't see a whole lot I can do about this. The Wifi network in the hospital is what is is and not controlled by us, I've updated all their drivers and modified their "Wifi Roaming Aggressiveness" to the best possible level. And I just don't see "I dropped off connectivity for a few seconds" as that big a deal, even in this environment.

And I'm being serious here. Am I treating this as too little of a deal?

It is completely reasonable to expect wifi connectivity in all places on the property. And it's both easy and inexpensive to provide it.