Group Efforts 21

Group Efforts
The Diary of a Workgroup Manager

Episode 17 (1995)

An unsung hero saves the day, George gives a demonstration and a sinister plot emerges.

Friday 5th
No sign of a new disk controller, and with faults now at ten-minute intervals our server is all but useless. We're managing, however, as Cathy has relocated the document pool and LaserJet 4 onto a peer-shared machine (mine, as it happens). I refrain from pointing out that this is exactly the setup she said would bring the department to a halt when Amrat was suggesting it last year, then discover, when I try to run 1-2-3, that she might have been right after all. Realising, with a tinge of annoyance, why my PC was made the surrogate server, I decide not to record this as a case study in peer-to-peer flexibility, then discover Amrat doing just that, apparently at Cathy's instigation. I tell him to push off and her to get on with some planning, and return to watching 1-2-3 slowly load.

Tuesday 9th
The first Windows 95 familiarisation session, hosted by Colin 'Sneering' Smiles with George's Tour of the Desktop topping the bill. In more carefree times it would have been a bunfight, but such has been the impact of George's adapt-or-perish revelations that we all pay attention and some even make notes. Llewellyn, clearly unable to work out what's going on, fluffs his executive summary, getting the first laugh of the day with a reference to 'sheer pared resources'. George shows us something called the Task Bar and says it's easy to find our favourite programs from the Start menu. I can't believe George actually said 'favourite programs', and haven't got any of my own, but I'm sure it'll be useful anyway. The day has a slightly surreal quality, continued in the dazed expressions round the early-evening table in Peg's.

Monday 15th
Amrat arrives, not before time, with our disk controller. Still convinced that the whole server is due for its pension, I ask him what he meant earlier about a replacement not being worth it. He avoids eye contact and mutters something about tightening equipment budgets. As we're doing so well in peer mode, he leaves the server running a test program overnight just to make sure it's OK, then gets into a discussion with Cathy about her plans for moving the doc pool back from my machine. To my slight disquiet I notice that they no longer seem to be disagreeing about everything. Rose then interrupts to point out to 'Mr. Network Genius' that his test program is blocking her document email, and that he'd better unblock it quick. With a wholly uncharacteristic smirk, I retire to my lair.

Tuesday 23rd
Just before tea time the power goes off. To our amazement our PCs keep going courtesy of our uninterruptable power supply, previously considered a waste of space but now recognised as a life-saver. We save our work and switch off, and June pats the UPS cabinet affectionately. Amrat rushes in, asks if we received a closedown warning, then rushes off again, saying that B2 Systems are going to cop it for not installing them with NetWare 4. Apparently a message should have popped up telling us that the power had failed, although the lights going out was a pretty good hint. Later I hear that Llewellyn, of all people, was working by natural light at the time and lost a draft report on security when his batteries ran out. We all have a snigger and ask Peg for another candle.

Friday 26th
Yesterday Amrat asked if he could make some network adjustments after work. This morning he's back, in my office and opening a File Manager window on a new drive which, he proudly announces, is in fact a directory on Andy Miller's PC. Via the magic of NDIS and IPX we can now peer-share with Contracts via our NetWare server. Keen to show willing I dial Andy on Chat, who asks, in much-corrected typing, what the hell's going on and to send Amrat round straight away to sort it out. My mirth is short-lived, however, as the pieces fall suddenly and horribly into place. After-hours installations, departmental servers which aren't worth replacing and Workgroups which span two departments add up to just one thing - downsizing, with extreme prejudice. Fighting back the panic, I phone Andy for an emergency off-site conference.