A dumb question ...


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Heya, all.

I know it might seem like a dumb question as I'm sure that gets answered even by myself, but I just wanna make sure.

I plan on getting a wireless network PCI card (Cisco Linksys Dual Band Wireless-N one - WMP600N) for my server as I'm getting sick and tired of the network Cat 5e cable always coming loose, and honestly it looks messy in the room.

Will the latest drivers automatically be avail on both Server 2003 R2 and Server 2008 R2 (both x64) via Windows Update? I'm planning on leaving the network cable in for downloading the (updated) drivers, then when it's all done and the wireless card sees the wireless networks and connects to them and the ISPs just fine (I have a wireless router), I'm gonna unplug the network cable permanently.

Thanks for your help.

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"I'm getting sick and tired of the network Cat 5e cable always coming loose"

What??

It should be pretty much impossible for cable to come loose -- they CLICK in!! Sounds like your cable or jack on card is busted.

post-14624-0-63499100-1297145885.jpg

Is the tab missing on your cable?

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"I'm getting sick and tired of the network Cat 5e cable always coming loose"

What??

It should be pretty much impossible for cable to come loose -- they CLICK in!! Sounds like your cable or jack on card is busted.

<snip>

Is the tab missing on your cable?

Haha - well I looked - and yup there's no tab that clicks in. It's broke, and I don't want to pay for stuff that can easily break, you know?

Best to buy a wireless card (I heard that wireless PCI cards are more stable than the USB kind) and just set and forget.

I have the cable under my desk as the router's behind me and the workstation (with wireless card already in) and server towers are on the desk. I know, not the best setup, but I'm in a suite (dorm/apt hybrid) at my uni.

Anyway, I'd inadvertently scrape the cable on the floor and argh! I get exasperated.

Please, just answer my question - will the drivers be avail on WU for both 2003 and 2008? That's all I wanted to know.

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Haha - well I looked - and yup there's no tab that clicks in. It's broke, and I don't want to pay for stuff that can easily break, you know?

Best to buy a wireless card (I heard that wireless PCI cards are more stable than the USB kind) and just set and forget.

I have the cable under my desk as the router's behind me and the workstation (with wireless card already in) and server towers are on the desk. I know, not the best setup, but I'm in a suite (dorm/apt hybrid) at my uni.

Anyway, I'd inadvertently scrape the cable on the floor and argh! I get exasperated.

Please, just answer my question - will the drivers be avail on WU for both 2003 and 2008? That's all I wanted to know.

First to your question. Windows XP drivers are pretty well inter-changeable with Windows Server 2003, and although I have no personal experience, I'd assume the same applies to Vista and Server 2008. They may or may not be available via Windows Update, but the card will probably come with the software on CD or something. Just a thought, maybe I'm a freak, but two things that should always be hardwired are servers and gaming consoles, at least in my little world. If you're doing big file transfers a wireless connection can be noticably slower than a Gigabit ethernet card, not to mention if you try accessing it with several machines at one time. Check out something like this to solve the messy look problem. Just a suggestion.

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First to your question. Windows XP drivers are pretty well inter-changeable with Windows Server 2003, and although I have no personal experience, I'd assume the same applies to Vista and Server 2008. They may or may not be available via Windows Update, but the card will probably come with the software on CD or something. Just a thought, maybe I'm a freak, but two things that should always be hardwired are servers and gaming consoles, at least in my little world. If you're doing big file transfers a wireless connection can be noticably slower than a Gigabit ethernet card, not to mention if you try accessing it with several machines at one time. Check out something like this to solve the messy look problem. Just a suggestion.

Ok thanks for the answer! Yes I realize that servers should be hardwired, but then again, the new card I'm eyeing is the Wireless-N dual band kind, so it should be plenty of speed in those.

And - I have Server 2003 R2 and Server 2008 R2, both x64.

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Just a thought, maybe I'm a freak, but two things that should always be hardwired are servers and gaming consoles...

Agreed. Not only do you get the faster speeds with a cable but you also have a more stable connection. I've found that even a perfectly set up wireless card and router can suffer random drops, and if that happens to your server while you're away you're going to find yourself frustrated.

+1 to just buying a new cable. They're not that expensive, and for something like your server the chances of it breaking are minimal due to the fact that I assume you don't move your server around a lot while it's switched on. :laugh:

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Agreed. Not only do you get the faster speeds with a cable but you also have a more stable connection. I've found that even a perfectly set up wireless card and router can suffer random drops, and if that happens to your server while you're away you're going to find yourself frustrated.

+1 to just buying a new cable. They're not that expensive, and for something like your server the chances of it breaking are minimal due to the fact that I assume you don't move your server around a lot while it's switched on. :laugh:

I realize that, but .... ahh sh*t, I forgot to tell you that my uni have pretty much went wireless. I don't think there's a wired connection much anymore, except in labs. Hell, my suite's (and I'm sure all the suites in all 26 stairwells - 13 in north side and 13 in south side) internet wall jack are disabled - the rest that are left obliviously enabled, well I can login as a guest, not my uni user credentials. Welcome to the post-postmodern era, I guess lol.

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I realize that, but .... ahh sh*t, I forgot to tell you that my uni have pretty much went wireless. I don't think there's a wired connection much anymore, except in labs. Hell, my suite's (and I'm sure all the suites in all 26 stairwells - 13 in north side and 13 in south side) internet wall jack are disabled. Welcome to the post-modern era, I guess lol.

But your server is already connected via a wallport? Ok, it doesn't matter. If you prefer to go wireless then that's up to you, it's your server not mine. :laugh:

Urgh, I hate it when places shut off wired for wireless. "But you can access wi-fi from anywhere!" That might be true, but I want a wired connection...

Thinking about it, here all our computers and servers are wired, but any wallports that we haven't plugged a computer in to we've had disconnected. However, if someone wanted to use a disabled wallport then all they would need to do is ask us and explain what it was for, and providing it falls in line with our rules and regulations it would be a 2 minute job for us to go and make it active. If you could be swayed in to going for a wired connection then perhaps it would be worth discussing it with the technicians in charge.

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"the new card I'm eyeing is the Wireless-N dual band kind, so it should be plenty of speed in those."

Yeah ok you go ahead and think that.. Why don't you look up some actual benchmarks of that N network speeds.. And lets nor forget wireless is SHARED bandwidth.. Means every single client is taking up part of that SHARED Bandwidth of lets get optimistic 150mbits.. Again yeah right -- just like 54 is anywhere close to 54..

Moving to wireless is when there is NO option for wired.. Or your on a mobile device, laptop phone, etc. I still plug my wifes latpop into wire if going to be moving any sort of files.. But cause wireless bandwidth is JOKE!! Its like watching paint dry..

As to buying things that break -- what?? Normally those clips do not break.. Rare -- a new one would cost you what $5 for 25 footer to your door from monoprice -- Or even cheaper if your looking for shorter one.. Get the length so you can correctly route the cable against the floor boards, etc. out of your way.

But sure if you want to go with wireless -- have fun with it. But to be honest anyone that would pick a wireless connection over a wired one for a "SERVER" ??? has a screw loose. Unless it was a 10mbit or something - which highly unlikely.. In any sort of larger school with a budget I would assume gig wired across the campus.

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Just adding my agreement that wireless connections should be used in scenarios where it's the only reasonable scenario. Wireless connections are supposed to be easy and "Set it and forget it" these days, but... no. Also, yes, they're a fair bit slower, less stable, and on top of it all, less secure. No one can listen in on you if you're using a wired connection (well, they could, but it would be much harder to do so unnoticed)

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