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To ensure the notebooks power source, the electrical wall connection should be used so that the notebooks battery can be conserved or recharged. For proper grounding, the electrical code requires that all computer male plugs be three-pronged. In some facilities, the female electrical wall receptacles may accept only two-pronged male plugs. In such cases, the problem can be averted by carrying a female/male converter plug that converts three-pronged plugs to two-pronged plugs and has a grounding wire that may be attached to the wall receptacles holding screw. This type of converter is available in hardware stores. If the user travels internationally, the toolkit must also include an international voltage adapter that eliminates the need to carry different converter plugs.
Offices and hotels are updating their telephone PBXs to digital service, but modems and the majority of the PBXs are still analog systems. To ensure connectivity in either environment, a converter should be purchased that can covert the phone line to analog at the modem connection. The complete converter kit should include alligator clips for phones that do not have RJ-11 jacks. The phone line converter requires an AC adapter as the power source; the full- functioning kit will have the capability to use a 9-volt battery when an electrical wall outlet is not available.
Data transmission may be interrupted if a phone system with call-waiting capability is used. The feature can be suspended during the data transmission call by adding *70 (occasionally #70) at the beginning of the dial string. As a general rule, this is probably not required. However, if a transmission session is interrupted for an unknown reason, call waiting may be responsible.
A miscellaneous toolkit should include the following items:
Continuity is defined in this section as the processes of preventing, mitigating, and recovering from service disruption. The terms business resumption planning, disaster recovery planning, and contingency planning may also be used in this context; they concentrate on the recovery aspects of continuity that ensure availability of the computing platform and information when needed.
Recovery diskettes will reduce the users lost time when access to information and remote computing resources is lost due to a major breakdown of the notebook. Recovery diskettes should be customized to the exact configuration of the notebook and should contain the following files:
The fastest and easiest backup medium is a cassette tape; however, this represents an additional cost and bulky devices to transport. Most (if not all) mobile users want to travel as lightly as possible. The diskette then becomes the most acceptable medium, but care must be taken to minimize the number of diskettes needed.
The proper organization of the notebooks hard drive will minimize the time and number of diskettes required to create a backup. A directory called data can be created with all of the subdirectories necessary to easily organize, track, and access data unique to the user. Application software, databases, or operating software should not be included in the data directory. These files should be stored in other appropriately established directories. When necessary, these software and data base files may be downloaded from the office server.
The backup diskettes should be kept in a different place than the notebook. If the notebook is lost, the backup diskettes will not be lost.
Loss of computing resources as a result of the loss or theft of a notebook or its mechanical failure is the most difficult problem to deal with. The user is away from the office yet may need to repair or replace the notebook immediately, and canceling the next few days appointments is not an acceptable option.
The recovery process requires planning and discipline on the part of the notebooks user. The data files on the notebook should be backed up regularly. If any ingredient of the business resumption plan is missing or incomplete, lengthy delays are unavoidable.
Mechanical Failure. When the problem is a mechanical failure, the existence and awareness (by the user) of a national maintenance agreement with a rapid response clause can ensure fast repair. The remote user should be able to easily obtain the location of the nearest repair location. This can be handled by the organizations help desk service, which should provide 24-hour accessibility. After the notebook is repaired, the user must determine if any data or application programs were lost or damaged. Lost or damaged software may be replaced by using the emergency recovery diskettes to download the needed data from the office server. Although this may be a long transmission session, it is preferable to getting on an airplane and flying back to the office. After this is accomplished, the notebook owner can restore individual files from the backup diskettes. This process may consume a full day and may require the active participation of the remote user, but after it is done, the users machine has been restored with the least amount of lost time.
Lost or Stolen Notebook. When the notebook is lost or stolen, the plan must provide rapid delivery of a new notebook to the user in the field. Spare notebooks with the standard operating software, application software, master files, and current databases should be available at the data center. After a call is received to ship a backup machine, the only step necessary is to find the quickest method. Airlines and bus depots should be called to determine whether they provide shipment that is faster than that provided by the standard 24- hour service providers. After the shipment arrives, the next step is for the user to restore personal data from the separately stored backup diskettes.
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