Curious Question: What does your NOC look like (Or could you describe it any)? For some companies, it looks like NASA Mission Control (http://www.pihana.com/corporate/nocpictures-EN.htm) and for others it is like a closet with 2 guys inside with one watching DivX rips and the other running DOS ping.
Most I've worked with/in were somewhere in between, but always
wishing it looked more like Mission Control.
(Mission Control feels important, which is good for NOC morale.)
mission control is also good if you feel a need to make an impression on
visitors, however, mission control nocs can be very non-functional. it's
important to make sure that the flash doesn't interfere with the utility.
richard
(built two nocs, hope to get one right someday...)
Does anyone know of a good program that I can run on my linux server that
will monitor the ping response time between routers on my network? So far I
have found Net Matrix, but it wants to use rcmd, and I would rather use
snmp.
Thanks
Mike Hyde
MTS
I'd like to see how many folks have the top-end functional NOCs as opposed
to fishbowls for customers to gawk at like a zoo. Low, indirect lighting.
Sound and light absorbing materials everywhere. Quiet fans in the
ceiling. Enough space between NOC techs so that phone conversations don't
interfere with each other. etc.
That's opposed to NOCs with white, hard, sound and light reflecting
materials, bright flourscent lighting, closely packed people and the clear
window to look in from the outside creating the fishbowl effect.
It's hard to tell, but the AT&T NOC in the link given earlier seems to
have the characteristics of the first kind, but the picture's not too
detailed. Any good, detailed pictures of a top-end functional NOC with
said characteristics?
scott
for others it is like a closet with 2 guys inside with one watching
DivX rips and the other running DOS ping.
Wow. Do you know how we can fit *two* NOC employees into just _one_ of
these?
Please share the secret, that could double our savings on rent!
Why would someone ever hire more then one NOC tech?
Why would someone ever hire more then one NOC tech?
Big NOC, lots of Winders machines to reboot.
We moved out of our 'noc' room to make room for more racks/cabinets and
have thought about building a 'fishbowl showplace', but what we have now
is a little more like a geeks living room, complete with couches, DirectTV
(CNN most of the time, Sci-Fi and BattleBots other times..) and a large
meeting table/chairs with just enough partitions and space to cut the
noise between people.
It's normally a 3 person setup...(1 call screener/wannabe) in about
800sqft. of course.. we also have dual-head Linux/Windows systems, Aeron
chairs...
We like it, and the quietly comfortable productive atmosphere. But then,
we have no VC or prospective investors to impress with fancy 'mission
control' style stuff, or want them.
Having a big (10ksqft) old (1888) converted building is a pain, but
having some space to waste is priceless.
Have you ever seen an interesting aquarium with just one fish? 
Whoops, somehow I dropped the link in my last post, here it is again....
for others it is like a closet with 2 guys inside with one watching
DivX rips and the other running DOS ping.
Wow. Do you know how we can fit *two* NOC employees into just _one_ of
these?
http://www.rockynet.com/noc.jpg
Please share the secret, that could double our savings on rent!
<weg>
(It's a joke boss, honest).
Why would someone ever hire more then one NOC tech?
Have you ever seen an interesting aquarium with just one fish?
yes. it was a big piranha. it was big because it had eaten all the
other fish. 
> Please share the secret, that could double our savings on rent!
Why would someone ever hire more then one NOC tech?
Hot spare.
If you look at the photo x1000 magnification you'll see by the
reflection in his pupils the one on the left is playing Everquest.
I'd say that the PFY is the most critical piece of network
infrastructure to maintain a hot spare. They are prone to chewing off
their limbs above the shackles and escaping to find alcohol. (if
anyone's sucessfully implemented Beer-over-IP, please let me know. Once
I get that in place I can weld those doors shut and stop these little
'escapades').
Of course when it looks like mission control, customers are always being
paraded through, and nocsters generally dont like that. I once worked in
a NOC where they had a conference room next to it with quick open and
close shutters. So you'd be workin, then on display all of a sudden
without warning. I really loathed that.
Brian "Sonic" Whalen
Success = Preparation + Opportunity
Our own NOC has a glass wall on the side where people can see in.
this bothered the engineers, so we added privacy filters to their
workstation displays. It's a display NOC, but if anyone wants to come
in, they have to set up an appointment and even that isn't final;
the network operations center manager has to give final approval.
If there's an operations situation going on, then no distractions
are allowed. Customers respect us more knowing a) we have a NOC
and they can see the engineers inside and b) we care about our service
enough not to allow distractions to our operations folks.
There are ways to balance "mission control" and "functional"
environments, but that goes without saying.
Tim
I heard a story (probably apocryphal) about some NOC monkeys that got fed
up with the shutter routine - so they cobbled up some little X programs
to start putting BIG FLASHING RED BOXES with ominous-looking text, and
launched it when the Big Boss was showing off the zoo animals - they then
feigned panic, screamed, and ran out of the room, leaving all the flashing
red boxes on the screens.
They only had to do it a few times before the Big Boss clued in...
The Violent Femmes' "Dance, Mother Fucker, Dance" (for those
who don't know, it's a song) is a good deterrent too. I sure
am glad I'm not a monkey anymore. *grin*
Talk about a fishbowl, the AT&T NOC has an overlook area for customers complete with stadium seating!
Greg U
