Trials and tribulations of powering up: the headaches of computer consulting - Rabinovitch

I don't want readers to think that I don't have my own struggles with technology. I am an experienced consultant with access to more resources than most, but that doesn't make me immune. In fact, because I test many kinds of equipment and a lot of beta software, I probably suffer through far more tribulations than the average computer user. In this column, I would like to share some of my recent pain with you. It may make both of us feel better.

I recently installed a small local area network for a client. Because the budget permitted it, I was able to specify high-quality components. We used 3COM Etherlink 10BaseT cards, Windows NT 3.51 Server, Windows for Workgroups 3.11 on the clients, Pentium based computers with sufficient RAM, and a Lexmark Optra Rx as a shared printer.

The Optra is a fantastic printer. I have long been a believer in the Hewlett Packard line of laser printers, but this Lexmark beats anything HP currently offers at anywhere near the price. It's very fast and it has true 1200 dpi resolution, good price, and even good looks.

However, the first hour I spent dealing with the Optra left me perplexed. The so-called "out-of-box experience" was dismal. Although the Rx model has been on the market since last fall, the user manual I looked at had no references to it. The manual refers to Optra R, L, and Lx models exclusively. When I tried to install Windows drivers for the printer, I reached a point in the installation routine where I had to choose between the R, L, or Lx. When the printer you have is an Rx, what do you do? I felt as though I were writing an IQ test. "Which of the following most closely resembles an Rx? 1) R 2) L 3) Lx." I really had no idea.

As I found out later, it doesn't matter which choice you make. They're all equivalent. Although you're asked to choose between the R, L, and Lx, you get the same driver in each case. That turns out to be the driver the Rx model needs. Once I learned this, I ran the installation again, and chose Lx. The printer has performed flawlessly ever since.

The Lexmark people decided to cut a few corners when the Rx was rushed to market to counter the introduction of a new Hewlett Packard printer. Changing the installation software or the manual would have taken longer than what they did, which was to add a single loose page of explanation to the package. Unfortunately, it was missing in the box I unpacked.

As a postscript to this little story, I should mention that I called the dealer where the printer was purchased for some advice. This dealer actually uses a Lexmark Optra in his store, which is one of the reasons why I dealt with him in the first place. He had no more insight into how to install the Rx than I did.

The other little adventure I have to report involves the same network. The challenge was to connect a PowerMac to the LAN, so that files and the printer could be shared. It is very easy to get Windows NT Server to run the AppleShare protocol, which basically makes it look like an AppleShare server to a Mac client. Logging the Mac onto the LAN was a piece of cake. Getting it to print to the Lexmark printer proved to be more puzzling. I didn't talk to anyone at Microsoft or Apple who had ever done this, but I finally hooked up with an engineer at Apple Canada who made some intelligent suggestions, one of which worked with no further ado.

I should mention that I talked to the dealer that had sold the Mac before approaching Apple and Microsoft. I didn't find out much other than that they had a consulting division that would solve this problem for $150 per hour.

The users of the network are very satisfied, and everything is working as it should. Faced with similar requirements, I would recommend the same equipment again, especially since I now know how to get it to work. I just wish it had been easier to get to this happy stage. I also wish I had received more help from the two dealers. I'm not likely to buy anything from either of them any time soon.

Issie Rabinovitch is a Toronto-based consultant, writer and speaker. He can be reached at issier@inforamp.net.

Copyright Plesman Publications Ltd. Nov 1995
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