In Armenia people talk a lot about hardware and software production but say almost nothing about networking even though many companies would hardly be stable without computer stock and network environment. Let's start from the very term "Local Area Network" (LAN). This is a kind of information cluster consisting of archive, workstations, PCs, servers, information transmission and data processing clusters for small companies. LAN can cover an area of 1-3 km.
Modern LANs are based on the so-called Ethernet protocol, a technology allowing distance use of the system. Such a network unifies territorially distributed computer units into one single information space. In the world Local Area Today networking is growing in leaps and bounds. High functionality on the one hand and low costs on the other make LAN widely applicable in almost all spheres. Unification of information resources is the primary task of any company and the need for LAN is quickly growing in its urgency.
In the past LAN building had many deficiencies: it was expensive and technically complicated. Formerly LAN was a mainframe or super-computer uniting some terminals, workstations, PCs. "Mainframe" is a powerful computer with vast online and external storage capacities performing sophisticated computing tasks and operated by numerous users each having access to a terminal with no own computing capabilities.
Director of Bever company Boris Agajanyan says that mainframe is an expensive facility and takes a lot of spending on maintenance. Now things have changed drastically. Coming into general practice are cluster systems. This is no longer a mainframe with individual units connected to it but a network embracing a whole information system (PCs, workstations, servers) and performing complex computing tasks. Cluster systems are cheap to both obtain and maintain. They are getting increasingly attractive due to their cheap but high-performance units (big online storage capacities, quick video graphics opportunities, auxiliary processors). In modern cluster networks a server is highly functional. "In small companies there is no much difference between mainframe and server. There they can be called workstations or simply PCs," says Agajanyan. Network ensures optimal yield-cost relation but simultaneously reveals a fault tolerance problem. This problem can, however, be settled quite easily by server backup - special cheap equipment automatically switches control from one to another server. For all its excessive equipment LAN is nevertheless cheaper than mainframe. If one of the servers or the mainframe fails for a short or long time all computing operations are automatically sent to the backup server with no visible problems for the user. Here stability is ensured by quick backing of computing means on the one hand and reliable archive and data restoration capacities (backup) on the other. Hewlett Packard, Cisco and Cnet fault tolerance systems are most popular among Armenian companies. These producers offer complex hardware and software allowing to configure, monitor and keep up the system most effectively. Agajanyan says that Armenia has several centers raising certified specialists for individual companies (like Microsoft or Cisco). This is very important but Agajanyan says that Armenian companies need better wide-specialization experts with no special emphasis on one or another producer. An expert certified by Cisco works only with Cisco equipment. "What we need is system administrators, analysts and network architects with fundamental knowledge and ability to find optimal solution to a given task," says Agajanyan. The network tasks of small and medium-sized companies do not require expensive sophisticated equipment by San or Cisco. Cheap equipment would do here. "It's carrying capacity rather than functionality that distinguishes one system from another."
The network technologies used by Arminco are based on TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol and Internet Protocol). Used but limitedly are also X25 and some other original technologies, says Andranik Aleksanyan, director of Arminco, the biggest provide company in Armenia. In local networking the company applies Unsheltered Twister PF - E5 cables with capacity of up to 1 Gbit. "This technology does not set angle curve standards except for some installation requirements and restrictions to certain types of fiber cables." Aleksanyan says that today Arminco has a training center certified by Microsoft teaching specialists to install local networks. Last year the center trained 60 specialists but not all of them passed examinations and got Microsoft certificates. Presently there are 30-40 Arminco certified specialists in Armenia complying with all the international standards. "Besides Arminco has a testing center Virtual University allowing specialists to take online certification exams in any subject taught by Arminco and under courses of 30 companies and consortiums." Aleksanyan says that one Microsoft course costs $500 and to get a certificate one should take four courses and an examination. But as an alternative he can take the exam at the testing center for only $70. Aleksanyan says that applying for certificates are mostly employees of foreign companies in Armenia. Many Armenian companies predend they do not much care for certification. Simply few of them want to pay high price for one or another certificate.
To date Arminco has installed almost 200 LANs. The average cost of LAN installation is 30 US cents (100 AMD) for one meter, environment setting costs $2-4 per computer.
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