To accommodate extended WfH requirements due to Covid and a likely segue toward more telecommuting we need to investigate and if possible improve NRAO/NM's broadband access at the home.
Immediate: (1 week): Put together working team, flesh out plan
- Define problem(s) we want to solve
- Purely internal focused on short and medium term, may overlap with broader cooperative group working with NMT, Socorro, et al
- Establish working group (smallish 5 or so at most)
- Should have both geographic (e.g. Magdalena) and functional representatives (DMS, Electronics, VLA site etc)
Short term: (2-4 weels): Ensure staff are efficiently using NRAO resources, characterize problem, ramp up longer term projects
- Audit available connectivity in Socorro and surrounding areas (CenturyLink, cable, SDC wireless, cell etc)
- Poll users, get more detailed info as to provider, current bandwidth, stability, satisfaction etc
- Develop internal 'how to improve your home network' style document (debug, best practices type doc)
- Develop WfH clearing house web portal (useful NRAO wide) include home network doc plus pointers to SSH tunneling, VPN, VNC etc.
- Contact NMT, City of Socorro etc regarding interest in cooperative effort
Medium term: (1 to 2 months): Ensure NRAO and staff home networks are working effeciently
- Consider assisting staff with home network issues (e.g. purchase ADSL test meter, have staff test from external NID
- Possible electronics staff might be able to help ?
- Should not require physical contact, test point is external
Long term (1 to 24 months)
- Coordinate with non-NRAO elements