The El Toyon Rec Center was an extremely successful install day!
We all met at 9:30AM and proceeded through a M0n0wall installation lesson. We reviewed every detail of how to install M0n0wall and repeated all the steps to configure M0n0wall as performed for the El Toyon installation.
After the M0n0wall lesson, we walked through the procedures to be performed during that day's activities. We immediately noticed an issue with the Manager's office- the telephone line was on a wall that had no available AC power. (The closest power outlet was on the other side of the room). As a result of this discovery, we modified the plans slightly. We drilled a hole between the Manager's office and the lab room (formerly the Ceramics room), and ran the RJ11 cable between the two rooms and mounted the DSL modem inside the lab. This change had the added advantage of not requiring physical access to the manager's office for future troubleshooting.
Volunteers then set up the physical PCs on the desks along the wall. They were oriented such that the monitors were facing the main entry door and a computer user would have their back to the main door. In this arrangement, the computer users could always be monitored. After a few minutes, we discovered that the tables could not support the weight of the computers (they were bowing in the middle), therefore we replaced the tables with stronger tables. Custom length Cat5 cables were made between each PC and the switch. Several members had the opportunity to learn how to make Cat5 cables.
Next, two long lengths of Cat5 cable were run. One cable ran between the Soekris board and the switch ("LAN"). The other cable ran between the Soekris board and the DSL modem ("WAN"). Great care was taken by SoCalFreeNet members to tack the cable to the ceiling and roof eve very carefully and in an aesthetically pleasing manner.
To mount the antenna mast, a sheet of hardened aluminum was cut to size. The reason for adding the aluminum brace was to provide a mounting surface for the antenna mast (pole) that extended more then 3 inches away from the roof (per Marc, this is a requirement to be compliant with building codes). The antenna was then mounted to the pole. Also, the Outdoor box was mounted to the side of a beam. This was a clever solution which provided protection from the elements. In order for the mount to work, we needed to remove the Soekris board from the case, mount the case to the beam, then reinstall the Soekris board into the case. This was an extra step, but resulted in a more solid and secure installation.
The mast was then hammered from above to drive it a few feet into the ground. An additional 8 foot grounding rod was installed next to the mast. The lightning arrestor was installed and connected to the pole, which was, in turn connected to the grounding rod at its base.
We powered everything up, and amazingly (on the first try) it all operated perfectly. The surrounding neighborhood is now covered by free wireless Internet access. We will be working with SoCalFreeNet member and project sponsor Wayne in order establish a regular "Help the Neighbors Get Online" day.
The most amazing part of this installation was the enormous volunteer response that we received. Around a dozen SoCalFreeNet members showed up on their Saturday to make this deployment a great success!! Thank you again to all who volunteered!!!