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Communications squadron clicks refresh on basewide computer systems

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Vincent Borden
  • 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The Small Computers section of the 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron knows a little something about keeping up with the times.

As one of the largest pieces of the technological infrastructure of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, the section concerns itself with the repair and replacement of desktop computers on base. Its largest program, the "tech refresh," is responsible for the cyclic exchange of the wing's 1,200 personal computers.

The section's task, anything but small, is housed in a building roughly the size of a single-wide trailer. Inside of it, five people work on various computer projects, surrounded by the somewhat dull décor of systems in pieces on tables, shelves and desks.

In the middle of the organized chaos sits Tech. Sgt. Clyde Pence, who works at his desk looking through lists on his computer. As the base equipment custodian, Sergeant Clyde's job requires that he's proficient in record keeping and an expert at setting up and repairing the wing's personal computers.

As the NCO in charge of the Small Computers section, it also requires that he be good at math as well.

Sergeant Pence's main focus lies in the tech refresh program, an event that occurs twice a year. The aim of the program is to replace every one of the wing's computers on a continual basis, from the desktops at the 386th Mission Support Group's recreational facilities to the computers in the maintenance squadrons on the flightline. Complete replacement of every PC on base occurs every three years.

That equates to 17 percent of PCs that must be switched out, roughly more than 400 computers every year. Sergeant Pence is responsible for swapping out 134 of those during his four-month deployment here. And he manages to do it all without many people noticing.

"The aim is not to have any user downtime," said Sergeant Pence, who is deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va. "Depending on how the equipment custodian handles it, information is transferred off the old computer and the new one is put in, and the Airman will come in the next day and just go to work."

Equipment custodians are an extended communications workforce put in place by the Small Computers section. They are responsible for the actual swap of the computers in the workcenter during the tech refresh process. They also fix minor computer issues users may have in their workcenter.

The Small Computers section is responsible for installing anti-security software and server software on the computers, putting them on the domain and making sure they are ready for custodian installation. The section is also responsible for the more serious issues that arise with computer hardware and software.

"Most problems are with the user as opposed to the computer itself," said Tech. Sgt. Ed Chandler, 386th ECS. He is deployed from Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, N.Y. This is his second deployment. "But we do any kind of repairs up to the component level, like motherboards and things like that."

Computer malfunctions that require replacement of computer boards are sometimes sent to Camp Arifjan to a depot-level computer facility. The turnaround there can be two to three weeks, depending on the severity of the problem.

The Small Computers section tries to eliminate that as much as possible, however. As part of the computer contract the Air Force makes with manufacturers, they also retain a three-year warranty on the actual computers themselves. The depot at Camp Arifjan replaces the repair system most home computer users are accustomed to seeing: a visit from a computer technician.

"We've done a pretty good job of keeping [Camp Arifjan] out of the process, Sergeant Chandler said. Under his tweaking of the section's tracking and accountability database, turnaround times for repairs of computer systems decreased from an average of 17 days to 24 hours.

Combined with other initiatives, broken computer systems are brought back online much more quickly.

Jan Rury, a contractor, has been working on computer systems here for four years. He set up the initial tech refresh programs, and has seen the process improve tremendously as the years have gone on.

"Recently the [Network Operations and Security Center] has initiated a program where we can order replacement parts and do the installation ourselves," said Mr. Rury, a native of Midlothian, Texas. "It still maintains the warranty. The computer company furnishes us with some diagnostics tools, and we have software that we can use to isolate and locate problems.

"Our dependence on Camp Arifjan has diminished quite a bit by having this capability," Mr. Rury said.

As the computer's warranties begin to run out (and many times before), the older computers are replaced with newer models with upgraded memory, video features and increased processor speed.

For instance, computers being removed now are being replaced by desktops with more advanced video cards capable of running a dual-monitor setup. As the refresh process continues, more and more office workers on base will have the ability to take advantage of the dual-monitor capability. Eventually it will be the standard basewide.

The arrangement helps ensure that military members always have access to a reliable, up-to-date computer. That's something that's both refreshing and reassuring to Airmen supporting U.S. Central Command's premier airlift wing, from the control tower to the gym.