With so many different types of hydroponics systems available, indoor growing can become somewhat confusing. But when you get down to the basics, you’ll find there are only six different types of hydroponic systems.These basic systems come in different configurations, sizes and even materials. You might also see several basic systems combined into one system. All this can make the various basic systems look different.Wick SystemThis is the simplest hydroponic system. It has no moving parts and works the same way as an oil lamp. In other words, the nutrient solutions are wicked up to the plant as it is being used.Your plants are placed in a growing medium which is kept moist by wicks. These wicks are made from a strip of highly absorbent material such as felt or cotton. The wick runs through the growing medium and out the bottom into a container of nutrient solutions. These wicks constantly replenish the moisture in the growing medium.Water Culture SystemYou may hear it called ‘bubbleponics’ but the real name is, ‘Water Culture.’With this system, the roots of your plants are suspended directly into the nutrient solutions. It is usually constructed of Styrofoam which floats like a raft on top of the solution. Then you cut holes in the Styrofoam for the plants.The most important part of the system is an air pump attached to an air stone. This generates a continuous flow of tiny air bubbles so the roots can breathe. Otherwise, the totally submerged roots will tend to suffocate.Ebb & Flow (Flood & Drain)As we look at each of the basic systems, you’ll notice that each becomes a little more difficult than the previous system. For example, this system requires a submersible water pump and a timer set to run in cycles.There are many ways to build this system but the basic principal is always the same. A reservoir filled with your nutrient solution is placed below the plants. This creates a siphoning action which drains the solution back into the reservoir when the pump shuts off. The timer cycles the pump on and off to flood the system and keep the roots moist.In the grow tray an overflow tube is placed which usually rests about two inches below the top of the growing medium. This allows the water level to rise high enough to saturate the root system but not so high as to cause root rot problems. The overflow tube also prevents the solution from overflowing out of the grow tray. The excess solution flows directly back into the reservoir for reuse.Nutrient Film Technique (NFT System)First of all you don’t need a timer because the solution flows 24/7. But like the Ebb & Flow, there’s a reservoir that sits below the level of the plants.The solution flows along the bottom of the containers that hold the plant roots. The bottom roots are then able to reach into the solution and wick up moisture to the upper roots. This enables the upper roots to still get the air and oxygen they need to grow. The solution then flows back into the reservoir and is recycled past the plants again and again.There are many ways to build a NFT System. Generally they are laid out as a series of tubes in rows that hold the plants. These tubes are tilted downward to facilitate the flow of nutrients.A pump delivers the solution to the top of the tube and gravity takes care of the rest. Because the system is easily expanded, you can have hundreds of rows operating within just one set-up.Drip SystemsIf you’re familiar with drip irrigation system used in outdoor gardening, you are also familiar with a hydroponic drip system. The difference is that instead of plain water, you use a nutrient solution.There are two ways to run a drip system. Both are set up essentially the same way. The nutrient solution is pumped through the lines to the plants where it drips down through the growing medium, and when it reaches the bottom, one of two things happen.Either the nutrient solutions is captured and sent back to the reservoir through return lines. This is most popular and economical system. However, in using this system, keep a close check on your solution.Each time the solution passes through the medium, some of the nutrients are used up and the pH will gradually change. Frequent readings will tell you when to add more nutrients or completely drain the reservoir and refill it with new.A non-recovery system avoids this problem by allowing the nutrient to either drip on the ground or be directed to a waste drain.Aeroponic SystemThis system is very much like the Ebb & Flow system. The big difference is that the roots are completely suspended in the air. To keep them moist with solution, they are frequently sprayed with misters.The nutrient solution then drips down off the roots and is collected in a reservoir to be sprayed again. It’s important to use a timer with this system which can be set to cycle on and off many times a day. Otherwise, the roots will tend to dry out.It’s also important to frequently measure the pH and PPM of your solution. Over a period of time the pH will change and nutrients within the system will be used up.
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Brainstorming to Collect Data in Designing the Corporate Computer Network
Suppose that you are appointed to lead a project of a computer network design in your organization that contains many sites that need to be integrated into a single corporate private network, what are you going to do? As a team leader, a time-frame project as general needs to be developed first that includes the brainstorming to collect data as much as possible, the blueprint project, budget forecasting, liaising with the third parties and so on.It’s quite difficult to start a project properly without knowing exactly what the strengths and weaknesses of supporting infrastructure which the system will base on. It is therefore, a computer network design should start by brainstorming to collect data as much as possible.Assume this computer network design will involve three sites: one main headquarter office in Sydney, one main office in Jakarta, and one remote site – the gold mine in the middle of the Borneo jungle. The principal of the organization would like to have all the sites linked to a single corporate computer network to allow inter-sites communication including data, voice, or probably video conference and off course to allow easy communication with the whole world.Telecommunication RequirementsThe first data for your computer network design that needs to be collected is the telecommunication system requirements. The main question is how to link all of the sites to allow system communication to happen. The following questions can be used to collect the data for the telecommunication requirements.1. How to arrange the Telecommunication service in remote site? We understand that both the main offices in Sydney and Jakarta are located in the area where you can find lots of communication services. What about the remote site – the site in the middle of the jungle? You should liaise with the third party company that can provide WAN services technology – probably uses the satellite link communication.2. Collect the information what kinds of communication will be allowed for remote site to the Jakarta office: data only, voice, video, or combination of those. This information is important to help you determine how wide the satellite link bandwidth you need. This will relate to the budget since satellite link is expensive.3. What kind of WAN technology to link data between Jakarta and Sydney, frame relay, ISDN network, VPN connection? Liaising with the third party – the telecommunication company will help.You need to dig and find more data that specific to the project. Telecommunication requirements should be sorted out first before you can proceed to collect other infrastructure requirements in this case.Network Infrastructure RequirementsSecond requirement for your computer network design is to collect data regarding the network infrastructure requirements. All related data for both logical and physical infrastructure requirements must be collected as much as possible. The following questions can be used to collect the data.1. How many hosts will be in each site including workstations, servers, switches, routers, wireless access points, and VoIP. This will help in calculating and designing the IP address requirements.2. Collect the information with the principal management if they need to host public resources either in Sydney or Jakarta sites. If so, where will all the public resources be located, inside the private network or in the DMZ (perimeter network)? This will help in designing the entry-point security. By hosting public resources, domain name must be designed in a secure manner such as separating the domain naming between internal and public usage.3. Collect the information regarding the security requirements for internal network. Will particular sections or departments need security boundary? This will help in designing your computer network if the network segmentation within the local network is needed. And also helps in designing how the users are grouped and appropriate policies are developed to comply with the security requirements.4. Collect the information with the principal management to develop service level agreements regarding the availability of the network resources. How critical the network resources will affect the business continuity if they ever fail to function. This will help you design the requirements of the redundant resources such as the need of clustering, load balancing and so on.5. Collect the information regarding the location in each sites such as how good the power is, how long the distances between each building that will connect to the network, is it feasible to run the network cabling or wireless connection. If the wireless connection is needed, examine how the attenuation factors will affect the wireless performance.6. Collect the information if the travelling users or tele-workers will be allowed to access the corporate network resources. This will help you design your VPN requirements and the security requirements regarding the authentication and the authorization for remote connection.7. And still more diggings needed regarding the infrastructure requirements that is specific to the project. By having the brainstorming data regarding the infrastructure requirements you can make the budget regarding the hardware, software, and consultants requirements for the implementation of your computer network design.Disaster ManagementIn your computer network design, the disaster recovery and business continuity planning should be in mind. The what if this fail question should base all the decisions of your design including selecting the location, hardware, software, models, the third party involves and so on. For example in building the server room, it’s a wise decision not to populate all the servers into a single main server room. Another alternate server in different building would be much better to avoid a single point of failure in case of the main server room is totally burned in fire disaster. The draft diagram of the computer network design should be evaluated precisely. Risk security assessment must be performed to help you design the appropriate control to reduce the possible threats to occur and if the threats ever occur, what actions must be taken to allow the business to run at least in the minimum operational level.In your computer network design should also consider the easiness in maintaining the system later by the administrators by providing a comprehensive documentation including the operational manuals and disaster recovery planning.By Ki Grinsing
A Guide to Help You Pick the Best Air Purifier for Your Loved Ones
Holidays are around the corner. This is the time of year when people start purchasing gifts for their loved ones. If you are going to purchase an air purifier for someone you love, we have some helpful tips for you. If you want to purchase the best unit, you may be able to use this guide to your advantage. Read on to find out more.
1: Set Your Budget
Just like anything you purchase, make sure you have set your budget first. The price of the unit will vary based on a lot of factors, such as the capacity, filter type, features, and brand of the unit. If you don’t have a flexible budget, we suggest that you go for a product that is available to purchase for less than $300.
2: Consider the Needs of the Recipient
Your next move is to consider the needs of your recipient. If you are going to purchase this unit for everyday use, we suggest that you go for a unit that comes with a HEPA filter. On the other hand, if your loved one has a specific need, we suggest that you consider a specialized unit.
For example, if they are more prone to respiratory issues, such as allergies and infections, we suggest that you get a UV purifier for them. The devices are designed to neutralize viruses and bacteria.
3: Think About the Available Space
Another primary factor is to consider the available space in the office or house of the recipient. For example, if they need a general-purpose unit for a small apartment, you may want to consider a filterless unit.
On the other hand, if they have plenty of free space, you may consider a bigger unit that features a higher airflow rating. These units are powerful enough to cover a large face.
4: Consider Extra Features
Lastly, we suggest that you consider additional features that they will just love. For example, some units come with an indicator that turns on when the filter needs to be replaced. This will allow the user to change the filter so that the device continues to work properly.
So, you may want to consider these features before you place your order. These features may not be important to you, but your friend may just be over the moon.
Long story short, we suggest that you consider these four tips if you are going to purchase a gift for your loved one on these holidays. Since the air is full of pollution during winter days, nothing can make a better gift than an air purifier. Therefore, you should consider these tips before looking for an online or physical store to make your purchase decision.