[CrackMonkey] Picking your collective brains

[Bernard]

List life seems quiet at the moment so I don't feel too guilty
about asking.  Also, BALUG seems to have unilaterally dumped
me from the mailing list (big loss).
	So....

1) Friend asking about recommendation for small (eg. 8 port)
dual speed switches.  Will be for networked printers and 3 - 4
Linux and Win9x boxes.  I see prices over a 2-fold range
(eg. $100 - $200).  Any recommendations or things to avoid?
My guess is that they'll need some kind of expandability
in the future but 8 ports should be fine now.

2) Also asking about recommendations for tower cases.  I have
heard horror stories about not accepting standard motherboards,
crappy power supplies and requiring advanced degrees in engineering
to assemble/disassemble.  Space for ATX board, Slot1 CPU,
and good cooling for fast SCSI drive(s).  At least two full-size
external bays (more is a plus).  Again, any recommendations or
things to avoid?  A store in the Bay area would be a plus.

3) ...and now for me.  I'll almost certainly be quitting this Burg
before the end of the year and will probably end up skulking
behind a firewall as I work for Da Man.  I am wondering about
sticking a box in a colo to allow a little freedom and fun.
I know nothing about rackmout cases so, again, am looking for
some ideas.  I'd probably buy it locally before I go while
I have the choice.  Most facilities seem to host 2U racks
so that would probably be what I'm after.
What's Zork living in Nick?

	Thanks for any information,
	Bernard

-- 
Bernard P. Murray, Ph.D.
nutella at zork.net (Department of Desserts and Toppings, San Francisco, USA)