June 9, 2026 SCinet SCinet Inventory SCinet Teams Share this page: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Email By M. C. Bailey, SC26 SCinet Communication Liaison Desert Heat Adds a Bit of Lynchian Mystique to SCinet Inventory Hello Diane. The date is March 23, 2026, local time 9:30 am. I have just landed in Las Vegas, Nevada. The flight was smooth. The landing, by the books. I even got a little shut-eye on the flight. Now to acquire my rental vehicle and drive roughly two hours to the little town of Laughlin, Nevada. SCinet is a year-round commitment. In March 2026, several members of the SCinet team ventured to the heart of the Mojave Desert for an annual trip known simply as, “Inventory.” The world’s fastest temporary network that takes a month to deploy must be torn down and packed away in one day. Needless to say, such a daunting process can only be executed so well. During Inventory, the SCinet teams travel to a storage warehouse to verify all equipment’s physical condition and working status. This is one of SCinet’s best opportunities to prepare for the show’s success in the fall. Hello Diane, I’ve settled into my lodgings at the Nevada/Arizona border. The room is clean, tidy, and, best of all, affordable. I am looking forward to a good night’s sleep. At 7 am, I begin my trek into the heart of the desert. During the year, SCinet hardware is stored in a warehouse in the desert. This saves on costs considerably compared to storing in the major metropolitan cities that the SC conference is hosted in. Traditionally, this trip takes place in June. This year, the schedule was amended to avoid scorching summer temperatures. However, the weather had different plans for the SCinet team. A heat dome settled over the area, and daily temperature exceeded 105 degrees F. This was only one of the challenges the SCinet team faced. The event began with warehouse safety training, including a rattlesnake training course. Though no rattlesnakes were reported, other natural hazards were discovered throughout the facility. Hello Diane. Wonderful news to report. The first day of Inventory was a great success. However, there is still much work to be done, and only one day to do it. The main goal of Inventory is to document all equipment’s exact crate location. This includes routers, switches, racks, wireless access points, signage, and fiber strands for the conference. SCinet hardware was documented crate by crate and labeled when to ship, either for October staging or November deployment. The Fiber Team present at inventory used the time to respool all of the fiber trunks in preparation for deployment at McCormick Place in Chicago. Inventory was also a chance to prepare for October staging. Jumper cables were labeled, tool boxes organized, and in depth planning for SC26 was accomplished. Inventory was not all hard work. This was a great team-building event as well. Those present car pooled, ate meals as a team, and shared professional stories about their experience in the networking industry. Inventory26 was an exceptionally successful event, bringing the SCinet team together to prepare for another great year. Hello Diane. After two long days, we have accomplished our goals. The endeavor was difficult. The environment, harsh. And the time, limited. But through hard work and determination, we have gone above and beyond our expectations. It is time to leave the desert and begin my journey home.
