Your Perfect ICT school setup

[zag]

Here is a fun thread, what would be your perfect school setup? I know we all make compromises everyday in schools due to budgets or politics but how would you set-up the ICT systems in a perfect world? Mine would be:

File Server - 2003 server 4tb Raid5
Shadow file server - 2003 server 4tb Raid5
Email - Exchange 2007 SP1 500gb, 4gb ram
Email Backup - Exchange 2007 SP1
Domain controller - Lightweight workstation with beefed up Ram
Domain controller 2 - Lightweight workstation with beefed up Ram
Application Server 2tb Core 2 duo Xeon thingy
Internet - 100mbit Full duplex fiber line
Wireless - School wide Cisco managed wireless
VLE - Sharepoint 2007
MIS - Not sure about this one, anything other than sims but is there anything better? Open source maybe symply because sims takes so much of our time and budgets
AntiVirus - Symantec Corporate Endpoint Protection

[PEO]

Change the IT coordinator, and out with Microsoft in with reliable Linux

[wesleyw]

3 Data Storage Servers clustered with 2tb (After configuration of Raid 0+1).
3 Exchange Servers Clustered.
3 Web servers Clustered (NetBSD).
3 Domain Controllers Clustered.
22 Terminal Services Application Servers (Load Balanced).
3 Multimedia Servers Clustered 10tb (After configuration of Raid 0+1).
6 Sun Global Desktop Solaris 10 Servers.
3 NAS boxes running duplicate Terminal Services profiles.
3 Backup Servers each running an LTO3 16 tape library. (Full backup every night for each month, monthly backup, half term backup, full term backup).
14 SAN boxes (2 weeks of Disk to Disk backup for fast retrieval).
100mbit fiber full duplex for the Internet connection.
45 Wireless access points across the school giving full coverage, managed by Aruba Controller.
VLE a mix of Sharepoint and Moodle.
MIS would still be SIMS but with integrated Moodle and Sharepoint software.
3 2x Load Balancer Servers.
Anti virus would be Sophos.
975 Ultra Small form factor PCs or iMacs (25 in each teaching room). Running a combination of Thin Client, Video Editing and Music Software with the hardware needed to run Cubase.
975 Double Power point sockets (25 in each teaching room).
975 Network Points going back to 1GB via Extreme 250e Summit Switches (50 x 48 port PoE switches, only need 25 but double it for redundancy) and then to Extreme 8810 Chassis Cores (Double the amount of these needed as well 4 I think). 20GB backbone (25 x 8 core multi-mode fiber).
10 APC RT1000VA UPS' all servers would be plugged into at least two of these to give exceptional redundancy.
50 APC RT5000VA UPS' 1 for every switch.
39 Spare Projectors, IWB and Desktop Speakers (Quick way round faulty speakers).
39 Brother 2070n printers.

I'll be editing this again soon I think


Wes

[dhicks]

Server hardware:
Half a dozen Dell 8-core/8GB RAM/1TB RAID 5 machines. Run Xen virtual machines on these, if any hardware conks out simply move the VM over to different hardware.
Storage - Some NAS boxes. Add more as needed.
Backup - a machine that writes to 1TB removeable SATA drives.
Three entry-level Dell servers to act as Internet gateways - one on the main ADSL connection, one on the backup, and one as a hot-swap spare in case of hardware failure.
Email - web based, running on internal server.
Internet - 24GB/s ADSL sounds good.
Network - switches capable of fibre links, properly hooked together.
Wireless - decent managed solution that is capable of roaming around the school.
VLE - Moodle.
MIS - anything web-based that we can use with Moodle.
Antivirus - pointless. Every piece of software used should be web-based, meaning client machines become simple terminals with a web browser and assorted plugins. People don't use PCs to spend time organising files, scanning for viruses, changing desktop settings, etc, they use them to get stuff done.

--
David Hicks

[SYNACK]

I think a 1000mbit peer 1 internet connection would be quite nice. 1Gbit dumping out strait onto the primary internet backbone.

[webman]

Hmmm, I wonder why this thread is in the Windows section? :?

Anyway...

SAN storage solution, starting at 2TB.

Karoshi Linux servers for files, printing, security, dhcp, dns etc.

Zimbra for email.

Windows XP clients initially with a move to migrating totally linux - then Windows Terminal Services for legacy apps).

Moodle for VLE.

All workstations to be small-form-factor, quiet, and have 19" TFTs.

Managed 802.11a wireless network.

1Gbit internet connection.

Adequate IT support personnel.

And lastly... ICT teachers who actually know something about the subject they teach.

--

We already have Symantec Corporate antivirus installed everywhere, 95% of teaching rooms have Promethean IWBs/projectors, and we have remote access via WebDAV. There's always room for improvement though

[nicholab]

Not so specific this one.

SAN Netapp or HP EVA8100
Virtualized pool of server running ESX 3
Server/Bladesystem = HP
UPS with diesel back up generator.
Nod32 Virus scanner.
Client PC that are less that 3 years old.
PIX booting of clients so I just put the UID and it builds.
Controlling you own budget.
Backup data centre.

**Suggesting why not try and keep it green**

[Dos_Box]

I'm actaully smirking here as I have many of the hardware elements listed.
Not the software though.

[PEO]

I'm actaully smirking here as I have many of the hardware elements listed.
Not the software though.

smug git

[andy]

Hmmm, I wonder why this thread is in the Windows section? :?

I was wondering that - I'm sure it was in Blue Skies this morning!

Andy

[wesleyw]

I have to admit I'm moving toward this now I'm a little short of some of my hardware list now though.


Wes