Anyone Planning For The New Term?

[pritchardavid]

Anyone planning for the new term?

Trying to create a list

So it can done all this term or if need be carried on to the next term, may start doing this every term if this helps us.

So far I have

Finish Setting Up Windows 7 Deployment
Setup an allowed list for software for staff & students in the policy

Setup Man Profiles for staff & students (With policy’s applied already, so settings does not have to be reapplied every time they logon expect folder redirection)

Setup the Library to have 32 Computers, Will be more reliable for Lexia & enables a whole class to use computers in the Library, Instead of only 18 (That’s if all are working at the time)

Connect a Netbook to the plasma that does not get used, so it displays the same has the other two screens that’s display information

Upgrade all Netbooks running on the screens to W7 so we can use remote desktop (Home Edition does not do this, which they currently run, so we can remotely refresh the screens or fix when they stop displaying)

New School Website - Design & make it ourselves, so all done internally, Includes

- Support ticket page/site to replace the paper job slips, which we don’t seem to get anymore (Shortcut Icon On Staff Laptops has well)
- ICT Support page where we can have guides on how to do stuff, and technical steps before contacting the ICT Support
- Each department has their own page with information and some pictures and maybe list of staff?
- Gallery collection of picture i.e., Football, Awards Evening, Cooking, Inside Week, any events etc.

Change VLE that uses An Internal Server, to be able to do more stuff and better support it. Best choices would be Moodle which is free. Or Frog, not free, but does look much better.

Upgrade servers to 2008 R2 from 2003 R2

Update Impero server to new version when we get it in Jan & deploy the newer MSI to clients

Update Sophos Server to newer version

Upgrade Exchange Server to 2010 from 2007

Deploy Windows 7 to Rooms & Teacher laptops



Any Other Ideas?
I Know You Don't Know Our Network/School
You Just May Have Good Ideas

[tech_guy]

I'm slowing making my way through a litre of Jack Daniles as I type in preparation for the new term....

[pritchardavid]

Hehe, wrote this up last day of term

Couldn't have through of all that just now


Damn you!
You made me think of my cider I have downstairs, feels like its calling to me

Oh well, will now need to buy some of tomorrow then, even im not doing anything, still need some drink to drink for tomorrow, cant not drink on new years eve

[john]

Some similar sounding items for us on that list as well, we've got (in no particular order):

• Exchange 2010 (funds permitting)
• Windows 7 Deployment - start the planning and testing phase with a hope of Easter roll out if that goes well!
• Servers to upgrade to 2008
• Start the plan to move over to a new domain fully virtualised on some shiny new Sun kit (again funds permitting)
• Plan the next phase of campus Fibre backbone and re-wire
• Backups (again as my Terrastores are now dying)
• More planning for the future
• Maybe tidy the store room!!!!! (that is on every list every time and never comes off!)

Somewhere in amongst that lot should be deal with various modular exam results with our exams officer, large numbers of school reports / assessments and the DCSF January Census Return.

[pritchardavid]

Yer my have to upgrade how RAM for the new exchange, don't think we have 4GB in it, think it only has two. Cant believe it needs more

Might has well do it for all the servers, not sure what we have in most, guess the servers need more to go onto 2008R2

Yep we need to tidy the stock room has well, I keep it tidy, its everyone else that makes it messy (Aint that bad, but needs doing before it gets worse

Backups are gonna be the problem with 2008R2, everyone on the forum have said that Backup Exec don't work on R2 (We have the latest version)

If I set it up, would have chose the Microsoft Backup System (System Center Data Protection Manager 2007), I hate Symantec

Umm not keen at all on this virtualised stuff, prefer it just running on just hardware

[mossj]

For Jan I have

• 1 Mini-site (Building Development)
• Content of Plone Site (Arts in the Village)
• Accommodation Site (Take 360 Pictures, and content, confirm redesign with SMT)
• Troubleshoot and test upgrade scripts for the ruddy tax increase (mistake here could cost millions)
• Retest upgrade of the Online Accommodation System (cancelled this last year, due to a single bug), again a mistake here could cost the department millions must be in place by 1st of Feb
• Meetings with SMT to discuss Online Shop project
• Get ready for opening of applications on 1st Feb

On top of this I have numerous meetings about other systems, writing PIDs for new projects and I'm currently organising the business relationship between our resident ISP and the students, Oh and second line support for the commercial systems.

[john]

Yer my have to upgrade how RAM for the new exchange, don't think we have 4GB in it, think it only has two. Cant believe it needs more

Exchange will eat as much ram as you chuck at it, give it 16GB it will use it, I'm still working out how much to put in our new one, again depends on the cash at the time, but I joked at the start that 16GB maybe the size to go for but think it may actually be fairly realistic for it, certainly 8GB.

Might has well do it for all the servers, not sure what we have in most, guess the servers need more to go onto 2008R2

I have a mix of 2003, 2003R2 and 2008 R2 all playing very happily together so I wouldn't let that worry you too much if you have a mix. As I am planning to build a new setup, we will standardise at that point on 2008 R2. As its virtual though we can add a 2003 if needed, but I'm not intending on doing so at present.

Yep we need to tidy the stock room has well, I keep it tidy, its everyone else that makes it messy (Aint that bad, but needs doing before it gets worse

Stuff goes in and out of mine that often keeping it tidy is not that possible tbh.

Backups are gonna be the problem with 2008R2, everyone on the forum have said that Backup Exec don't work on R2 (We have the latest version)

If I set it up, would have chose the Microsoft Backup System (System Center Data Protection Manager 2007), I hate Symantec

Correct it won't work on 2008 R2 full stop, awaiting a new version of Backup Exec for that. Its on my list to look into the MS backup stuff (again as part of the new setup - when I get the who knows?! but it will have to be done!)

Umm not keen at all on this virtualised stuff, prefer it just running on just hardware

I wasn't at first but I've seen it working well, Ric on here has a brilliant setup and that's virtualised and i've read many good things from others, I've played with it and that was fine so I know the technology and hardware is there now to support it and feel the time is right to move that direction. I know it will make a big difference to our setup, and certainly allow us to reduce hardware numbers and save us money in electric and hardware which is very much needed by the state of the UKs economy.

[pritchardavid]

There is only two good things I can think for going virtualised

is that you can easily upgrade the server version, make and test new server services etc
have spare running in case problems arise


But if you have the ram and processor speed to be virtualised ie have 5 runing on the server, you should be able to run this normally (Not virtualised) just from the server, problery quicker has its just one server operating system running, just with having roles and whatever your using on the server on one OS server

[john]

It has its pros and cons, in that if say email fell over (I've never had it do that to me wherever I've run it before but things can occur...) and its my Print, DHCP, DNS, and ISA Server all in one box for example (lets not get into don't mix those roles together etc....) and when the email fell over it took out a system service or crashed the entire box, I loose all that whilst it restarts, by putting each role on its own VM, if one of those roles crashed, or needed to be updated / patched etc you just loose that one VM and that one role so I will be able to restart my Email for instance without loosing a DNS server or my fileserver etc, it brings huge flexibility and potential. The same goes for if the HDD died or something and the main OS corupts, fine you have backups but on this server above you could have all those roles missing for a couple of hours VS the loss of just one service.

As you have said testing and adjusting is easier on VMs and I can also move my VMs around between hosts which will allow me to move them around and make the most out of my hardware.

[pritchardavid]

damn bit bigger list now, better stop thinking now

[p858snake]

gah I appear to be missing the office '07 compatibility pack on home computer even though I know I've used it before. (Portable OO to the rescue)

Whatever happened to the love for old plain text files <3.

[EduTech]

Our 30 Sun Rays and SUN Servers turn up sometime in the first week back, so going to be having loads of time with them... and some of the guys from Cutter Project are coming down cant wait should be a nice start of term... i think the only let down is the kids and staff coming back

Once that is out the way we will be planning for the Windows 7 Migration in the Summer, aswell as finishing of some of our Learning Platform and finalising some of the stuff on our VLE ready for this to be used as of Sept 2010.

And i also have to finish the SIMS Web Access for parents, as our Yr11's Parents are going to be using that as of Middle of Jan

All good fun!

Role on Monday woo!

[gaz350]

Im just in tick over mode until October, no big changes due to a new shiny network in November and new buildings! woohoo!

Invite to tender happens Start of Feb and a large number of staff from the college are heading down to bettshow to get their last ideas.

so for me its an Audit on IT fun fun

preping staff for bett (its a Saturday jolly)

sorting out the training needs of our department and then the rest of the staff in the college especially as we are moving towards windows 7 and possibly open office.

bringing 1 of my techs up to speed with all the new procedures (hes been on sick for 3 months)

oh and update cmis

[john]

oh and update cmis

Don't forget that they patched E-Portal over the Christmas Holidays so you will have both Admin, Scheduler and Eportal to patch now

[pritchardavid]

At least I dont have to worry about eportal

My supervisor currently only deals with the 2 admin servers we have, but suppose I should start playing around with it soon