Help! Arts department wants a classroom of Macs added to school network....

[Sinclair_Spectrum_16K]

Help! Arts department wants a classroom of Macs added to school network....



What do we have to worry about? Any Pros and Cons? Can't a PC do everything a Mac can do? How will effect log ons for pupils? Will the macs need their own server and other stuff and if so will the expense be worth it? Do you need to be an expert or accredited to run a Mac suite/ network? Any comments or suggestions helpful! Thanks!!

[j17sparky]

You will need a mac server to handle policies, software and OS deployment, logons etc.
You will need abit of time to get everything working as it should as there are bits of OS X which simply do not work properly.

Personal opinion; no there are no advantages of having macs in the art department, and the money would be far better spent on software and professional training in using image software. Remember photoshop CS3 is still photoshop CS3 regardless of which platform it is loaded on.

[pwalt2]

ok well, i have been at two high schools, which we have run both macs and PC for the arts department.

they have used from GIMPshop to Photoshop on old and new macs

we did have a G5 server which was when we first got the mac lab, but since that we ditched it and it connected straight our windows server 2003 system.

connects with AD so it allows redirection to there home folders proxy settings and all that.

there are a few flaws which kinda a hassel.

the user has access to the local drive (great for saving stuff and not on the network) but sometimes these folders come full of junk, and other users are unable to save their work.

my partner did set up a script to do that but i was unable to catch a glimpse as he did. it was in the cron file. this allowed our staff members (arts, film and tv) to have admin access to the drive and delete the junk.

but other then that it seems to be a good way to go for arts. but its all on personal pref.

having a mac server would help you could save you a lil bit of time having it on the same network with different usernames you could set it up like that but could be a pain thats all.


Cheers

Paul

[webman]

Macs are ridiculously over-priced for the hardware and the support you will need. (Death of a computer suite) As j17sparky correctly pointed out, Photoshop is the same regardless of platform (bar a couple of menu item locations from what I remember). My guess is that they want them because they "look pretty" and they're "what the professionals use".

If you have no Mac knowledge, it will cost you either a) time in learning how to set them up; or b) money in employing someone who knows what they're doing to do it (Mac "experts" aren't cheap). There are integration problems between Macs and existing Windows network - the mac forum here shows just a few of the issues that can occur.

For what a set of macs will cost and depending on your hardware supplier, you can usually get double the amount of PCs for the same cost as a set of macs.

[gaz350]

and if you went by the amount of problems there are on the windows forum....... (i'll shutup here)

but seriously I dont think ive had a call out to our 4 mac suites since summer hols, they sit there doing the job they are intended to do.

[webman]

and if you went by the amount of problems there are on the windows forum....... (i'll shutup here)

Nice, taking my point out of context.

[maniac]

The only thing we use macs for in our school is the music suite, and macs are so much better in this department in my opinion. They are all stand alone, but are networked for internet access; the browser prompts for login details when they open it, as our proxy is programed in and the settings locked.

We use PCs in our art department with photoshop CS3 on, much less hassle and better value for money in my opinion.

Mike.

[DMcCoy]

As my thread was mentioned. For those interested the number of screens is now 11 of 26 dead so far.

I didn't get a refund, but I do get to spend the amount on the apple store which is quite good, although not perfect.

5 in for (free) repair atm, 1 to go back.


On the plus side I've moved to 10.5 with it's improved preferences and mcx folder redirection which removes my previous login script. Managed printers will at least use the correct driver if it's already installed now which is also a nice change.

You will need an extra mac thats capable of running 10.5 server if you want to manage it properly, doesn't need to be an xserve, just a supported mac (which is most intel ones). Apple remote desktop will help too, and a dedicated machine to manage them and build software images.

[GrumbleDook]

MacPro or MacMini are fine to run 10.5 server as long as you are mainly using it for WGM and rolling out settings / images. If you are looking to host shares and other services then the MacPro is the way to go.

[HodgeHi]

Don't forget that you don't NEED mac server os. There are other options. There is centrify or admitmac. Not used either so you may need os x server for these.

But you can also extend the AD schema to allow you to write the changes made in WGM.

There is a pre-built script that can be downloaded to do this here.

I have run the script against an AD server and it does create the schema extensions. I have not used it in a production environment although i do know someone who extended the schema to use the mail and home dir quota options (something that i may do myself).

From the looks of it though the AD schema extension is not for the feint of heart as it seems not too many people go this route (not much info out there).

[skawarrior]

You will need an extra mac thats capable of running 10.5 server if you want to manage it properly, doesn't need to be an xserve, just a supported mac (which is most intel ones). Apple remote desktop will help too, and a dedicated machine to manage them and build software images.

We didn't realise this and went for the xserve its a bit of an overkill just to manage the user profiles and hold the image for the macs. However it does mean that we are in a nice position should the schools Mac needs grow.

We dealt with Jigsaw and they were pretty competative with pricing. They also provided us with a lot of support during the installation and sent two technicians when we encountered numerous login difficulties during the first few weeks of use. Helped us out no end considering none of us are Mac trained.

[PEO]

Im getting quotes for imac for the music department

10 macs osx 10.5 dual boot xp - users will authenticat with the school AD
one mac server to hold policy, files, etc

I to is not mac trained, but the local clc has said I can pop down some point to see how there is setup.

[skawarrior]

...10 macs osx 10.5 dual boot xp - users will authenticat with the school AD
one mac server to hold policy, files, etc
...

Any particular reason for dual boot?

[Ethain]

There are only 4 products I would consider using a Mac for.

Garage Band or Logic Studio
iMovie or Final Cut Studio

Our (newish 4-core and 8-core) Macs regularly crash if you try to do anything in a way not expressly designed, intended or thought of by Apple developers.

With an X-serve they do integrate well enough with LDAP or AD, but if you're not used to Macs go on some training courses first. They're not expensive (hundreds as opposed to thousands) and if things don't make sense quickly, then you'll know before you buy any.

A background in Linux/Unix will stand you in better stead than a background in Windows.

[HodgeHi]

A background in Linux/Unix will stand you in better stead than a background in Windows.

I slightly disagree with some of the statements made on here. Most seem to say that integrating macs is a hard task. Sure if you have issues then they can be. Maybe i was lucky, although if you check my threads i can't say that i was.

I was a complete Windows user until i got my first mac. I never touched Linux or Unix. My system works relatively well considering i know not much about Windows and even less about Macs and OS X. So for me to have a complete AD-OD integrated network i think thanks goes mostly to Apple's tools/utilities for making it a relatively simple task (as well as the good PDFs explaining the process). There is free help out there and it's of a good quality when you find it.

And as more and more Open source products are becoming native to OS X, the support is getting better. Even Apple's own apps like iWorks and iLife are improving with each version release. And with a site license (up to 200 machines i think) going for £169 +VAT, it's not a bad price at all.

My AD-OD system has the macs integrated for AD auth, Mail service for AD users, iCal service for AD users (to some extent), Wiki service for AD users, SMB and AFP mounts for AD profiles and documents, and also a Jabber service for AD users (when i get it working again). Most are all kerberised services as too.

Not bad for a newb