Overnight turn off?

[ICT-Joe]

How do you do the shutdown tasks can I ask?

 

We are an RM school so just use the Management Console but I would imagine it's a command line tool. I'll have a look and let you know if I find it!

[enjay]

We are an RM school so just use the Management Console but I would imagine it's a command line tool. I'll have a look and let you know if I find it!

 

I've done this from command line in a previous school. I can't remember the syntax of the command, but I can remember you want to write your command carefully, so it doesn't have to wait for the command to fail on the first PC before issuing the command to the second PC, otherwise your shutdown script will take several hours to execute.

[FN-GM]

I've done this from command line in a previous school. I can't remember the syntax of the command, but I can remember you want to write your command carefully, so it doesn't have to wait for the command to fail on the first PC before issuing the command to the second PC, otherwise your shutdown script will take several hours to execute.

 

You could run the command on the actual PC from the task scheduler. Group policy will help create the task.

 

Shutdown -s -f -t 0

 

It will shutdown all the same time.

[enjay]

You could run the command on the actual PC from the task scheduler. Group policy will help create the task.

 

Shutdown -s -f -t 0

 

It will shutdown all the same time.

 

That would be cleaner than how I had to do it - there were often evening functions when PCs needed to stay on longer than normal, so the shutdown was called from the server which meant I could stop it running on those days. From some dark recess of my brain, I think I had a batch file per department, then another batch file which called each of those; that way, each script was only waiting for a handful of computers.

[FN-GM]

That would be cleaner than how I had to do it - there were often evening functions when PCs needed to stay on longer than normal, so the shutdown was called from the server which meant I could stop it running on those days. From some dark recess of my brain, I think I had a batch file per department, then another batch file which called each of those; that way, each script was only waiting for a handful of computers.

 

In the past we had a batch file hosted on a server with the command and then the scheduled task would call that. If you wanted to stop it just empty the file.

 

Both our methods work should work well though.

 

I am curious how you populated the scripts with the computer names? Was this automatic?

[enjay]

I am curious how you populated the scripts with the computer names? Was this automatic?

 

No, I think I maintained them manually, computers were typically named after the room they were in so names didn't change very often.

[FN-GM]

No, I think I maintained them manually, computers were typically named after the room they were in so names didn't change very often.

 

I saw a similar set up in a school but they populated it by pulling the names from DHCP. Although it wouldn't be simple to seperate them out by department.

[SteveB_NI]

My last job every half term and end of term was to go round all the rooms and turn off the projectors

 

there was always one or two left on - and that was a small Primary!!

 

I did notice a couple switched on over the weekend a few times as I passed - but as the school was locked there was nothing I could do

 

Setting a time-out was apparently not acceptable

 

 

Time out doesn't work on our Epson projectors when staff leave them on Freeze & go home for the weekend or longer!

 

Unless anyone has a suggestion on how to power off even if someone leaves on freeze screen?

[LeMarchand]

Time out doesn't work on our Epson projectors when staff leave them on Freeze & go home for the weekend or longer!

 

Unless anyone has a suggestion on how to power off even if someone leaves on freeze screen?

 

Timer plug?

[archiebaitup]

We always turn our machines off at night. We use EMCO Remote Shutdown to do this,.

 

With the amount of PCs we have, we've worked out a huge saving if we turned them off at the plugs (scary - i know) - this is not in place yet, but I know the BM will say those words soon.

[mavhc]

Why not hibernate them? 0 Watts

[Davit2005]

Time out doesn't work on our Epson projectors when staff leave them on Freeze & go home for the weekend or longer!

 

Unless anyone has a suggestion on how to power off even if someone leaves on freeze screen?

 

Can you set the projectors to go into standby if no signal and then set the PCs to shutdown to schedule?

[enjay]

Unless anyone has a suggestion on how to power off even if someone leaves on freeze screen?

 

Ask the cleaners to turn them off if they find them in that state (and report back on where they're having to do this)

[SteveB_NI]

Can you set the projectors to go into standby if no signal and then set the PCs to shutdown to schedule?

 

This works for the projectors usually but if they leave them on freeze screen it overrides the signal check and despite a PC being shutdown the projector retains and displays the frozen screen capture

 

- - - Updated - - -

 

Ask the cleaners to turn them off if they find them in that state (and report back on where they're having to do this)

 

Some of our cleaners barely do their job as it is without adding extra duties to them

[Andrew_C]

Can you set the projectors to go into standby if no signal and then set the PCs to shutdown to schedule?

If your projector is fed by some other electronics (switch/amplifier/scaler), this can provide a signal that prevents shutdown. Weirdly, I see this on a few of ours, despite them being very similar, if not identical, set ups.

[Koldov]

Depending on the age of your students... one thing I've found invaluable is using them!

 

The younger ones are very suggestible (not always a good thing I'll admit), but some of them can also be quite tenacious and very ummm.... persistent!

 

Luckily we have just had the 'Big Switch Off' assembly...

 

So a quick.... 'Hey guys you know your teacher is really, really, busy right? So do you think you could remind them to turn the projector and speakers off at the end of the school day? Then we can all help SAVE THE PLANET!'

 

Seems to have worked on one or two of the worst offenders...

[enjay]

Depending on the age of your students... one thing I've found invaluable is using them!

 

The younger ones are very suggestible (not always a good thing I'll admit), but some of them can also be quite tenacious and very ummm.... persistent!

 

So a quick.... 'Hey guys you know your teacher is really, really, busy right? So do you think you could remind them to turn the projector and speakers off at the end of the school day? Then we can all help SAVE THE PLANET!'

 

Agreed. At a previous school, we had a teacher who printed a phenomenal amount (several times more than any other teacher) and refused all requests to cut back. I enabled PaperCut Client so the little widget appeared in the corner of the screen, and therefore on the projector. A few of the students pointed out hers was much higher than anyone else, and the usage dropped.

 

I've also seen students offer to go round IT Suites turning them all off each night.

 

If asking students doesn't work, bribe them with reward points. Either nominate a student in each of your Period 5 classes whose job it is to remind you, or tell the whole class that whoever reminds you first (and politely!) at the end of the last lesson will get a point.

[LeMarchand]

Depending on the age of your students... one thing I've found invaluable is using them!

 

The younger ones are very suggestible (not always a good thing I'll admit), but some of them can also be quite tenacious and very ummm.... persistent!

 

Luckily we have just had the 'Big Switch Off' assembly...

 

So a quick.... 'Hey guys you know your teacher is really, really, busy right? So do you think you could remind them to turn the projector and speakers off at the end of the school day? Then we can all help SAVE THE PLANET!'

 

Seems to have worked on one or two of the worst offenders...

 

 

Exxxxcellent.

[SteveB_NI]

Depending on the age of your students... one thing I've found invaluable is using them!

 

The younger ones are very suggestible (not always a good thing I'll admit), but some of them can also be quite tenacious and very ummm.... persistent!

 

Luckily we have just had the 'Big Switch Off' assembly...

 

So a quick.... 'Hey guys you know your teacher is really, really, busy right? So do you think you could remind them to turn the projector and speakers off at the end of the school day? Then we can all help SAVE THE PLANET!'

 

Seems to have worked on one or two of the worst offenders...

 

Fantastic idea! Might use that one when we have a similar assembly... I can sense it happening soon!

[mrbios]

We were given (by a geography teacher) a bunch of Eon multi-plugs that you put the PC in the top, and up to two monitors in the two sockets on the sides, and when the PC turns off, it turns off power to the monitors. Not sure if they're likely to save much money, but could be an option for projectors if you run power to the same socket for example to force them off.....not sure how old they are, don't know where he got them from, but i need to make sure they're individually fused before we use them. All our staff PCs have two monitors, not sure how much we'd save if they were all fully powered off every night.

 

Also using EMCO remote shutdown, really handy tool.

[Steve21]

Not sure if they're likely to save much money

 

You might want to check that out in real numbers as if you're referring to those powerdown ones they use quite a bit of energy in standby mode (0.5w) compared to any newish monitor/TV, looking at an AOC example of 0.2w in standby.

 

They're more for heavy usage items, and of the 3 plugs one is always-on (master e.g. TV, always on, and slave) so only 1 shuts down power (slave) so don't think it's saving with the other socket

 

Steve

[mrbios]

You might want to check that out in real numbers as if you're referring to those powerdown ones they use quite a bit of energy in standby mode (0.5w) compared to any newish monitor/TV, looking at an AOC example of 0.2w in standby.

 

They're more for heavy usage items, and of the 3 plugs one is always-on (master e.g. TV, always on, and slave) so only 1 shuts down power (slave) so don't think it's saving with the other socket

 

Steve

 

I've got an inline usage reader thingymajigger here so i'll test one out soon. We've not actually used any of them yet, he gave us a box of 20 or so, which i assume he got free. Will be funny if they use more power than the devices they'd be intending to turn off

[andy_b]

Technology and equipment

Key user actions and behaviours

 

Switch off electrical equipment when not in use. This could include computers, ICT devices and kitchen equipment, as long as continuous operation is not essential.

 

Where possible, set devices to automatically power down when not in use.

 

Do not enable automatic power-up settings, as this will turn on all computers, regardless of whether they’re needed or not. The most efficient ICT power management strategy is to have automatic power-down and manual power-up.

 

Label kitchen equipment with the warm-up times. Many modern ovens and fryers will warm up in under 10 minutes. You should only turn them on at the start of the day if you’re using them in the first 15 minutes.

 

Set air conditioning (typically used in server rooms, reprographic rooms and ICT classrooms) to be no cooler than necessary for the installed equipment or room temperature. Most server rooms need not run any lower than 21°C.

 

Minimise the demand on resources – for example, printing only when necessary or making sure kilns are full before using them.

Good practice

 

When buying or installing equipment, consider using management tools to centrally change settings across all devices to lower energy use.

 

Develop a sustainable technology strategy and policy for staff and learners.

 

When buying new equipment, factor in energy efficiency as part of your decisions. Consider whether increased costs upfront will be offset by savings over time with more energy efficient equipment.

 

Undertake a technical audit of your ICT assets to identify opportunities to transition to more energy efficient cloud-based services. For more information, read digital and technology standards for schools.

 

Replacing technology

 

Replacing desktop computers with laptops or tablets that use less energy could typically reduce energy consumption from the equipment by up to 80%.

Interventions

 

Migrate to cloud-based alternatives to replace energy intensive computing equipment, such as servers – for example, management information systems (MIS) or file storage. For guidance, read support schools when choosing a MIS.

 

Replace ICT equipment that is at the end of its life with energy efficient alternatives (new or remanufactured). The types of ICT equipment that typically use the most energy are:

 

desktop computers

audiovisual devices such as projectors, digital screens, large video displays, stage lighting and control systems, and interactive whiteboards

network equipment, such as wifi and switching

 

Where appropriate, use cloud-based laptops, tablets or ‘mini’ desktops with wifi capability, as they typically use less energy than standard desktop computers.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-efficiency-guidance-for-the-school-and-fe-college-estate/energy-efficiency-guidance-for-the-school-and-further-education-college-estate

[Andrew_C]

stage lighting and control systems

They were doing so well up to that point... The control system would typically use 20% of one incandescent lantern. One LED lantern (proper one, not disco tat) will cost >5x a traditional lantern.

[andy_b]

I'd argue that the TCO saving on a desktop is likely to be greater than the energy saving of a laptop.