Request for Donated Switches from "Connect the Classroom" Scheme

[VHenley90]

Hello everyone,

I hope this message finds you well. Our school is currently undergoing some essential upgrades to improve our IT infrastructure. We've managed to scrape together a budget to replace 120 classroom computers and upgrade our cabling and Wi-Fi, as we’ve been struggling with outdated equipment that hinders our students' learning experience.

Unfortunately, our budget doesn’t extend to cover the cost of new switches, and we mistakenly believed the quotes we received included everything needed. As a result, purchasing new switches would mean reducing the number of new PCs we can order to potentially only 60 or 90, which isn’t ideal.

We’re currently using old RM One machines throughout the school, which are simply not suitable for our students' needs. To make the most out of the funding we have, we’re asking for help from this wonderful community.

I understand the "Connect the Classroom" scheme has replaced tech in many schools and removed old equipment. Does anybody have any 1GB 24 or 48 port switches from this scheme that they could donate to our school? We would be immensely grateful for any assistance. We’re happy to collect the equipment, pay for shipping, or even arrange to meet at a convenient location (the pub is always a good choice!).

Any help would be amazing and greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your generosity and support.

Best regards, Vince.

[dhicks]

We’re currently using old RM One machines throughout the school

 

Do they have replaceable motherboards? You might, possibly, be able to replace the motherboards and re-use the existing screens, if that's any help.

 

Does anybody have any 1GB 24 or 48 port switches

 

We are likely to have nine HP edge switches and two core switches available at/by the end of the summer, after we have replaced them with new switches. We are replacing them with new switches as they are going to be too old to have their firmware updated - not ideal, but might be okay for your situation.

[CrootUK]

How many do you need? where abouts in UK are you?

[Aprice]

Might be able to help, we have a switch replacement scheduled at a site over the summer.

[speakercon]

Try eBay, you can pick procurve stuff up for next to nothing and it will probably carry on working for years... HP ProCurve 2810 48G J9022A 48 Port Gigabit Ethernet Rackmount Switch J9022A | eBay

[PotNoodleTech]

The problem with this is - the more you "keep on making do and mending" the less money you'll ever stand a chance of ever getting as they know you'll cobble together some third hand stuff.

 

Sometimes SLT need some tough loving - a bit of downtime, which you will eventually get using archaic donated kit often sooths the purse strings.

[speakercon]

Sometimes SLT need some tough loving - a bit of downtime, which you will eventually get using archaic donated kit often sooths the purse strings.

 

This is quite correct.

[VHenley90]

Thank you for all of the replies,

 

I have managed to source 5 from somebody generous here and will be collecting on Wednesday. The old machines have already had new motherboards, they are at least 10+ years old so NEED to be replaced so I am pushing this.

 

We are based in Tamworth,

[k-strider]

Have you seen this https://www.gov.uk/guidance/meeting-digital-and-technology-standards-in-schools-and-colleges

it makes it quite clear what is expected when replacing IT infrastruture & copmuters in schools it may be worth making SLT or Govs aware off. it will give you something to point to when trying to replace aging kit.

 

we are in gloucester and about to replace a load of Netgear kit with Ruckus ICX switches over probably 3 years but hopefully starting this summer and may mean i have some 1/2 decent switches as in would be 24/48 POE gig, some with SFP+ uplinks but all of which will be out of support with no active firmware updates..... if i remember once they have been decomissioned i will post back incase you are still in need of some more.

[VHenley90]

I have managed to source 5 so far, we are in need for another 5. - We are over in Tamworth

[VHenley90]

As much as i agree with this, i have to say that the school have not had a budget for IT in several years and i have managed to get over £120,000 out of them so i cannot complain and cannot push too far.

[VHenley90]

This is perfect, thank you!

[k-strider]

ok I will update this thread once I have kit going spare it won’t be before the summer July / Aug... Tamworth is 1/2 way home for me i now live in Gloucester but from Farnsfield Nottinghamshire originally

[KK20]

The problem with this is - the more you "keep on making do and mending" the less money you'll ever stand a chance of ever getting as they know you'll cobble together some third hand stuff.

 

Sometimes SLT need some tough loving - a bit of downtime, which you will eventually get using archaic donated kit often sooths the purse strings.

 

LTSC 2019 works fine on optiplex 760 core 2 duo. Ask me how I know... I can also tell you that according to intune these arent doing too bad with logon and boot up times. IT is a tool, if the tool is still doing its job and you are short on budget then crack on. Older netgear and HP procurve are fairly bulletproof, second hand models tend to have noisy fans though.

Edited June 18, 2024 by KK20

[Primus]

LTSC 2019 works fine on optiplex 760 core 2 duo. Ask me how I know... I can also tell you that according to intune these arent doing too bad with logon and boot up times.

 

It's time to let them go (truth be told it's a long way past time to let them go - Core2Duo?!)

[KK20]

yep. Performance is on par with everything else. Its a running joke in our department that it runs just as fast as the W11 machines, it runs word and chrome all day and prints labels for food products. It will be replaced in minutes once it dies but as an experiment it is quite hilarious to see it keep going.

 

 

It is a tool, it does its job connected to a zebra printer, it has all the up to date patching in LTSC2019 and it logs in quickly. It reboots after patch day and hibernates most of the day. The machine is older than many of the students.

Edited June 18, 2024 by KK20

[k-strider]

It's time to let them go (truth be told it's a long way past time to let them go - Core2Duo?!)

 

Agree - we are eradicating our i5 6th and 7th gen NUCs now trying to before then end of win 10 support.... in Feb we decommissioned our last lot of 5th Gen intel NUCs just as we were starting to get comments on them being slow...

[FN-GM]

LTSC 2019 works fine on optiplex 760 core 2 duo. Ask me how I know... I can also tell you that according to intune these arent doing too bad with logon and boot up times. IT is a tool, if the tool is still doing its job and you are short on budget then crack on. Older netgear and HP procurve are fairly bulletproof, second hand models tend to have noisy fans though.

 

What about the hardware security updates such the BIOS?

[Koldov]

Funny actually, we are in the early stages of MAT 'assimilation' and had a visit from their 'Head of IT Services'...

 

I duly took them on the tour of our IT infrastructure (which admittedly took all of 5 minutes), our ancient IT suite computers and our equally old network switches.

 

They mentioned that they were in the process of ripping out old network stacks in the schools that have joined and replacing them (with in my opinion, inferior kit) and then the killer question... Windows 11...

 

I'm split really... On the one hand I agree with @KK20 the kit is fairly solid and does exactly what we need it to, why do we have to spend many, many £1000s just to enable the change to something we don't need...?

 

On the other hand I get that as @FN-GM says, there are security issues with the old firmware and it's all out of warranty, so no updates, hard to get parts/replacements etc. I guess that seals the deal really as that should be a priority...

 

I also know it should have had an IT hardware rolling replacement budget costing/ringfence, but apparently we don't get to do that currently. There isn't enough in the IT budget to even replace one suite of computers and we don't get to hold it over to next year. Maybe we could have replaced a few at a time, but even if we had done that the first ones would have been out of date by the time we purchased the last ones.

 

Lets hope the MAT bring some money with them, as there isn't a single piece of kit here that doesn't need replacing!

[PotNoodleTech]

Just my friendly 2p as someone who's been doing this a very long time.

 

You guys are missing a bit off a trick here as Cybersecurity best practices implemented over the last 2 years gives you an actual physical solid reason to push for new hardware and software, a reason we have literally never had the luxury of before, even better, endorsed by DFE and Welsh Gov etc where they have basically said for the first time ever, devices and software have to be modern, updatable and fit for purpose.

 

Don't squander the opportunity sticking to the old ways of beg borrowing stealing make do and mending.

 

2 facts here are.

 

1. BIOS updates anything non updatable or that doesn't get regular updates (regular as in once a year or more) be it a old optiplex 3020 or an old chromebook has to be replaced.

 

2. Windows 11 - it's non negotiable really - come December 2025 if you have not upgraded you are out of scope for cybersecurity and you could argue if push comes to shove safeguarding (in terms of being hacked and losing valuable personal data of safeguarded pupils).

 

We've never been able to argue these arguments as good as this before - previously we had no ammo other than "it's slow and we could do with newer".

 

Think about this - and then make some plans for what needs upgrading. It doesn't even need to be new we are buying refurb/used chromebooks and PCs to help get rid out our last remaining out of scope devices.

[Koldov]

Well, I get that's it's friendly and well meaning so I hope my reply is received the same.

 

Facts

2. Windows 11 - it's non negotiable really - come December 2025 .

 

This is quite simply not a fact. This is what concerns me about these top down decisions made by who have quite simply lost touch with the 'troops on the ground'.

 

All they seem to see is the headline 'Windows 10 EOL' not sure if they actually believe the hype or have gone to the 'Dark Side' and succumbed to the *shiny shiny* syndrome. I'm also cynical enough to see that once they've spent the equivalent of 2 or 3 times my wage on replacing and updating everything, moving to the cloud and got central management portals for everything, my presence as an onsite tech will become unnecessary...

 

Either way, if they push new network switches and Windows 11 as a Trust requirement, every piece of hardware will need to be replaced and all current software, ways of working, licensing, policies etc. will need completely changing.

 

Hope they send a team to help as well as the money!

[DGardiner]

Well, I get that's it's friendly and well meaning so I hope my reply is received the same.

 

 

 

This is quite simply not a fact. This is what concerns me about these top down decisions made by who have quite simply lost touch with the 'troops on the ground'.

 

All they seem to see is the headline 'Windows 10 EOL' not sure if they actually believe the hype or have gone to the 'Dark Side' and succumbed to the *shiny shiny* syndrome. I'm also cynical enough to see that once they've spent the equivalent of 2 or 3 times my wage on replacing and updating everything, moving to the cloud and got central management portals for everything, my presence as an onsite tech will become unnecessary...

 

Either way, if they push new network switches and Windows 11 as a Trust requirement, every piece of hardware will need to be replaced and all current software, ways of working, licensing, policies etc. will need completely changing.

 

Hope they send a team to help as well as the money!

 

If there had been a rolling programme the cost is spread and becomes afordable - the problem is its always left and leaf and left until youre at the point where the entire thing needs replaced.

 

the win10 thing really is non negotiable, the dfe are setting standards now for what we should have, and id have at a bet it wont be too long before its a requirement, there was talk of cyber essentials becoming a requirement not long ago - its best to start getting in line now where you can to save the work later.

 

Ive started taking old hardware off people and recycling it once its past our usefull life because if i keep it for spares or parts the handmedown chain just continues. the windows 11 requirements realistically arent THAT terrible the minimum spec cpu is 7-8 years old at this point. thats fairly eol

[Koldov]

the win10 thing really is non negotiable

 

How so?

[Primus]

How so?

 

It goes EoL and receives its last update in October 2025.

 

LTSC is not meant to be used for general purpose machines.

[PotNoodleTech]

Well, I get that's it's friendly and well meaning so I hope my reply is received the same.

 

 

 

This is quite simply not a fact. This is what concerns me about these top down decisions made by who have quite simply lost touch with the 'troops on the ground'.

 

All they seem to see is the headline 'Windows 10 EOL' not sure if they actually believe the hype or have gone to the 'Dark Side' and succumbed to the *shiny shiny* syndrome. I'm also cynical enough to see that once they've spent the equivalent of 2 or 3 times my wage on replacing and updating everything, moving to the cloud and got central management portals for everything, my presence as an onsite tech will become unnecessary...

 

Either way, if they push new network switches and Windows 11 as a Trust requirement, every piece of hardware will need to be replaced and all current software, ways of working, licensing, policies etc. will need completely changing.

 

Hope they send a team to help as well as the money!

 

All received well. I kinda don't agree with anything you say mind - hope you take that well too

 

Frankly if your establishment has to replace it's entire IT estate this year all in one fell swoop as it's literally all out of date, that is a systemic failure of your senior leadership team in the same way it would be their lack of leadership/planning/budgeting if the roofs were falling in and doors falling on pupils and heating not working and lights out?

 

IT is the 4th utility and education establishments that fail to realise this will get (are, have already been) left behind.

 

Sorry. But that's how I see it. Believe me I've been there, I've had £5k a year budget to run the entire school during the dark times in the past. It's taken a long time but now we've never spent more on IT, and the lights are still on heating still on, spending an extra 50k a year every year for the last 5 years hasn't destroyed the school contrary to what they said back in the old days, except now we're writing the case studies for the inspectors not following them.

 

Sorry.

Edited June 19, 2024 by PotNoodleTech