OMG. I have been given the go ahead to install a completely new system, now what!

[reggiep]

I have been given the go ahead to completely replace all of our ageing CC3 servers.

Now what with I don't know!

I'd like to go vanilla or maybe ranger as I have used it before mostly good results.

I'm just not sure I am confident enough to go the complete vanilla windows 2003 route. Perhaps someone could reassure me just how easy it really is?

 

Iv'e been using CC3 for 6 months now and it really has sucked out all the active directory knowledge from my head.

[Hightower]

I can tell you it isn't an easy process to move to Vanilla. It's very lengthy and takes up all of your time.

 

I would start preparing now - start making images for your clients, get the new hardware in and set it up on its own network how you want it. When you are ready you should just be able to move the new servers on to the current network and reimage all the machines.

 

I found my hard-drive so have the scripts at home that we used to create accounts and such.

[Domino]

Go vanilla!

 

honestly, its by far the best route - not only from a extendability viewpoint but personally

 

IR, if you wanted to move into industry, cc3/ranger knowledge isn't gonna halep, but vanilla networking is.

 

If its security you're worried about microsoft have some 'scenarios' (read as: preconfigured adm's with good practice security settings) which can give you a great launching point Understanding and Using the Scenarios

[djdohboy]

we've just moved from classlink to vanilla 2003 and all I can say is thank god!! Short term niggles getting it set up how you want it but it's so much better in the long run hope this helps.

 

Ps I had aconpany help me do the convertion as well as a forest migration, if you want to know who they were feel free to pm me, they were brilliant!!

[powdarrmonkey]

Vaaannniiiillllaaa!!1!

 

But save it for the holidays, and do some kind of primer course first.

[TechMonkey]

Well ranger is RM anyway. If I was going completely new and having the time and resources allowed me I'd go vanilla. Lots and lots of planning. Then some more. Remember the 5 P's.

[webman]

I would go for CC4 with a SAN for back-end storage.

[sparkeh]

As I believe I have said before, the decision to swap should not be based on your personal development but whats best for the school.

 

I run both a CC3 network and a vanilla. There are good things about both and I wouldn't swap either over.

CC3 is not the devil it is painted as.

[Hightower]

I would go for CC4 with a SAN for back-end storage.

 

You would say that webman!

[webman]

You would say that webman!

 

Yes, yes I would. Because what the whole package offers our school and additionally, us as an IT Support department, is fantastic.

[jsnetman]

Took me the full six weeks summer holiday to ditch RM and go vanilla but this was due to blaster virus infection at the time (2003). Probable time frame is 4 weeks to get a good machine and user policy going and machines imaged. The main advantage here was cost, vanilla being much cheaper but I suppose more complex to manage. But the skills learnt are inavluable.

[powdarrmonkey]

I run both a CC3 network and a vanilla. There are good things about both and I wouldn't swap either over.

CC3 is not the devil it is painted as.

 

Well, no, that's fair enough. Objectively, I like the freedom of a vanilla network, because I know exactly what is set up and how. I think the trade-off of not having the automation vs knowing what's going on under the hood is a worthy one.

[Butuz]

I guess you firstly need to decide if this upgrade is:

 

1) to serve your own personal ambitions and career aims, or

2) to provide your School, it's Teachers, and most importantly its Pupils with a robust, secure, well supported network.

 

There are numerous ways to go

1) Stick with CC3

2) Move to CC4

3) Move to Vanilla

4) Move to another system (ranger, etc)

 

All of the above are feasible. Which ever way you go though make sure you spend the money in a way that uses the latest technology to reduce total cost of ownership to the school, increase performance, increase reliability (e.g Virtualisation, SAN, Thin Clients, etc), and remains flexible and supportable by someone other than you... (incase you get run over by a bus).

 

One question I will ask - apart from your career aims, why do you want to move from CC3? Is it slow? Unreliable? Insecure? Too secure? Too expensive?

[Hightower]

The thing you have to think about is local to your school. It's ok people saying go Vanilla or stay CC3 or go CC4.

 

You need to think what is right for your school, as every school is different. Do you have the team in place to go Vanilla as it is more time consuming to manage. Just simple things like that - but do what's right for you.

[timbo343]

We are on a 2003 network here. No RM or ranger stuff and all i can say is its a doddle. Everything works as it should (touch wood).

[FN-GM]

Might be worth going to see a school with CC4 then having a look at a school with vanilla.

[spc-rocket]

Yes, yes I would. Because what the whole package offers our school and additionally, us as an IT Support department, is fantastic.

 

If it actually works! CC4 that is. Give the number of problems with it its not a system to implement at the moment. Give it a year and it should be

stableisssh.

 

Ash.

[flexyjerkov]

We upgraded our network last year and used to rely on the likes of ranger etc...

 

We are now managing everything through Active Directory without the use of any third party software and all I can say is... If you get the chance then do it.

 

Can be confusing at first if you've never done it but it does make sense.

[webman]

If it actually works! CC4 that is. Give the number of problems with it its not a system to implement at the moment. Give it a year and it should be

stableisssh.

 

Ash.

 

Exactly. That's why we haven't rushed ahead this summer with what is essentially still a beta product. We're setting up a parallel network to our existing one, configuring it, and once it's ready we'll just migrate user & app data and hey presto...

[reggiep]

Thanks for all the opinions so far.

 

I have controlled a vanilla network before but I have never had to set one up from scratch so I guess I do need to do a lot of research into security using gpo's etc.