VIGLEN Classlink

[Nij.UK]

Was just wondering, is there any school out there that use Viglen Classlink.

 

What do you think about classlink, and how has the support for classlink been for you.

[Geoff]

Sucks. About to bin it.

[Guest richard]

Have no problems with it all. Been using it for over 4 years

[Nij.UK]

Geoff, does that mean u use it at the mo? if you are getting rid of it, what are u moving towards?

 

Are you going to use the likes of RM or build custom netowrk

[Alex]

There's nothing in Classlink a decent IT proffesional cant recreate themselves with very little effort.

[Geoff]

Geoff, does that mean u use it at the mo? if you are getting rid of it, what are u moving towards?

 

ClassLink XP. Basically it's a Windows 2000 server with gubbins. I hate it. I don't know how half of it's setup. I have to dig through multiple level's of GPOs and VBS voodoo to figure out simple little things.

 

It'll get flattened with a shiny new copy of W2k3 server on it in the Summer if I get chance.

[Nij.UK]

yea i have the same problem as you do, we are on the same setup as u are, and have to trawl through loads of junk before i can do nething....

 

I would like to move over, but budgets is stopping me from doing that at the moment!

[GrumbleDook]

yea i have the same problem as you do, we are on the same setup as u are, and have to trawl through loads of junk before i can do nething....

 

I would like to move over, but budgets is stopping me from doing that at the moment!

 

The only major cost would be for a single new server and some large external drives for data / files whilst you move things around.

 

Set up your new server as a brand new domain (use LNM if you feel like it), set up RIS, your group policies and test it all to make sure you are happy (ok ... you may need to acquire t spare worskations to do the testing with) and then you move staff laptops onto it the last week of the summer term, followed by the school machines during the summer.

 

The more you can prepare before hand will be easier.

 

It takes time to do any migration and the areas to be careful of are making sure that you have something in place to replace things you are getting in Classlink. If you want control of machines then you can use VNC, AB Tutor Control all the way to NetSupport. For imaging you have RIS. Print control, pick up PCounter or Print Control Manager.

 

Password changing ... get the web-based changer that has been on a recent thread to allow students to reset their own.

 

VLE ... you have a choice where you can spend money or not as you see fit (M$ Learning Gateway or Moodle seem to bit the present trends ... remembering that most commercial products from Capita / RM / etc are sharepoint based and will make use of Learning Gateway)

 

If you have exchange integrated into your existing Classlink system it does become more difficult (impossible?) as classlink does not sit on to of your AD schema but has infiltrated it with extensions (Viglen rep said to me around 90 extensions ... but may be more)

 

The important thing is time and effort ... for a number of schools it is actually better to stick with a managed system like Classlink / CC3 / etc ... the benefits outway the restrictions and cock-ups ... for other places the freedom of being able to have things exactly as you want and tailored to be more efficient for you is the best thing.

 

I would recommend you go and have a look around a few local (or not so local) schools to see what they run and how long it took to migrate if they have left a commercail management package.

[Geoff]

I'd backup the data and flatten the Server. I can do a W2k3 server in about 6 hours now.

 

Client PCs will be a little more problematic. I have Ghost Enterprise at my disposal though. It's just time consuming getting all the educational software on.

 

Fortuantly the school in question is tiny. Only has 5 staff, 40 pupils and 15 PCs.

 

A job for the summer anyway.

[s-j-f]

This is my first post here so would just like to say hello to everyone

 

The experience of Dos_Box mirrors ours pretty much exactly. Ditching Classlink (the whole experience was a nightmare) was the best thing we ever did closely followed by dumping roaming profiles! Our current situation is 2003 server, AD, GPO and XP SP2 on the workstations and I personally would never go back to Classlink or a similar product!

Edited March 15, 2012 by Dos_Box

[sakwoya]

Hi

 

I'm having troubles with a Classlink XP network (it's a small network but it's still a pain).

 

It seems as though Classlink overwrites and manual changes made to Group Policy? there's certainly something strange going on with it and I'm just not sure where to point the finger at?

 

Anybody else experience this?

 

Graeme

[Nij.UK]

what changes are u trying to make to the GP??

[psydii]

I've often found that it is not so much the changes being overwritten, but Classlink borking a Domain Controller. It seems the load on the DCs caused by the CLXP desktop/WebUI combined with the spooler/print quota sending the RPC service into a loop, which has the effect of killing AD services on the DC hosting the CLXP UI. No AD services, no replication of changes, and only the working DC can respond to queries, usually not the one you made the changes to the GPO on.

 

By standard only the first DC is a global catalogue, and if you change it, you break the Outlook profile wizard and their UI.

 

Classlink Support's response: Reboot the server.

 

So basically we're moving from it this summer.

[jsharrison]

Hello.

 

First of all, First post so be gentle with me!

 

A bit of a strange situation. I've just taken over as techie for a school in the North West and i can't for the life of me find the documentation. The other guy doesn't know where it is, and my assisant is in greece.

 

I have to do some updates so we can have a network before wednesday, and i haven't got the Viglen FTP Passwords to get the classlink things. I'm still dialed in, and they're the last things to go on.

 

Viglen are as ever useful (not) with their Customer Service, and because i don't have the documents "Cannot issue you with the relevant information you requested due to administrative and security implications & procedures that are currently in place."

 

Useful? I think not.

 

So if any of you know them, please please PM or E-mail me before tommorow morning.

 

Thanks,

 

Jack.

[SimpleSi]

First of all, First post so be gentle with me!

Hello and I'm sorry but ...

I've just taken over as techie for a school in the North West and i can't for the life of me find the documentation.

 

Documentation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Your first time in a school then :?:

 

regards

Simon

[GrumbleDook]

Hi Jack ...

 

Welcome and don't worry about being treated gently ... erm ... that came out wrong.

 

Pop over to here and introdce yourself.

 

As for Viglen ... they are not the only company to do this, but there are ways you can get around it. Get them to send details via fax to the number they have on records, or send them a fax on the school letter-headed paper to release the information to you (signed by the bursar / business manager works best ... along with the threat that this is a removal of service and you won't pay up in future ..._

 

As Simon has expressed already ... documentation? You expected some when you took over?

 

Seriously though, you are not the first and won't be the last to have issues with lack of documentation. There are a number of problems with it ...

 

When do we get time to do it? When do we get time to update it? Is any of it actually needed? Can we get by without it?

 

Personally ... I don't do all the documentation that I should, but do more than was done before ...

 

If nothing else get put on your PM stuff that you want to ensure that services and resources are properly documented.

[jsharrison]

It's not so much documentation in general, its just this one page with the passwords & service codes on it.

 

And yes.. DOCUMENTATION!!! At my last school, i ran a tight ship - and it seemed to work - The school i'm at now is a good school, it really is - just the technical support is lousy.

 

Just give you a quick example of this - All the staff at my new school have Fijitsu Siemens Amillo laptops - which is kind of unfortunate but then again, i wasn't there. So anyway, it was my second day in the job (which was a Saturday) and i went in to get some stuff sorted. And on this ISS on our 2K3 Server (named "Bernard") was a ticket service - with 420 tickets undealt with from about 2 weeks ago. And the best thing is, they're all basic problems, you could do them using image cast & the server diagnostoc thing.

 

So i had the great idea of duplicating my last school, which is actually making it good. To do this, i want to put on the classlink service packs etc... and viglen won't give me them.

 

And if thats not the straw that broke the camel's back, i don't know what is.

[PrimaryTech]

Hi there!

I am also having pains with Classlink XP and I'm looking to do away with it this summer. I have 3 questions however;

 

1. Can Classlink be removed without doing a complete format and installation of the Server OS?

 

2. Is there anyway to replicate the bottom right hand corner of the classlink desktop (getting the username dislayed) using Active Desktop?

 

3. In the mean time, can I change the classlink background to anything other than a block of colour?

 

Kind Regards,

 

Dan

[starscream]

I'm binning classlink this summer also. Replacing it with a vanilla network with Ranger on top.