Anyone out there do this ?

[e_g_r]

Run either Sims.net or Lesson Monitor on win98 workstations?

 

Need to put some old PC's in classes so that staff can do lesson monitor (even though they all have laptops but it ruins the start of their lesson if they have to flick lesson monitor on over their nice power point .........grrrrrrrrr) and all i've got is some celeron less than a gig processor with 128mb RAM and win98 os. Don't realy want to but a new OS for them.

[Geoff]

Those would run W2k respectably.

[ChrisH]

Those would run W2k respectably.

 

Idd 60 of my machines were of that spec until recently all running Windows 2000..... But like you say you dont want to be paying out for licences which will probably cost you about £30 for an upgrade.

[NetworkGeezer]

I think for Microsoft allow customers on School Agreement to run older operating systems, so long as you have a legally obtained media. "Downgrading", I think they call it.

[tarquel]

I think for Microsoft allow customers on School Agreement to run older operating systems, so long as you have a legally obtained media. "Downgrading", I think they call it.

 

They do [AFAIK] but only the OS preceding the current version of the OS available [i believe].

 

i.e.

 

Windows Professional = Current ver: XP --- Previous ver: 2000

Server = Current ver: 2003 --- Previous ver: 2000

 

Think thats how it goes, but i could be wrong.

 

Nath.

[sahmeepee]

Or get the fancy-dan addons for SIMS (are they out yet?) to let you do that stuff via a web browser. That'd probably end up more expensive than your client OS licenses though and certainly more expensive than a LART for your teaching staff.

[Ric_]

I believe there are people looking into doing this with thinclients (using Thinstation - http://www.thinstation.org ). You would need a terminal server but for the number of machines you could get away with a meaty P4.

[MkII]

We are about to do the same thing - put deskops in every room for Lesson Monitor.

 

Doing it on thin client would save us a bundle, seems such a waste of a machine. It'd be so much cheaper/ lower TCO with thin clietnt terminals.

 

Hadn't heard that sahmeepee - that's exactly what we need! - link?

[GrumbleDook]

All our staff have laptops already but we are putting in a *staff* terminal server so we don't have to worry about SIMS installs on individual laptops, as well as having decent access to the behaviour tracking system we use.

 

Failing that, I have to go and have another look at Lesson Monitor or PARS.

[Michael]

I was under the impression Sims.net would only work on 2000 or above? From memory the .NET Framework can be installed under '98, but Sims.net itself requires Windows 2000 or above.

[ChrisH]

I was under the impression Sims.net would only work on 2000 or above? From memory the .NET Framework can be installed under '98, but Sims.net itself requires Windows 2000 or above.

 

Very true

[e_g_r]

Thanks guys, the LART option seems best to me.

 

Its the usual teacher thing. 20% have no problem with LM, the rest find any and every excuse under the sun to use it. It dosn't help that when you do a sims update it then wants to update LM.

 

Think my next approach will be the cost of update + security issue's (ie leaveing machine logged on etc..)

[bossman]

Why not use lesson register its quicker and doesn't require a local db on workstation. the only reason to use LM is so that laptops can be used offline to take the register then connect to the network and upload the data from LM when it syncs with the sql database on the server. I have found that LM runs ok on workstations when you schedule a windows task on the server using vbscript to delete the LM mdb on the local machines it helps LM run faster as it syncs with the sql server and picks up a new local db which has all the up to date data. Even though we do this i still feel that we need to move forward using lesson register as it is much much quicker. By the way you can use both if you have laptops that need to register offline. Hope this helps you.

[TechMonkey]

Is Lesson Register a seperate program or something that comes with Lesson Monitor? Only ask as we too are going to every lesson registration from Sept and if we find that Lesson Register is free, there all ready or an alternative LEA didn't give us then we won't be happy!

 

I'm grumpy all ready as I liked PARS.net but it was decided it woudl be too much for the teachers and some cost implications so if I then find out we missed a better option GRRRRR!

[webman]

Lesson Register is part of SIMS .net but is a much easier interface if you don't need to do "offline" registration.

[bossman]

LM is a seperate application But LR is part of the Sims.net interface the end user is greeted with. We find if you keep on top of things that Sims.net does what you want it to do and is getting better all the time.

 

Have a look at this word attachment:

logon_screen.doc

[Finch7]

It might be of interest to note that Sims isn't supported over terminal services. So any problems you encounter are your own.

 

Further Lesson monitor is problematic using it via a terminal services session. Theres a lock file created for the database by the first person to use LM, any one on after that will come into difficulties.

 

I don't recommend you use terminal services to get round your problem.