Network Infrastructure Help

[CHR1S]

Our current network is this -

 

1 Physical Network on one school site shared by 2 schools

2 V-lans one for each individual school

4 Domains - 1x admin/curr per school

 

 

Taking into account that these are 2 completly seperate schools that share a site, what are my options for making this network better, easier to manage and cheaper to run.

 

It must include the scope for expansion in either school, the possibility of mixed classes in 1 building in close proximity.

 

I would love a single domain setup over both schools but would need a huge list of pro's before I even mention it to the heads.

 

Anything you can provide would be very helpful

 

Thanks

[cookie_monster]

Licensing might be an issue for the one domain option unless they share a budget. How is licencing currently handled?

 

EDIT changed part of the post there after re reading your post I see they already share the physical LAN.

Edited February 12, 2010 by cookie_monster

[CHR1S]

All seperate, just imagine that its two completly seperate schools that just happen to share the physical network.

[cookie_monster]

Well I would look into a way to licence it as one site if possible and then have both schools sharing a server farm and all clients on one domain. That should cut down on server hardware and admin time straight away.

 

If the schools can collaborate closely on subjects and software then the rooms could be interchangeable. Also 'Site licences' for software would apply to both schools.

 

 

It’s an odd setup can you explain a bit more, are they both state secondary schools?

[Butuz]

Yeh sounds like a very unusual set up! A bit more insight into the workings of both schools may help us!

 

I agree that you should be trying to consolidate between both schools. One server room, one network, one support team.

 

Butuz

[CHR1S]

Its an Infant & Nursery on the same site as the Juniors, not on secondary level but were a large 3 form site.