Wireless Classrooms

[kasonne]

Hello,

 

We currently have two class rooms with 30 laptops in each and enough WAPs to provide coverage to a small country! (NO LIE) we have come accross a brilliant solution of getting enough signal for all 30 laptops now. But we are getting slow load times on profiles this is pretty much throughout the school and not a wireless issue but would tie up a few lose ends in that department if you get me. Were using RM (cringe) and I want to know if theres a way to speed up loading times for user profiles. Appreciate anything anyone has to other on this or the wireless class situation.

 

Thanks alot

 

Kasonne

[plexer]

Presume they are roaming profiles?

 

Try mandatory ones for students?

 

Ben

[kasonne]

Yes they are roaming profiles.

 

What difference would making student profiles mandatory make.

 

Matthew

[plexer]

The profiles are much smaller becuase they only contain the files when they are first set up. A roaming file grows as favourites and settings etc... are saved.

 

Ben

[Guest]

Take alook at this thread - could be some help

 

http://www.edugeek.net/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=3758

[bossman]

Is it just a profile problem or could it be a network or server problem? How have you defined that it is the user profile's that are the problem? You say RM network , is it Win2k or 2k3?

have you checked for throughput on the wireless part, have you actually solved the wireless part or added to the problem? 30 laptops is a lot of wireless bandwidth even with more WAP's than you realy need? What solution have you implemented?

What are your log on times for new profile? could it be file user authentication on the servers across the network?

I only ak these questions to attain what the real problem could be. I have found with RM is that there are many little quirks to their system but you can fine tune these and use it to your advantage.

 

Sorry if this feels like an interrogation it's not meant to be, this is the way i would look at the problem.

[budgester]

As far as I am aware, RM systems do not allow you to use mandatory profiles. Which is a bit pants IMHO.

[webman]

There's nothing wrong with their roaming profiles implementation.

[kasonne]

Is it just a profile problem or could it be a network or server problem? How have you defined that it is the user profile's that are the problem? You say RM network , is it Win2k or 2k3?

have you checked for throughput on the wireless part, have you actually solved the wireless part or added to the problem? 30 laptops is a lot of wireless bandwidth even with more WAP's than you realy need? What solution have you implemented?

What are your log on times for new profile? could it be file user authentication on the servers across the network?

I only ak these questions to attain what the real problem could be. I have found with RM is that there are many little quirks to their system but you can fine tune these and use it to your advantage.

 

Sorry if this feels like an interrogation it's not meant to be, this is the way i would look at the problem.

 

We using two Win2k3 servers, in the classrooms with the laptops we have three access points configured with MAC filtering so that theres 10 MACS per AP. The speed of the profiles loading is just a pain sometime even when there cached itll take ages to reload! It varies so much for now apparent reason. We have all the student accounts on the one server.

 

Hope that answers all the questions!

[kasonne]

How can i get the profiles cleaned up any ideas!

[Ric_]

If webman is correct and the RM roaming profiles implementation is sound, it may be a case of a particular app doing something odd to your profiles. You could try re-directing the app data folder using a GPO if mandatory profiles aren't possible (although I believe that this can cause problems in itself).

 

To test whether it is something to do with profiles, check if a brand new user has the same problem. Also check data throughput while the APs are in use (remember that a 54Mbps AP shared 10 ways is 5.4Mbps per client - half that in one direction!).

[kasonne]

A brand new user can log on quite quickly! What would this indicate?

[Ric_]

@kasonne: A brand new user has no profile... thus it must be profile-related. Try logging on a second time with that user and see if something from the default profile has screwed up matters. If it is still quick, it may be an app which hasn't been run yet. Trial and error is the only way forward I am afraid.

[webman]

Use the RM Management Console to reset profile of user, do health check on user, then delete the user's profile folder from the Documents and Settings folder on the workstation(s).

 

I don't know where abouts it is, but Bossman knows of a "pre-authentication".. thing.. (8)) that has helped us speed up logons.