edutech4schools Posted February 15, 2011 Posted February 15, 2011 (edited) Are Microsoft pulling my leg. - I Setup 4 schools with domain company. - create live@edu account. - add live@edu domain info to dns of my domains. - Only 1 out of the 4 schools verifies with live@edu, so I wait. - Still no joy so I create a support request headed 'confirm domain ownership fails' and give details listing info live@edu have asked me to put into DNS CNAME at Domain. I also atteched screen shots. -Reply from support goes, can you email error and info. - I send the same info - Reply from support goes, are their any errors - I send the same info -Reply from support goes, you have not added any users. can you add any users. - I reply asking them to read my emails and saying until I can confirm domain ownership I cant create users. -Reply from support goes, can you create MX records. -I reply saying I don't want to create MX records just yet which is why I am setting this up as CNAME. -Reply from support goes can you send a screen shot of the problem. -I refer him to my first email that had screen shots. -Reply from support goes, I am passing this to another support officer. -sometime later Reply from support goes, what is the error you have. ahhhhhhh I attach all emails and send them. I get more pointless emails. Tonight I get, your CNAME record ends with a full stop please remove. I am writing back to explain all CNAME records end with a full stop. I have one working right now with a full stop, setup at the same time with the same settings and its fine, In fact my Domain host automatically adds a full stop if I forget to add it. HELP ME this is driving me round the bend. Edited February 15, 2011 by edutech4schools
plexer Posted February 15, 2011 Posted February 15, 2011 Yes live@edu support sucks the last time I had an issue after a few emails they ignored me completely. Ben
6Foot2 Posted February 15, 2011 Posted February 15, 2011 Oh dear. I don't like the sound of this. I am pretty sure that we will transfer to live@edu [my choice would have been Google] Wish me luck. I hope you get your issues resolved soon.
featured_spectre Posted February 15, 2011 Posted February 15, 2011 we don't like the support either, find it crap and the DNS, MX records and CNAME has been verified our end, and even had our web-host confirm it, but MS say its not done...GRRRR
glennda Posted February 15, 2011 Posted February 15, 2011 TBH I'm glad we host in house and this hasn't even been mentioned. I would rather keep all my users info in house tbh.
john Posted February 15, 2011 Posted February 15, 2011 Oh dear That doesn't sound good, I had heard good things about it as our entire LA are about to start transferring to it and they have had good support so far hope this is just a momentary blip
daedalus Posted February 15, 2011 Posted February 15, 2011 I have to say in Coventry I have setup four schools myself and other technicians around the City have setup about 7-8 between them. I don't know whether it is because we have an very efficient ISP, but once registered with Micro$oft the CNAME and MX records were created within an hour or so and the who lot (in all cases) was up and running within the day. However, I have to say that even the simplest question to the support department about setting up a demo account for the LA to use for training rattled around for 3-4 weeks with absolutely zip being sorted by the end of it all. I just gave up, I would rather spend time poking pins in my eyes! Mind you, who has a good news story about phoning an ISP for support and getting it sorted within 5 minutes!!
gshaw Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 Mind you, who has a good news story about phoning an ISP for support and getting it sorted within 5 minutes!! Actually the ones who host our domain names are pretty good when I ask for DNS updates Is this email support or phone? Isn't there meant to be a UK phone support line for Live@Edu these days? I had a similar experience when trying to troubleshoot login issues with the Moodle plugin, only got some useful answers once I got escalated to someone more senior in the USA.
edutech4schools Posted February 16, 2011 Author Posted February 16, 2011 I was testing Google apps and found it amazing. I used the support once for a very technical issue and it was jumped on by Google and sorted that day. Next I get round to testing Live@edu and its just been a complete and utter waste of my time. I'll post back when they finally get round to mailing me back.
edutech4schools Posted February 16, 2011 Author Posted February 16, 2011 John is that the Android avatar?
CyberNerd Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 I was testing Google apps and found it amazing. I used the support once for a very technical issue and it was jumped on by Google and sorted that day. Next I get round to testing Live@edu and its just been a complete and utter waste of my time. I'll post back when they finally get round to mailing me back. plus theres just so many services that google offer that @edu don't. Also given that MS announced that they'll charge school for some of office365 features, I really don't understand why so many schools automatically decide on @edu without looking at google - which is a much more mature product..
maark Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 support was ok for edu via email for me got it working with test domain - gonna test google next to see how it compares. integration with its learning appeals to me with live@edu.
gshaw Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 plus theres just so many services that google offer that @edu don't. Also given that MS announced that they'll charge school for some of office365 features, I really don't understand why so many schools automatically decide on @edu without looking at google - which is a much more mature product.. In our case it was literally that the Office Web Apps and OWA are more suited to what our students are being taught in ECDL etc (Offce etc) but Google is much better in terms of integration with other platforms. Microsoft looked like they were getting somewhere with the Live@Edu Moodle plugin but they've since pretty much abandoned it and as such I'm considering Google for next year although whether it will fit with our ICT classes I'm not sure. On the other hand Google sites has been great for basic web design courses so it's swings and roundabouts...
6Foot2 Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 On this topic I have been asked how much work is involved with transferring to Live@edu and GoogleMail. I am finding it difficult to quantify this for the non-technical SLT Staff. What would you say [assuming that both went smoothly!!!] Would there be a difference between the two? Thanks.
CyberNerd Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 MSOffice integrates with Google - theres a plugin for it. Theres no reason why you couldn't continue using MSOffice and migrate to a google platform.
RabbieBurns Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 the first line of support at live@edu sucks donkey balls, and even they aknowldege that, and are working on it. Once you have logged the support call and got the ticket number, simply say you wish to be escalated to the support guys in the USA These guys (and girls) are amazing, clued up, and go out of their way to help (One of them called me from home at midnight their time just to ensure they could contact us during office hours, and was on the phone for 2 hours helping me (complex ILM issue)) So yeh, dont waste time with the indian first line support, ask for an escalation immediately. Also, the button on the page about checking the CNAME, whatever you do, DONT PRESS IT MORE THAN ONCE If you keep pressing it, it keeps setting the system back to the beginning (it checks like once every 8* hours or something and pressing it resets that timer) * off the top of my head, not sure what the exact number is.
Earthling Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 I really don't understand why so many schools automatically decide on @edu without looking at google - which is a much more mature product.. Our Schools IT Support Service said that they didn't have the time or resources to evaluate Google and Live@, so they evaluated Live@ and decided to go with that. That's a relief.........wasn't anything to do with them being Microsoft Partners, then. As far as I'm concerned, I'm with Glennda on this one, I like to keep everything in house. Just too many questions about security and confidentiality for my liking. As well as the fact that what we do now works ok, so why fix it?
maark Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 one reason to go over is 10GB mailbox - and 15GB storage - looking at moving exchange from 2003 to 2010 but a mail server and backup for 1500 students to match that would be very pricey.
edutech4schools Posted February 16, 2011 Author Posted February 16, 2011 On this topic I have been asked how much work is involved with transferring to Live@edu and GoogleMail. I am finding it difficult to quantify this for the non-technical SLT Staff. Just setup a test domain with an ISP that supports DNS, CNAME, MX editing, should be about £8 per year, Sign up with Google and @edu and play. From a primary school perspective I actually prefer the new Google docs to MS office as it has a simpler clean feel. I needed to create a valentines card for the wife, I new exactly what I wanted so fired up publisher. After 1hr I gave up it just didn't do what I wanted so I turned to my Google docs account. It was done in 15 mins.
edutech4schools Posted February 16, 2011 Author Posted February 16, 2011 one reason to go over is 10GB mailbox - and 15GB storage - looking at moving exchange from 2003 to 2010 but a mail server and backup for 1500 students to match that would be very pricey. If you have EDIT exchange EDIT mail server then I would use live@edu for that. Google Docs is basically unlimited if you tick the box to convert to docs format or 7gb for standard files. You can always save back out as MS format.
zag Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 My live@edu support request was dealt with pretty quickly and efficiently but it was clearly based in Germany. They even sent me a satisfaction survey to fill in but I can't read German
gshaw Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 Yup it works from that point of view but because we teach beginners IT courses I'm not sure if the differing interfaces would cause problems for people. As it stands the Web App and desktop Office being pretty much identical in look (if not in features) is a big bonus for us. If the Moodle Live@Edu login process was a bit slicker it'd be ideal but can't see it getting better any time soon.
nadeem Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 I've always found the Live@edu support to be quite good (I couldn't even get Google to answer my sales queries let alone my support ones!)
gshaw Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 Btw for anyone testing out Live@Edu use my quick guide, use the same domain for Google Apps as well and evaluate away http://www.redbridge-iae.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=141 1
Alan Posted February 16, 2011 Posted February 16, 2011 Our Schools IT Support Service said that they didn't have the time or resources to evaluate Google and Live@, so they evaluated Live@ and decided to go with that. That's a relief.........wasn't anything to do with them being Microsoft Partners, then. When I wrote that specific paragraph I knew someone would misrepresent it like that, hesitated, but decided to write it anyway for everyone else. SITSS are not a Microsoft Partner and don't decide anything for schools unless their Head wants us to as part of a traded support contract. If what I wrote genuinely isn't clear then do feel free to ask here, or PM me, or if you're going to tomorrow's tech/netman briefing then ask me there.
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