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We started off our CCTV as a bit of monitoring for damage in IT rooms and we used bundled software with d link cameras. We were always happy with the cameras and the software so stuck with it. The system grew and we hit the 32 camera software limit so put a second server in. Then we hit 64 cameras and thought a third server was a bit silly and looked at doing it properly, so we used Milestone after trying out 2 or 3 different platforms. Milestone is great and has lots of features. tl;dr - if its a fixed size project with the same brand cameras, then bundled software will be fine. if it's got potential to grow or you have different cameras, use milestone. tl;dr2 - My single top tip is to avoid moving cameras unless you have someone to operate them full-time.

I've seen mixed messages about fully virtual systems. Could you for instance buy a well spec'd server with as much fast storage, ram and CPU power as you could afford, run a hyper-v host and have every virtual including DCs, AD, DNS, DHCP etc on separate servers? I have been looking at a spec along the lines of 2x Xeon 2620 V3's(6c 12t), 3 x 1.2tb 10K SAS in RAID 5, 32GB DDR4 RAM. @ict-direct - what warranty do you offer on refurb kit?

Hi All, I was hoping to gather some thoughts about what you guys would do if you were starting fresh with your server, AD, network admin software etc, based on the good and bad things that you've come up against over the years. I was hoping we could have a bit of fun without it turning into a CC4 v Vanilla or Virtual v Physical bunfight, so please feel free to say what YOU would do rather than what everyone else SHOULD do. The Scenario: You are running a small network of around 100 PCs, Single Site, Layer 3 1Gbit Core Switch, 5 x 24 port Gbit layer 2 Managed switches. You have £5k to spend on a new server. What would your hardware and management software spec be? Regards,

I didn't know you could do that. How do you do it?

If that's not an exaggeration and you do only watch catchup tv then you could stop paying the licence fee.

Hi All, Looking at disaster recovery options and the unlikely (but possible) scenario of having to restore to new hardware from a full bare metal backup using Server Backup in Windows Server 2008 R2. *What problems is this likely to cause if it is the sole DC for the network? *Is this a reasonable approach to take? *If not, how should it be done? Thanks,

LOL. Unless that decimal point shifts a couple spaces I can't imagine them having many educational customers left!

I always just proxy activate. It does the job. Are there any downsides to this?

I know of a school that's used them for around 4 years without too much trouble. They used to have one huge Ricoh machine with all the bells and whistles that scuppered everything when (not if) it broke. Now they have 2 main Xerox work centre machines and 4 smaller ones around the site.

I've only had bad experiences with mobile printers full stop. Don't know if it's the constantly changing environment, vibration from being moved or what but they were a constant problem until we got rid and just used fixed printers.

Would it be worth getting a replacement to try it on? NEW IPAD 3 A1416 WIFI REPLACEMENT BATTERY COVER CASE HOUSING BACK 16GB UK SELLER | eBay How many iPads do you have? IMO it would look brilliant and actually be a good deterrent because those stickers or etching liquids are either removable or ugly.

You can hot swap the batteries on this too. As said above I don't think there's much need to replace the entire unit unless you're having other problems with it.

I'd like to see a 6065 in action because I'm wondering whether it's going to be too high resolution for the size in a classroom.

Hi All, The prices on these seem to be pretty good at the moment and I'm particularly interested in the 6065 which is a 4k UHD display. I have got a couple of C Touch interactive panels up but wondered if any of you had experience with either of the SMART products? Thanks,

Hi All, I wanted to know how you all "do" asset management. What I do at the moment is have a database with names, serial numbers, purchase dates, locations etc. I enter new hardware onto the database manually as it comes in, I mark it as disposed when I dispose of it and sometimes query it to see what the oldest kit is or how many of each thing we have. What else do you do and how do you do it? I feel like I ought to be using stickers and barcodes (or even QR codes!) but don't really know why or how. Any thoughts? Thanks,

I have no idea how the rep system works. Maybe I have nothing useful to say!? I'm not aware of having annoyed too many people.

if you use iPads and apple configurator you can lock them to a single app, so whether that is iBooks for library iPads or Safari for the scenario you mentioned. That's easily configurable and will completely lock the device down until you reconnect it to apple configurator.

Even if you set the configuration profiles to not be removable without a passcode, if the user erases the enrolment profile (which can't be locked to stay on the device without DEP) then it will take the config profiles with it and you'll just be left with the supervision profile.

Meraki (and the other MDMs) can only do a silent install using the 'managed distribution' method where you link your VPP account to your MDM account using the token based method rather than with VPP redemption codes. You will need to have the option in the settings enabled to 'auto download new purchases' otherwise it will just make it appear as a purchased item in the app store that the user has to manually select to install.

Or is the OP using a Windows PC?

I saw this thread and rushed in thinking you had a special way to get DEP. It turns out that you have but relocating to the US seems extreme... I can't help with DEP because the UK doesn't have it yet. It will hopefully be great when it does, but we just need to wait for now. Have you used the Apple ID for Students programme yet? How much are you able to pre setup for the students with that? We want to be able to hand over the iPads with all the accounts setup and just give them the user details and not have to get them to set anything up. Does the Student Apple ID programme do that? Sorry for thread hijack!

Are you restoring a backup? I found with this error that by preparing and supervising the device first and then restoring the backup it would work fine. Cheers,

Hi All, I would like a means of testing new cable runs so that they can be certified and/or compared. I would ideally like to be able to measure noise, length of cable, crosstalk and (not essential) max throughput. But i want to be able to do this independently of any switches so that it's just a test of the physical cable. Any tools, testers or useful software tips would be much appreciated. Thanks,

Hi All, I'm having difficulty with managing school-owned teacher iPads. At the moment, we supervise the device with apple configurator, install the Meraki app, enrol it onto the meraki MDM and then hand over the device to the teacher. The idea of this used to be so that if a teacher left under a cloud or had a lobotomy or something then there was an easy way for us to get it, reset it and set it up for the next person. Now because of activation lock, I can't wipe the device, even if I have the passcode because I need to know the users apple ID and password. I can remotely wipe it, but then it won't allow me to activate the iPad or go through the setup because it is locked to the previous apple ID. How do I get round this? Thanks,

That's an interesting comment. I had wondered about it, but to be honest, at this point my preffered provider would be ruckus who haven't released a .ac access point yet. Am I naive in thinking I would be better off with a top notch n standard system than a potentially poorer .ac system. I had anticipated that .ac would be a lot more common in 5 years time and I would have thought a refresh on the wireless would be due.