localzuk

We have a HTA app that sets variables via VBScript. Its in a Package in SCCM, which you add to the task sequence. The environmental variables we set are env("OSDComputerName") env("osdjoindomainouname") - this is then %OSDJoinDomainOUName% in the Domain OU box in Apply Network Settings. env("StationGroup") - this is then used in a separate script step via another VBS script to add it to an AD Group, which links to a Device Collection.

This is not a bug - it is by design according to Google. When you have a device set to delete profiles each time, it reserves space for some reason, which uses up the vast majority of the space. If you don't have it delete profiles, the space isn't reserved and it works as you'd expect.

We used to add the devices manually to SCCM - using their MAC address, assign them to a collection with a deployment on it, and then pxe boot the device. Now, we swapped to deploying all our task sequences to the All Unknown Computer devices, with the boot image password protected, and then have a HTA window that pops up during the first step of the image - where you pop in the desired PC name, and specify which OU and collection the device should be in by default. The rest is then automatic.

We're with Ricoh direct, via CCS framework: 0.0029 - Mono, 0.026 - Colour (IMC300, MPC307, MPC4504ex machines) 0.0023 - Mono, 0.023 - Colour (IMC5500 machines) 0.004 - Mono, 0.0195 - Colour (Pro C5200s) 0.0019 - Mono (Pro 8310s) Fixed price regardless of media size. One more year on the contract.

My upstairs neighbour would probably object.

Main things I changed - turning my PC off (used to be on 24/7), switching my Xbox onto its lower power "off" mode, turning my oven/microwave off at the wall when not in use (the clocks use 5W between them, I discovered) and switching my living room bulbs from halogen to LED. I now use between 3 and 5KWh of power a day. I've not cut back on any subscriptions though yet. Netflix is for the chop though with their new price increase.

My "nothing optional is switched on" base load is between 20W and 50W. The only thing on though is my fridge freezer, router, Philips hue hub, a powerline adapter (only 1 side, the other side is switched off unless my PC is on) and my phone charger.

We're swapping our cashless solution here shortly, and I have 400 blank EM4200 RFID cards that we no longer need. All plastic wrapped in 100s, unused. Work in ID card printers just fine (we used them in Evolis Primacy machines). Looking for £50 for the lot, plus shipping.

I've never transferred our licenses to anyone and we've got 1000+ Chromebook management licenses in there. We just give resellers our domain details and they assign them.

This is one of the most bizarre ideas I've come across. Network switches are manufactured to work 24/7/365. They are not a fire risk simply running, so long as you follow good electrical safety practices - PAT testing, fixed circuit testing when required etc... I find it a little bizarre that a site manager has the management power to force the implementation of this, overriding the actual needs of the organisation. Schools do not work on a fixed time. What happens when Ofsted are due to come in, and everyone stays late/comes in early? Nothing is on, and your own hours most likely don't cover you coming in early to fiddle with that stuff. Why has your head allowed this to happen?

There are many VMs you can "pre-purchase" in Azure, and doing so gets large discounts. I think if you choose a 3 year agreement, you get something like 60% off. But you pay it all up front.

Validation only applies for updates, not installs. Make sure you have the up to date installer stored in case you ever need to reinstall to access the software. Your license is a perpetual one, you just aren't entitled to new updates past the end of your contract.

So, ESS really showing their level of competence... We have received photo import licenses randomly, even though we cancelled. On contacting ESS, they are now trying to claim they didn't receive our cancellation, and are in a multi-year contract. Except, the person who replied to that email is the person who acknowledged our cancellation email! Not pleased at all right now.

This is very interesting, and may well change our plans here! Our current system is on its last legs, and we are definitely struggling to find the money to replace it with a modern equivalent without dropping down to something like Unifi.

Don't think so, no. But most schools operated fixed pricing contracts and a lot of those seem to run April -> March. At least they do in Somerset from what I've seen.

@PotNoodleTech - you may want to re-look at your unit pricing. When existing contracts end, the unit price will be going up a lot. We're going from 13p per unit here at the moment, and if it is anything like consumer pricing, we're looking at 44p a unit instead. So, your £3.40 a day ends up nearly £14 a day.

A server cluster running 40 VMs, and an array of 32 SSDs, plus aircon etc... is not like a home PC. The actual servers have dual 1KW PSUs. (This cluster runs a MAT, rather than a single school) Aircon alone uses at least 1KW. Not to mention a £20 power monitor to look at the power usage of a rack plugged in via 16A sockets? Not ideal...

I am doing some planning at the moment, looking at the cost of replacement server infrastructure for next school year. One thing that I am looking at is the TCO - and electricity is making up a huge part of that. Running something at 500W, 24/7/365 will cost around £1900 a year come April when prices go up, and prices will go up again in October apparently too. So, for a cluster of servers, a SAN, then the backup infrastructure - a couple of NAS's and a tape drive plus air conditioning, I've figured out the potential yearly electricity cost for us will be £15000 per year. And that doesn't include buying the servers themselves, or running VMWare etc... For comparison purposes, I have used the Azure pricing calculator to figure out what it would cost to lift and shift it all into Azure, with a 3 year commitment, and it has come out a little bit less than the electricity alone! This is with a VPN Gateway link to us as well, so the Azure servers will be on our network. The services I'm looking at are the kinda things that we can't move to pure SaaS provisions either. So, is anyone else looking at doing this?

One thing to note, even small amounts of electricity being used, 24/7/365 add up. Something using 5W all the time, is just about 44KWh of energy in a year. Doesn't sound much, but with the new pricing coming in looking like it is about 55p per KWh, that's about £24 a year. So, things like your microwave and oven sat there showing a clock are costing you a bit (I've seen numbers from 0.5W to 4.5W for microwave clock energy consumption).

From what I've seen, funding is generally provided to do things like install leased lines. Which still ends up providing a considerable running cost in rural areas (eg. looking at a local rural school, the yearly cost for a 100Mbit leased line is £8500 a year, for a school with a capacity of 60 children. FTTP is not on the radar there, and even Connecting Devon and Somerset seems to have missed them out entirely. The only options there are poor speed FTTC or high latency wireless connectivity.

Migrating an MIS is a complex process, so there's always going to be some teething issues. I think a lot of Bromcom's issue at the moment has been due to the sudden massive influx of new customers overwhelming them with a fixed deadline to deal with.

Honestly, this was the same experience for us. We bugged our success manager instead. But yes, any data after the export date needs entering manually into Bromcom. We did this here by using paper registers for the week. Oh. One area that Bromcom REALLY need to improve is their documentation and webinars. We've found lots of stuff on their docs site which is simply outdated. Click on the XYZ button, and that button simply doesn't exist any more. Meant that our data manager has had to create instructions for things from scratch rather than using the documentation on the site. And their webinars need to be edited and chaptered. 3 hours of um, err, I'll have to check that one, is not ideal for us to give to other staff to look at. Sitting our admin staff in front of a live or recorded webinar for 3 hours is basically impossible too - we don't have the staff to cover them, so we need to be able to give them small segments of information.

Well, yesterday was the first day with it in the hands of staff. It has gone well all in all. A few teething issues with logins (more to do with the Somerset Office 365 tenant being retired and people still logging in with it etc...). But everyone has managed to get in. We're rolling out capabilities gradually. So of course we had teachers trying to create seating plans immediately. I've informed all our third parties we've moved today, and we've got Salamander AD due to be installed at the end of the month.

Talk about FTTP, how does this work in rural areas which do not have FTTP at all? There's no FTTP within 25 miles of here. Some areas are getting the tech installed via the Connecting Devon and Somerset scheme, but those areas that were connected to FTTC via the scheme previously don't appear to be on their radar. It isn't a problem for our existing schools - we've got leased lines in everywhere, but properly rural spots? Out on Exmoor/Quantocks? Tiny schools? They can't afford a full leased line (even though the capability is there due to prior work by our LEA), so are currently stuck on very slow connections...

Well, today's the day... Bromcom is now live for us. SIMS is now a legacy tool in our Trust. Never thought I'd see this day!