smurfomatic

Thanks FN-GM, I'll give it a try and see whether it helps!

It only goes offline if the host PC is rebooted. Can't see this is a network issue as it can vary from hours to weeks between reboots sometimes

The only solution we have found is to republish the printers. Unfortunately this has to be done every time the "host" machine is restarted!

Thanks all for your messages. Auto approval is enabled, so that won't be an issue. We have a ZD 3000 running 9.5 firmware, and the current APs are 7372. Obviously having all APs the same would be easier from an admin point of view, but if there are better models available then we'd look at getting those.

Thanks - that's great news. We have enough licences for another dozen APs and we're only planning to add a couple.

Two years ago we had a new wireless network installed, with Ruckus APs and a Zone Director. This was done by a contractor, I was supposed to supervise this but "opted" for a ruptured appendix instead! Now we are looking to expand the wireless network as we are doing renovations in part of the school. Is it as simple as buying a new Ruckus AP and plugging it into the network, or does it need to be pre-configured?

Coming...by car!

Thanks - do we just put "Edugeek" in the conference name section?

It's Exchange 2003, not sure if I can set up transport rules?

Is there any way of setting an "auto CC" rule on an iPad with Exchange Activesync? Our head uses her iPad to send emails through our Exchange system. When she's using her laptop, there is a rule set up to automatically CC any sent emails to her PA so she can be kept in the loop. However I can't see any way to do this on an iPad as the Exchange rules don't apply!

I support the idea - after all a lot of us of a certain generation learned about computers from the BBC Micro - but the delays and lack of information has really knocked the project in my opinion. Simple questions like these went unanswered for a long time: Who owns them, and if it's the children what do we do when one gets broken / lost? Are they staying with the school for use with next year's Y7 or following the children through the school?

Should have been a support for Raspberry Pi - especially when they announced the "zero" was going to cost so little. We've made no real plans to use ours as we couldn't guarantee their arrival.

Thanks Timbo - I could deploy the tux but I think I'll dress a little less formally just to be on the safe side! @Dos_Box - I can't remember if I had to request a parking pass when I signed up? If I didn't ask before I will need one!

There'll be a few in there from derby games @pastymaster - they will be easy to spot as the Leicester side will be offside all the time

As this is my first EduGeek meet - what's the dress code? Usual half term work wear - tatty jeans and T-shirt ready for crawling into those rarely accessed areas of school? Or something slightly more formal?

Ours finally arrived yesterday! Has anyone found a storage solution? I was hoping we could use old cassette cases, which would be the right size and make a reasonably solid carrying case (as well as connecting the Microbit back to its 80s computing heritage!). However, the battery pack doesn't quite fit inside the tail part. I suppose I could cut out a part of the tail to make the battery pack fit, but then I'd have to do it 60 times...

Thanks@pantscat, I'll look into that. Just need to figure out the licencing situation for 2012 now...as I understand it, Standard licence gives us one host and two VM licences, is that right? So I'd be able to upgrade both Server1 and Server2 to 2012 without paying for more?

We'd have to expand the storage to get it to host both servers, as it's pretty much full now and needs another 1TB+ to accommodate the other one. I will be keeping the machine around any way, I'll look into what it'll cost to get it up to spec.

The "old" server is a Proliant ML350 G5, twin Xeon 2.5GHz, about 9 years old. The spec's probably fine, but the "sister" machine died a slow and painful death three years ago (HD controller went and I spent two weeks trying to resurrect it) and this one is getting to the point where something is likely to go wrong and cause even more grief!

Thanks @pantscat - the plan is that, next summer (was supposed to be this year but plans change...) we will be moving to an external email host - either Office 365 or GAFE - so at least that will reduce the potential problems caused by an outage on the server. It'll just shift it to potential outage on the internet instead! I'll stay as-is and move Server2 as a separate VM, when some generous person donates a few thousand to the IT budget we can get some upgrades...

Unfortunately there's no way the budget will stretch to a separate host - it's enough of a battle to get some additional HDs to expand the storage of the current one! Something to look towards in the future, but (given the premise we're staying with one host) which would be the better option? Two separate VMs duplicating the current situation, or merged into one VM?

The school isn't that big - 150 or so active PCs / laptops, the majority being staff laptops which are logged on with the same account every day, or ICT suites which are in the same situation. Currently there is no redundancy - if Server1 goes down, no email etc. and if Server2 goes down no user profiles. Would you recommend merging the two machines and then having two identical VMs running? Not sure if we can afford to spend the money on enough additional storage to fit the data on twice.

This is our current setup: Server1 (Exchange, Primary DC, Web [but only for minor pages such as OWA], staff network drive and some "older" staff profiles) is a 2003 virtual server hosted on a 2012 machine called Hyperv. Server2 (most staff & all pupil accounts, former host of pupil email accounts but these transferred to Gmail, pupil network drives) is currently a physical 2003 server but this machine is due to be disposed of when we rearrange our classrooms in the summer. My first thought was to create another virtual machine on Hyperv to host Server2. However, thinking again I can see the benefits of consolidating the data onto one virtual server (I cannot see the need to keep them separate as the server configuration was always confusing to me, no duplication of data and there is no software installed on Server2 that needs retaining) but I'm unsure of the best way to do this - other than copy the data over and redirect everything. Is there a simple way to change any references to Server2 to point to Server1? Not only in account settings for profiles, but anything else that may be looking for one machine when it's no longer there. This would mean only one DNS, DHCP and WINS server on the network but consolidating onto one physical machine removes any pretence of redunancy anyway... The final plan would be to upgrade the virtual server(s) remaining from 2003 to 2012 as that has been planned for some time (chaos over previous two of the previous three summers have prevented this!) - hopefully this would be a straightforward process but if the plan above goes well I only need to do it once!

We're looking at a similar situation. We've been trialling an Epson interactive projector in one class, which as @forkies says is a lot cheaper than an IWB or TV solution. For those rooms who don't use it as an interactive option, they still have a "regular" whiteboard as a projection surface and therefore aren't going to ruin an IWB by writing on it.

Glen - all you can do is make your case to the Head and indicate why it's not a good idea. Then remember to copy the Head into any emails from this particular member of staff if the expected problems arise...