IrritableTech

I'm not actually with RM - but there is a download for 'windows networks' on this page... Changes to Google SSL and RM Safetynet Plus | RM Education - What we do

Is anyone in the UK able to confirm if this change has now been made? Our nosslsearch.google.com hack seems to have stopped working this morning. The RM info suggested that it wasn't going to happen until January - although I'm not sure where they got that info from.

The home halo is still set to launch in January. I've been contacted by them and still hope to be involved in the Beta trials. This idea appeals to me, but does anyone know of a nice a simple GUI for squid that would help me and my wife manage the thing quickly rather than get caught up in config files?

I've just had a play with my iPad to open and edit a few documents. The site it used for me were... m.google.com - this could have been my email actually. ssl.gstatic.com googleapis.com clients3.google.com docs.google.com csi.gstatic.com accounts.google.com googledrive.com fonts.gstatic.com Google hasn't yet forced safe search - so I'm guessing your provider has removed the no ssl search DNS hack early...

For students performing in a school play there is a reasonable expectation that the student will be performing in front of the public - surely? This (oldish) document from the ICO explains this a little, but doesn't discuss placing pictures online. https://www.npted.org/section/1419/Policies%20and%20Procedures/data_protection_myths_and_realities.pdf If your school is uncomfortable with the images, I wouldn't quote any legislation to start with. Ask respectfully that they remove the images and point them to the school website where official images reside.

I really appreciate all the options put forward in the thread. It's given me some options I've not seen before - thank you. My issue with running Untangled or Sophos UTM is running hardware. Both require boxes with dual nics and a reasonable amount of power. I don't really want the electricity bill or heat. The Home Halo is a small device running on a 5 volt power brick, using about the same power as a mobile phone charger. The other advantage I can see is the integration into a mobile app, ensuring both me and my wife can manage it quickly. Thankfully the home halo is launching in the new year, despite not hitting it's kickstarter goal. So I'll be able to feedback in the new year on how well the product works in a real environment.

If you can get a cable up to your attic and shove a decent AP on it connected directly to your router, I'd do that. I use home plugs for one bit of networking in my house, they add latency. With a decent fibre connection like yours you're going to lose out on some bandwidth if you push yours heavily. Wireless repeaters add even more latency. I'd like to try and get a cable up to my attic to do the same, but a three story house, and nervousness up ladders has prevented me from going that far, so far!

The chrome://settings/ one is ok, but remember you'll probably need things like chrome://print/

I know Dave - have you not read my blog? :-) Thanks for the update. It'd be nice if Google would give a date at least.

I read the mailing from RM - someone forwarded it to me. However I haven't found any evidence to suggest google have changed anything as yet - although RM might have made changes in readiness?

Yeah the cheap ones tend to be reverse engineered chips. Some work well, others don't - some work, then stop. Glad to say my cheapy ones from the pound shop are still happily charging my iPhone 5s and iPad Mini.

A couple of months ago poundland were doing 1m braided lightning cables in various colours. I bought three or four. All holding up to our daily use. There were hundreds of ebay sellers shifting them for £3 a pop too.

You might need to narrow down your area... profile only states UK.

Have you got access to your DNS? This method suggests you can find out the admin account details by adding dns records... https://support.google.com/a/answer/33561 Try visiting https://support.google.com/a/contact/admin_no_access?hl=en

With your new application, have you got access to the admin panel yet? If so, you could give them a ring for advice?

Ive used wisesofts password app. Fairly basic for teachers - you just need to delegate control to the right OUs. A free program, you just need to register to download. http://www.wisesoft.co.uk/products/passwordcontrol/

If passwords are displayed in clear text either through a encryption reversal or any other means, they are still vulnerable. How can you be sure only you can log into the application? If you have a list of their passwords, and one of those users does something illegal for example. The first question the police will ask is who else had access to that password? If you haven't got access, you can't be implicated. If you have, well... I don't like the term digital natives particularly, but pupils generally deal well with passwords I've found in my experience. They've probably remembered their parents smartphone pin before entering reception, as well as their mushi monsters login details. I can't see any reason to have their password, just the ability to change their password.

We don't save users passwords, just create an initial one and force the user to change. I'd suggest it could put you in a vulnerable place for all kinds of reasons holding a database of current clear text passwords.

According to how I've read this document... https://support.google.com/a/answer/2920764?hl=en Google doesn't ever see your AD password. It is the SHA1 hash of the password which is forwarded to the google servers. Therefore google won't know the complexity of your password, as long as they don't throw a data centre at trying to work it out!

A correctly licensed and configured smoothwall should do what you want (not just smoothwall either). Perhaps this all adds weight to your plan over moving supplier and getting the service you require. Being able to chose and run your own kit would also help you with the web meeting which won't run over your primary connection due to proxies and policies out of your control.

The question was around a failover connection where the filtering was hosted by the service provider of the main connection. Main connection filtered, backup connection not filtered. Those running local filtering wouldn't have this issue.

Thanks for the response @nick3young. This thread begs another question none of us have touched on... if the primary connection is not robust enough for day to day running of a school it's not fit for purpose. Rather than look at failover or a backup, surely another more robust provider is required?

The unprofessional point wasn't really aimed at you, but I can see why my post suggested that - sorry about that. A forum is exactly that, an open discussion with the opportunity for all to make a point. There is a technical answer to the question, then there's the moral, legal, regulatory aspect. Covering all avenues makes our discussion more forum more professional and ultimately more beneficial to the original poster, and those that find this post later down the line.

This is a professional forum - I'd argue it would be unprofessional of us to not highlight the potential pitfalls the original poster may, or may not, have already identified and risk assessed. Ofsted have outlined in their inspection framework that all inspections should include an inspection on eSafety. I am aware that all HMI's have been trained in the eSafety requirement. Many will do no more than ask the pupils about feeling safe and have they seen anything on the web they didn't like. However there is equally a committed bunch of inspectors who will ask to see the eSafety coordinator, IT coordinator and possibly the network manager. Given all the relevant information, I'd expect the original poster to make the right decision for their school, and their users, taking all the information into account and informing the head and governing body, so they can make the final call.

The auto failover solutions aren't a good idea in my opinion. Ofsted still want to see a managed internet connection, even if there has been a hardware fault. The micotik router option looks a bit safer, but remember your filter is also in place to safeguard your staff from making mistakes which could cost them their job. Have you checked with your main service provider that they allow a failover to another provider? Our previous LEA provider outlawed this.