hallb15

We have a very similar setup to @TechMonkey but we use Buffalo NAS devices, one in the server room, one in another building. We use Altaro backup software to backup the VMs to the nearest NAS device, then take an offsite copy to the NAS device in the other building. From what you describe it sounds like you want a host server running Hyper-V with all your current servers running as VMs, then a second 'failover' server ready to take over in case of a hardware failure on the first server.

Definitely go for it with the RAM, the more the better! I agree with @localzuk in that you must specify how much RAM and other resources the admin (SIMS) server gets - ours is 16GB RAM, 4 vCPUs, 100GB OS VHD and 500GB data VHD. The other VMs (DC, File server, Apps server) are all dynamic and take resources as required. It seems to work well for us. Our host server hardware is an HP ML350 G8 with two Xeon E5-2620v2 CPUs, 64GB RAM, two 15K SAS drives for the OS, and 4x 10K SAS drives for data. Talk to some suppliers and see what they recommend, based on your requirements. We got ours from VeryPC. Ed is the boss when it comes to speccing servers!

Is there an echo in here?

Fine here too...

We've been moving over to virtual for 12 months. I wanted to do it a bit at a time to iron out any issues but realistically, nothing has come up that meant we couldn't have done it a lot quicker. Haven't had any problems with SIMS on a VM - that was the first one we moved over to a VM and its been great. We're using Hyper-V. We don't have a separate backup server. We run Altaro Hyper-V backup on the host server which backs up to two NAS devices. So far its proved very reliable.

I'm also looking, although we also want a Helpdesk for site issues. I already use Spiceworks for IT related stuff and SLT want something similar for the site team. I've not managed to find a free product that's suitable. We've had a demo from Every which is a brilliant product and has lots of other features but may be a bit over the top for what we need and a bit over budget.

Surfprotect calls it an 'Allowed List'.

We don't have a VLE and it didn't stop us getting a Good Ofsted result in November. We have a Portal page (run off spiceworks) with links to the online software we subscribe to (PurpleMash, Education City etc) but that's all.

We have two LG TVs that were installed by The Life Channel many years ago for our digital signage - the TVs are still going strong, although the PCs are running Xibo now. Have you tried @VeryPC_Colin_M or Misco? Don't know if they are Lancashire approved?

Type the serial number of your buffalo NAS into this page and it will tell you if you are entitled to the free NovaStor software: Congratulations on your purchase of a Buffalo Drive with Free NovaBACKUP Software

If you want a cheap but reliable software package to provide email alerting, try this out. https://www.backupassist.com/backupassist/features/reportsandalerts.html It costs nothing for a trial and they offer educational discount if you decide to go ahead. Alternatively, do you have or know anyone who has a Buffalo NAS box - they come with a free copy of NovaStor backup software. I may have a spare license if you want it as we aren't using it with our NAS boxes - already got Altaro installed and working well so didn't need NovaStor.

Nope. The portal is set as the default homepage by a group policy so all staff and children get it. If a staff member wants to post a support request, they have to type in their email address but that's all. I did experiment with AD integration years ago but stopped using it for some reason which I can't now remember. It may have improved since the early days. The email shortcut tags are part of 'Tickets Anywhere' and are very useful if, like me you read emails on a mobile device when not in school and rather than then forget about them you can forward the request to the helpdesk email address and let it deal with it for you or your minion(s) to handle. There's a list of them all here: http://community.spiceworks.com/help/Tickets_Anywhere

We use Spiceworks Portal for our homepage as well as the helpdesk. We have three tabs across the top for the Homepage, HelpDesk and Knowledge Base. Its simple and easy enough for staff to use and it allows me to keep track of issues. We ask staff to post requests via the homepage but any that come through directly to my email address I forward to the ICTHelpdesk@ email address and CC the original sender using the #cc tag. I also create a new ticket when I get a support call from a staff member so I can make notes in the ticket instead of writing it on a post it note or similar that then gets lost... I've customised the portal quite a bit to make it more user friendly. Its easy enough to do, but a bit of a pain whenever there is an update to Spiceworks as all the custom images have to be copied to the new installation folder.

Welcome @Simonprice89 How is your first day going? I agree with what's been said above. Don't try and fix everything at once - schools are strange places where the simplest of tasks can take days, and the most complex tasks you can fix in 10 minutes! (sometimes)

All working here again as well now.

Same here. OneDrive currently = NoDrive though

This is the first time we've had an outage of noteable length since we started using it in April 2014. Normally, its very reliable and I'd have no problems recommending it to others.

Welcome @Hrossey I bet its cold up there at the moment...

I've just done an ebuyer order today - they're usually reasonable, although not as cheap as Amazon. CPC are good too. Its also worth giving @VeryPC a go - they don't just do PCs you know! Also, CBC Computers are good for spare parts like laptop keyboards.

Two pairs of socks arrived in my pigeon hole today. OK, one pair is for my apprentice - if I let him have them These are the brightest socks I own by far! Many thanks @VeryPC

There are two 2.5Gb SFP ports on each switch so you can daisy chain them, but yes if one switch fails, then any above it in the stack will also fail. You can stack up to 6 switches, using the netgear direct SFP cable AGC761. There's more info on this FAQ, GS7xxTS-TPS FAQ's | Answer | NETGEAR Support

Hi to all the recent newbies @lisabrooke Have you tried any of the 'Dummies' books - Don't be put off by the name, they're great for beginners and even for more seasoned professionals who need a reminder now and then: Computers & Software - For Dummies I'd also look at the CompTIA A+ certification. Even if you don't do the exam, the course content is pretty good and covers lots of what you'll need working IT support. https://certification.comptia.org/certifications/a Of course, for any specific issues you need help with you'll always find something on edugeek, or the spiceworks community.

Sorry - there shouldn't be a space between the 5 and the ~

I can confirm that running the command below works on a 32-bit Windows 7 PC with intel Core i3 CPU. dism /image:X:\ /remove-package /packagename:Package_for_KB3097877~31bf3856ad364e35~x86~~6.1.1.1 /scratchdir:X:\temp Where X is your OS drive (mine was D) Note the ~x86~ above for 32-bit Windows systems. I had to get to the command prompt by pressing F8 at boot to get System Recovery Options then Advanced Boot Options, Repair your computer, Command Prompt.

I've just had another PC with this issue appear. This time its a fujitsu E400, Win 7 Pro 64-bit. I've just brought it back to my office to try and sort it out as I couldn't access it via AB Tutor or remote into it... I'll post back when I've got more info.