dgsmith

I tried this but couldn't find a newer RM version. We wanted to put some Ivy Bridge CPUs in, which are supported on the new Asus BIOS for this board variation, but as noted above, the Asus BIOS isn't compatible with these boards. RM aren't interested in offering an updated version, as any unit on these boards I suspect is out of warranty, and any reason to want to upgrade will likely not fall within a warranty reason.

In case anyone else is interested, I modified Steve's code to the following, to generate random numbers in a loop then assign. Our username format for supply is A1, A2 etc and our password format is now a1-#####, a2-##### etc. For ($i=1; $i -le 5; $i++) { $RanPaswd= Get-Random -Minimum 10000 -Maximum 99999 $SecPaswd = "a$i-$RanPaswd" | ConvertTo-SecureString –AsPlainText –Force $username = -join ('a',$i) New-Variable -Name "spassword$i" -Value $RanPaswd Set-ADAccountPassword -Reset -NewPassword $SecPaswd –Identity $username } $spassword1, $spassword2 etc holds the specific account password numbers in variables which I concatenate in the email body. We just need to think about how we deal now with SIMS..

That's great Steve! Admittedly I had to rework the email code as it wouldn't send without credentials (and there are special parameters for passing those details too!) but I have the same thing working here now, and the cover manager is alot happier The only other change I made to your code was the random generator you referred to (which you may or may not have on your one): $RanPaswd1= Get-Random -Minimum 10000 -Maximum 99999 (in order that it is entirely random, and not one of various static different passwords) and then concatenated it to a string in the SecPaswd line). Also I set a different variable for each of our accounts, but it's definitely been a big help in automating our setup. Annoyed we didn't do something like this a long time ago really.

See my previous post in this thread - spitfire. I spent considerable time asking and looking at every 3cx compatible SIP provider, and they were the best value. I think since then, Gamma have joined the mix of supporting 3cx and are marginally cheaper (by such a negligible difference), though not sure if they offer a free trial like others.

Is this something you could share? Due to classrooms here being used as lunchrooms, we couldn't take that risk. Also if a teacher is off, their room may not get locked..

For a number of years, we had a single supply account with a static password. Obviously we have had to move away from that approach, but our current approach isn't alot better, which involves us having 5 separate accounts, with a password we change each day (to a set format, involving the date). Unfortunately, this means we have to remember to change it, and keep the format the same, as the cover manager wants to get the booklets printed before we arrive onsite. I am thinking about whether there is an easy way to script this, so something could be run from the command line or a utility to change the passwords to something random; I am even thinking whether the cover manager can run this themself, and generate new passwords just for the supply accounts. In an ideal scenario, she would have a program with a "reset all" button, and a list of the new passwords generated against those accounts, but i'd have to look at what AD permissions she'd need, to ensure it's not elevated beyond what's necessary, but this is just a thought. Just wondering what others do about it? Our current setup is not ideal at all, but we can't really think of something else that will easily work without having to be a burden on someone's time each day, and something which allows the cover manager to manage it autonomously is what we really need to be aiming for.

Working on the assumption you're asking in relation to 3cx config (as you note you are trying that), the hunt group as mentioned above covers both instances. For our reception, we have a single extension number assigned as a queue number in 3cx, which rings both reception phones when dialled, and similarly this is queue that rings when the main school number is dialled (i.e. the main school number, post auto attendant, calls the queue which in turn rings the member phones). It's very straightforward. When I first discovered 3cx, I was somewhat apprehensive about proposing it as a production system as I didn't feel too confident, given its low price and "windows" application approach and wasn't sure that it would offer what we needed. I was so wrong.. it offers too much, scales theoretically to any number of extensions for the cost of a SIP handset (yealink here too), and without additional licence costs. Regarding SIP trunks.. some will offer you free SIP trials. We took a trial with 3cx approved spitfire (as they then offered, and still do, the most competitive per-call rates), and we ended up simply taking out a contract with them, as we had the luxury of trying their SIP trunks for free and getting the config right before any committment (just paying for the calls in that time).

Many threads over the years on this subject. When I was looking at the exact same thing 3 years ago, 3cx popped up continually and very favourably. I wrote and phoned a few folk (both on here and who I read were operating 3cx) which provided me with much more confidence to push forward with it. Admittedly, the prices have gone up in the past few years, but for a rock solid, widely compatible system on a familiar Windows environment and a fraction of the cost of any other better known ones (*ahem* Avaya), it's definitely worth trialing with the totally functional free version (albeit without the bells and whistles).

Same as above with us - used them a fair bit in years gone by, but it was the turnover in account managers and poor communication that did it for us. Their refurb/open box section served us very well over the years, but we haven't really ordered with them for some time now. Shame in some ways, but as noted above it's an overcrowded market.

Indeed - we still run CS4 from '08 as we weren't lucky enough to secure upgrade funding for CS5/6 prior to the change from Adobe. We have this year gone with Serif instead, which whilst not the first choice as an overall package, is perhaps more suited for certain tasks due to their slightly easier interface. The new Adobe licencing model is frankly ridiculously expensive and we have no intention of going anywhere near it. CS4 is buggy now, and no doubt will be moroso when we go to Win10 and beyond, so we are just keeping it on life support as long as possible, whilst transitioning gradually to Serif.

Pretty much what I am thinking too - a marked-up hikvision price may still be cheaper than other larger known brands, yet financially, I worked on the basis of buying the kit ourself, so it would be the difference between it being viable or not. Cost of acceptable IP camera is over £200, plus cabling, additional poe switches and time. Cost of HD-TVI camera.. alot less than £200, using existing cabling (if still ok quality), no new switches and less time. Difference between "would like" and "can get".

Thanks for this. Hopefully if we can get others to work along the lines we're thinking then we can make some headway!

That goes without saying It may even be we look to run a functional system for a period before making any decision, although as we'd be looking to do a phased upgrade, we'd likely operate existing cameras over a transitional period. Yes, however we often find markups for the same equipment that we can usually acquire ourself (there is no practical difference between us buying the kit at X, and having it provided by installer at X +5%). Also as we'd likely just be getting a box and 1 or 2 new cameras additionally, there is little room for negotiation on equipment price from an installer. We do have an IP system as well, entirely separate, so know what the image quality is like with IP megapixel cameras. Unfortunately, we simply haven't the budget for a full-scale re-cabling job, let alone replacing all the cameras on the analogue system too!

We have been for the last few months pondering our upgrade options on an old analogue BNC CCTV system. The cost to upgrade entirely to IP (despite having IP cameras on a separate, internal system) was deemed beyond any realistic budget. I noticed recently there is now HD over analogue, and hikvision seemed to be the best option, but acquiring their kit now may be a struggle since their decision to sell to trade only! We were looking at trade installers anyway for ongoing support and perhaps installation (but not the initial purchase), however we may now need to consider the purchasing too. We understandably need to get prices/quotes from various companies rather than just a single one, and I just wondered if there are any recommendations for suppliers/installers/ongoing support, particularly for a project involving analogue HD upgrade? I can't see any credible alternative to hikvision that is readily available, well supported and cost effective though!

We were told this too and ended up buying the suite.. Serif said they'd still offer a degree of support going forward, which is more than Adobe offered..

If you have an existing analogue/coax system, look at the hikvision range of HD-TVI cameras. Whilst we have an IP based system internally, our external cctv system uses coax and you can get up to megapixel cams now while utilising existing cabling. New installs entirely from scratch is still best going IP, but analogue can now compete in terms of image quality, and for less than you might think.

No history of violence at all, but it seems we have been given recommendations about how to improve security and this is one of those things. It's never been identified as being an issue before, particularly in a school! We don't decide these things though.. we just get asked to get costs for it. It's probably a little overkill, in all honesty.

We have been advised that we need to look at getting a mini intercom system for visitors communicating with office staff, as opening the window is deemed insecure. Having looked at what is available, I am seeing the cheaper (like this) end of the scale up to the more expensive (like this) variants which seem similar to those in banks and post offices. Can anyone suggest/recommend a system they have fitted and whether you have gone with a cheaper variant or only opted for a more expensive one for sturdiness? I know if I proposed those two as examples, it'd probably be the cheaper one that gets the nod, though i'd have reservations about the longevity, especially as it'd be used by the public.

It seems likely, despite the concerns, that we may end up going for Serif Design Suite. Serif have taken into account our reservations with their quote for our requirements and endeavor to continue offering support, though this is understanding that they're not likely to make any programmable changes if future OS versions break the software. Our current arrangement of using Adobe CS4 is not sustainable anyway and Adobe long washed their hands of that. I guess if we are happy the Serif suite works fine in Windows 10, then we're covered for the foreseeable (as I can't envisage us moving beyond Win10 for some time.. we still need to adopt it first)!

I am skeptical of that quoted price on the refurb for today's market. We often get emails from various refurb suppliers who notably undercut that. The likes of 1st Technologies do a HP Pro 6300, i5-3470, 4GB and 500GB HDD for sub £100 each. True, you don't really get a warranty to speak of, but on that price you could easily buy spares and still be in a better state financially. Other refurb suppliers we have used work around that spec in the up to £130 price mark. An SSD upgrade to 120GB would still be far lower than £200. Simply, we buy what offers best value for money. Last year, that worked out with us getting 34 HP ProDesk 400 (brand new), with 3yrs NBD, i3-6100, 8GB ram and 120GB SSD for £235 each. Then we got cashback of £83.33+VAT each machine, meaning a total outlay of less than £162+VAT. The arrangement meant we sent HP our old core 2 machines. Extraordinary value. Sometimes, you can get better deals when there are deals to be had brand new, but the days of paying silly money (£300+) for mid-range desktops I think are gone.

Our staff liked the simplicity of the Serif packages, in particular WebPlus which essentially works like publisher, but many other alternate packages are either geared more towards professional usage or with a learning curve; even MS Expression isn't developed anymore but is probably more comparable to dreamweaver. Personally I think having a more industry standard interface isn't necessarily a bad thing, but many students taking the courses that'll use the software won't have any inclination to want to understand the nitty-gritty so would probably appreciate an intuitive interface. Are we worth just taking the plunge and getting some of these titles, despite the current situation of them being out-of-development?

Sorry to bump a (slightly) old thread, but it is relevant to our consideration presently. We are in the process of considering purchasing Serif software, particularly the "plus" titles and as noted previously, the webplus and movieplus in particular have no affinity alternative. There is much more market choice as far as graphic/photo editing is concerned so that side of things isn't a major concern. We presently use Adobe CS4 Design Premium which has a 9yr-old Dreamweaver and no video editing capability (we just have Windows MM and nothing else) and the teacher doing iMedia from next year has been suggested that the Serif "plus" line has much easier interfaces that the students would better engage with (when asking other schools). We're in a position where we are thinking about buying this software from scratch, knowing that it is already discontinued, but I can't deny a little apprehension about this. I am just really trying to determine whether anyone else has been in this position and made the plunge to buy under these circumstances, or if anyone has found alternate software that is similar to the aforementioned Serif packages without the crazy annual licensing programs many seem to be adopting these days. Indeed, if in our position, would you go for it or not?

At present we get both from 3CX, but the query related specifically to support, given the maintenance will always be with 3cx (even if via a reseller), but the support could be entirely 3rd party. I was more intrigued at those who have a 3cx system and like ourselves presently have the support direct with 3cx.. what they have done when faced with this huge price increase, or indeed anyone who has this to come and if they have found a company offering a quality level of support for a much more competitive rate.

Our 3CX support is due for renewal and we find that there seems to have been a significant cost increase when looking at 3CX direct pricing (it appears well over double, according to their list pricing). On our 16SC system, the price is now around £440 when last year we paid less than £200. The maintenance also seems to have gone the same way. Does anyone else have their support with 3CX and faced with the same concerns, or perhaps previously did and found a company offering a support contract in the similar price bracket to the old cost structure? We originally had tri-lan for our first year support then moved to 3CX last year as the difference in price meant it was hard to justify internally, yet we now have a fresh dilemma! To go from <£200 to nearly £450 is quite staggering!

Yes, thanks. The issue wasn't consistent though and only appeared once during the remote session, thus i'll instead take logs on future occurences for further analysis. On a better note though, I can advise our staff not to select machine to lock, but rather to lock all (no selection) and select machines to unlock, which means the console will assume its last state on a reconnected machine (something, bizarrely, it won't do if selected then locked!)