Michael

Port 1 = Media Converter Port 24 = to your local switch You're correct in saying yes, traffic can be monitored on Port 24.

You also can deploy the latest MSI over the existing without any issues.

Probably way too many VLANs then by the sounds of things. Why a different subnet per room?

Also (out of curiosity) are you people enabling these policies afterwards or before the device(s) were commissioned to the domain?

Just a thought, is there a Windows Spotlight service or words to that effect? Haven't got a 1607 workstation to hand. If there is, you could easily disable it via GPO.

This article addresses all, so it should be relatively easy to control. I can't get my head around why Microsoft thinks any Enterprise would want this switched on by default!?

Try making it the default (temporarily), then switch back to UK English afterwards.

Drivers can make a huge difference - but seeing as Windows 10 is packed with them, it generally will pick a suitable driver which can dramatically speed up deployment times.

You have a choice - If you have an O365 Tenancy already registered with a .sch domain, then you can add any number of domains by following the wizard whether they're .sch not. If you're starting from scratch and you're registering a .org domain for example, you'll need to go through additional steps/questions Microsoft request you answer to demonstrate you're a genuine Educational establishment. The issue is .sch domains for example are a closed shop, yet .org is in the public domain.

Or you could look at Classic Shell - definitely a lot easier/quicker and you can remove it afterwards if need be, if deployed via an MSI. Your workstations themselves are probably OK, this is an App issue by the looks of things causing Start to not work correctly.

If the only difference is 1607 RTM and 1607 + August Update, then I'd agree with you, it's possible this update has broken something. Look at the positives - you've identified an issue now, rather than deploying the September Update (in future) in the middle of a term. Depending how you deployed the update, you might be able to roll it back.

All hard drives these days can do considerably more than 10MB/s a 100Mbps connection typically offers. Even SSDs struggle to max a 100MB/s a 1000Mbps connection offers, which is why Gigabit makes sense in an imaging context. Another consideration is your imaging server - use the wrong type of RAID can dramatically slow transfer speeds too. RAID5 or RAID6 are suitable for imaging.

Yes it's very possible it can take that long - I suspect the main imaging aspect is quick - OS with included Updates, but then applications like Kodu are relatively large. For free applications like Kodu, you'd be better off including it on the base image, given it has no license requirements. Even if it's not used on other devices it doesn't really matter. Typically I include the OS, latest updates and a high percentage of core applications all on the base image. Image size varies from 20-25GB typically and it takes 30 mins overall on a Gigabit connection, including the likes of Sysprep and the numerous reboots this requires.

Also you could try criss-crossing cables in this experiment - Try 1/2 to 13/14 and 5/6 to 9/10.

Two thoughts come to mind - Did you take a picture of all Fibre Patch Panels before disconnecting? The fact the link works with an ST/SC and not a native ST/ST as before, at least this demonstrates you're using the correct OM cable type (whatever that may be). It's easy to get ST/ST wrong, simply because the cable will fit both ways. I can't see what else the issue may be to be honest.

I feel your pain and the reality is if it's confusing you, it will your end users too. I'm not quite sure why Microsoft can't get this right? As I say, the Classic Shell method is consistent/reliable and manageable. I have it deployed to over 1000 devices overall. Latest templates/guidance you can find here

Typically Start Menu issues like you describe are down to corrupt roaming profiles, or worse still system, but generally it's a profile issue. I too am surprised this is still an issue, but there's always the Classic Shell route you could explore.

This is related to Point and Print Restrictions which you can set via GPO in both user and computer contexts.

Another consideration for remote backup is the number of copies made - Microsoft Azure overall can make 6 copies per incremental backup. 3 in a primary location and 3 in a secondary location. Do we all think LAs do this? Very unlikely, the resources and expertise required just wouldn't make sense, whereas for global operating giants like Microsoft it does as you have a much wider target audience.

I suspect most likely the LA intervene for the benefit of pupils and that procedures are followed; but as for helping out financially, I very much doubt it. As I say, the buildings etc... are the responsibility of the Trust and the land is leased from the LA. As to what happens if a school re-locates and builds a new one (through insurance) is unclear, unless the LA/Government own all land by default. Not sure how it works.

For something in the region of 300GB it's coming to £14 a month, or there abouts. This is for 3 scheduled increments per day, working on a retention policy of 365 days. I think eventually this'll be the primary backup. I see no reason for it not to be.

It's definitely one of those grey areas. In summary becoming an Academy, the Trust themselves are responsible for the building, maintenance etc.. and the LA simply own the land the school sits on, as Academies lease for something like 100 years + it's a strange arrangement.

I've deployed Office 2016 since October 2015, along with Windows 10 and have had practically no issues. It's more so user limitation rather than technical limitation.

That's great to hear! On a positive, no one was hurt, but hopefully lessons can be learned also. I find it frustrating when the press never follow up stories, such as the source of the fire in this case. Who knows, it could save a life in another school. I just hope it wasn't something silly like out of date electrics which could have been well avoided. Having worked in many schools over the years, a good chunk are post war built and have horrendous electrics compared to modern standards.

I'd definitely have a look at Azure Backup. I'm running it at larger sites. The main disadvantage of LA remote backup solutions is the retention policy - it's far lower than some of the big players and typically ends up more expensive the more data you backup over time.