7andY

OK, I'll give it a shot! We require 30 PCs of the following minimum specification. Intel Motherboard Intel Dual Core CPU 2.5GHz 1 GB RAM 80GB HDD 100Mbps Network Mid-range Graphics Card Small form factor case with front mounted USB and Sound in/out ports. Microsoft keyboard/mouse Miminal Windows OS as we will upgrade this via our Microsoft Agreement 3 years on-site warranty These PCs will NOT require a CD/DVD drive or a floppy drive. We do not require Monitors with this order. Delivery towards the end of June. Looking forward to your replies!! Cheers, Andy Edgeworth

SQL 2005 is licensed per Server, regardless of CPUs, a factor I overlooked to my cost... 7&Y

I can understand why Power should stand out, but surely LAN cables are a 'fixed installation', and so don't need to. It's not as if you need to plug/unplug them as a regular ocurrence, in fact, it should be discouraged. (How many times have your punters given you a call and said they can't reconnect the network cable...) 7&Y

SWGfL? Staff Proxy... 7&Y

Staff - initials as used in the MIS system. Students - notional year of entry, first initial, first two letters of last name, sequence number (for duplicates) So, a fictional Jane Smith in Yr 9 would be 06JSM01. Her twin brother John would be 06JSM02 The big advantage here is that it is easy to set up an Excel spreadsheet, for exporting into our various systems as a CSV file, for new entrants. Also makes it easier to delete users when the Year leaves school. Each year in it's own OU (Year7 to Year13). Use 'Active Directory Users and Computers' to move them up a year every Summer. Works for me.... Cheers, 7&Y

In a W2K3 Domain, you should only set the PDC Emulator server to synchronise with an external source. We use SWGfL for our ISP, so, on the PDC Emulator I used: net time /setsntp ntp.ifl.org.net to set an external source. All the other DCs will sync with the PDC automatically, and Domain PCs will then sync with one of the DCs as part of their logon process. Cheers, 7&Y

Tried spiceworks - too slow!!! Now use OCSNG and GLPI. Brilliant! 7&Y

I think you'll find that for the MS Select agreement, you have to licence every machine that could run Windows. You don't have the option of just licencing those you will run Windows on. This should include all your Intel-based Apples running MAC OS X... Oh, and stop whingeing about your measly little £8K costs - last year ours was £15K+ Cheers, 7&Y

I have a number of EEEPC 701's that need new keyboards. Anyone know where I can get them from? Don't suggest ebay - they don't do 30 day credit accounts! Cheers, Andy E.

I have a user who is still using the above for timetabling , even though we are now a CMIS shop - we have kept the old SIMS.net server running as CMIS was running on it. However we have now transferred CMIS to a new server, and want to shut the old one down. (The user has promised to learn CMIS Scheduler for next year, but wants to use Nova-T for one more year.) I have installed Nova-T4 standalone onto another PC, but, the question is, how do I do a final transfer of the SIMS data to this standalone version? Cheers, Andy E.

Well, whaddaya know, all the instructions are in C:\\Facility\Documents\eportal_help.htm. Followed these, and got it set up in ten minutes flat! Thanks to all for your help. Now to investigate SSL... Andy E.

Adding an external DNS does seem just a little strange. If your machines always pick the secondary, the external Resolver won't know anything about your internal arrangements, and the look-up will fail. Try removing the external DNS Resolver from your list, and just run with the internal one. (Your internal DNS should resolve all external requesst for you - it's the only one that should reference external DNS) 7&Y

We have a nice shiny new Facility/CMIS server set up, and now want to allow external access. The local address is http://nn.nn.nn.nn:8080/eportal. I have asked SWGfL to open a port to allow access to it. Because it is on port 8080 they won't allow it, claiming it could be used for running a proxy... So how have others set this up? SWGfL are telling me that others are using ports 80 and 443 for access with a DNS of eportal.schoolname.county.sch.uk - how does this work? All (legal and/or moral!) suggestions welcome. Oh, and we need it set up for after Easter!! Chers, Andy E.

You need to be aware that the ERA license doesn't allow access to TV recordings from outside the school... Andy E.

Check your drives are running in DMA mode and not PIO. 7&Y

We have several Ergo laptops. One of my users managed to break the power socket on the back. I sent it off to Ergo, and recevied as quote for £160, to replace a compnent that would cost me a couple of quid at Maplins. When I declined, I still had to pay the inspection fee (£60) and the courier fee (£15 each way. Cost £120 for nothing done. Won't go there again, then... 7&Y

Nominal entry year + First initial + 2 letters Last name + serial number. So, if Joe Bloggs is a Yr9, he would be 06JBL01. If we had a Jill Black, she would be 06JBL02 ...and so on... My theory is that 'zero blah letter letter letter zero blah' is easier to remember! 7&Y

You could use IIS's ftp server. This can be set up to use Domain credentials for logging on.

delprof.exe

Get them to buy their own! They will tend to look after it better...

Latest Sophos Anti-virus has Application Control which stops all kinds of Nasties like this. Works very well, judging by the reports I get from Sophos. Stops all these U3 type fiddles, games, iTunes, media players... and more!! 7&

We used to use Win98 PCs (yeah,really) as Print Servers. To get the display up, create a shortcut for the printer from 'Printers and Faxes', and pop it into the Startup folder. Make sure you set the shortcut properties to Maximise the window on startup. 7&Y

Your current analogue cameras can be routed to something like an Axis 240Q video server. This box converts the video into some thing that can be routed over your LAN, to a remotely located CCTV Server. Works very well. 7&Y

Misco are very good. The major headache with IWBs and Projectors is sorting out any Mains wiring. Usually you have to sort this out yourself before the installation. Misco's contractors (CSL) do all of it. Nice smart job too - just make sure they wire the amplifiers as stereo... 7&Y

Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear. A Systems Manager, and you don't know who or what the Information Commissioner is? A basic tenet of the Data Protection Act, and you don't know. I suggest you do some urgent reading on the DPA. If you don't know this one, then there must be other major gaps in your understanding of the DPA. In my job, a thorough understanding of the DPA is a must... Oh dear oh dear.... 7&Y