kingswood

Job's a good one Tony. Enjoy your new post and thanks for all the help and support over the past few years. Paul

You can have TM backup to an HFS+ partition *just about* anywhere. EVen making an HFS+ partition on a Windows box with Partition Magic or similar tool can do it. I haven't tried this yet but it looks interesting: HowTo: Make Ubuntu A Perfect Mac File Server And Time Machine Volume [update6] › Blog › kremalicious.com Matthias Kretschmann | Photography & Design Of course with backups I personally think that KISS is the best option: "Keep it Simple Sir". So, just get an external hard drive, format it appropriately and use it for Time Machine (which has matured quite a lot since the initial release of Leopard). I have managed to use TM over wireless, but I'm not sure outside of Time Capsule Apple would support this? I may be wrong here!!! Because you want to integrate your backups (so backing up from both Windows and Macs to a single HDD) you could just partition the external disk and be done with it. KISS. As someone suggested though you could go the Mediasmart server route? HTH some, Paul

I have very successfully recovered master's degree files "lost" on an external drive that went into the sunset (apparently) and would have cost the teacher their degree; a Mac that had a "broken" HDD; a laptop where the user had deleted files and needed them back (but had done as suggested and just turned the machine straight off) and then this past week an iMac with HDD issues. To do this I have always bought Data Rescue II- (I think by Prosoft?) Worth the money I reckon. Paul

I tried it last week after a couple of days of trying to connect and getting nothing. I "played" it for around 30 minutes before throwing the controller down in despair and wonderment. Despair, because if this is the best Sony can do they should be worried; and "wonderment" because it took so long to develop I expected it to be something more (not sure why). It isn't "more"- I think it's "less". Instead of developing exclusive titles that show the power of the PS3 Sony are shifting towards an "entertainment" solution with Blu-Ray, Home, and storage capacity with the ability to record TV etc. Blu-Ray is good- but not that good; PS Home is crap and the storage capacity useless unless you don't have Sky+. The PS3 for me is dying a death...

That looks brilliant. Well done!

Excellent stuff, EXCEPT- the free version is limited to only one technician?

I would have to say that my "ultimate" VLE would be Moodle, but that we currently use Studywiz and it is simply brilliant. There is room for improvement in Studywiz and SIMS integration is the holy grail...but even so, it's working far better than LP+ ever did for us!

Connected to the subject: Becta Schools - Learning and Teaching - Introduction - Microsoft software licensing Paul

Thanks for helping out on this one Tony! Hope you are well? Paul

It's not stupid- I have been doing this for nearly a year using one of my Technet licenses for 2008 Server! It's a fantastic desktop operating systems. Stable, very quick, and you can still have aero and all the themes etc from Vista that you want. If it weren't for Technet though I wouldn't be doing it- too expensive compared to Vista. Have fun!

Good stuff!

Nope. If you square root DNS all you get...is.... 666!

DNS is the root of all evil...

Apple chose freeRADIUS when they configured RADIUS support in OS X, and for that reason I believe they have inherited a freeRADIUS config file error that leads to this situation! Resetting the user's password in WGM fixes the problems temporarily, but like I said, MS-CHAP support in freeRADIUS is a bit "wobbly" right now... Sorry I can't be of more help! If you *do* get it working let me know how you fixed it! Paul

Silly question- have you checked that it isn't the cable? Swap it out and see. Then use this and see if it helps any: https://mediawiki.middlebury.edu/wiki/LIS/Network_Troubleshooting_-_Mac_OS_X Means I don't have to type all that out! Paul

Hi there, If your OD master gets taken offline permanently (for whatever reason) you can simply promote a replica to become the new OD master. Replicas on the OS X network already contain the data that the system needs- the only caveat being that if you have other replicas on your network they will need to be taken to standalone and then have to be rebound to the new OD master Your LDAP search domains and kerberos realm should stay as they were. You can use slapconfig to do the replica promotion if you like too. HTH Paul

Some of you might find this site helpful: HyperVoria It's pretty cool... Paul

Hi, This is a great book (concentrates on the server certification track): Browse :: The Register Books - IT and Computer Book specialists Make sure you get this: Amazon.co.uk: Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual: David Pogue: Books You won't need much else for a while! HTH Paul

Hi, TUAW web site linked to a new (short) PDF from Apple outlining some Mac mangement solutions etc you might be interested in. I have tried to link directly to the PDF download so you don't have to register! http://education.apple.com/contact_me/systems_management/Solutions_for_Sys_Mgmt.pdf Hope it's helpful to someone! Paul

Hi there, Actually because the staff hadn't gotten "into" TALMOS (or even LP+) to a great enough level so that they had created content etc in the VLE there was nothing to migrate over! Studywiz is SCORM compliant though so this wouldn't have been a very big deal. Take care, Paul

Hi, If you have bought your Mac recently it will probably have come with iPhoto. In that case follow these steps: How to Resize Images in iPhoto | eHow.com You could also just use "Preview" on your Mac. Open up your image in Preview and navigate to the Tools menu. There you will find an "Adjust Size" menu option which will open up a sheet that lets you do what it says. Then crop the image and save as. Here's a link to a (very short) article about the same thing: digital photography | How to resize photos on a Mac HTH Paul

Hi, We are just finalising our move to Studywiz. I have found their technical support second to none, and we are in constant contact with both their sales department and other representatives of the company. I'm sorry you seem to have had such a hard time getting hold of someone- perhaps I can help? I have a couple of contacts I could put you in touch with that I am sure would help? If you would like to talk to Studywiz just PM me your email address etc and I will try and get you that all important first date! Integration with SIMS "real time" is something only Capita will be able to really answer. It's "nearly" there, but has been nearly there for some time. For Studywiz we use the export a CSV kind of deal and can add users in a more granular manner if/when needed. Our previous VLE exploits have included TALMOS and LP+. Both are reasonable VLE solutions but were never going to be a "best fit" for our needs and our school. Studywiz got the thumbs up across the board and because we can host it on our own servers (which we do) makes integration with our wider network so much easier. Like I said- if you want that all important first date let me know and I will put you in touch with Studywiz. Paul

Great thread- thanks! I am just studying the same FITS documents in preparation for tidying things up where I am and wondered how effective the whole FITS framework is in streamlining the whole support process. How do technicians take to having their network manager start implementing this kind of process? Sorry- don't want to hijack what is an excellent thread so if the admins think it wise you can move this to a new one? Thanks! Paul

Hi there! If I am reading you properly then all you need to do is open System Preferences on each machine, click the "Sharing" icon and highlight "Screen Sharing". When you have done that select the radio button "Allow access for: Only these users" and place your account in there (I use the local admin account here). This should limit the ability of Macs on your network to view screens because you have defined a security limit for the service. Hope that helps in some way! Paul

Aha! The word "team". It evokes loverly pictures of the IT Crowd in my little mind, but I digress... There are basically two types of team (and since you use that term yourself it would appear that you see the situation in very much those terms). One is the mix of complementary skills and responsibilities where "problems" move very smoothly between individuals in the team who through their personal competencies add their unique value to the whole thing, and this tends to help produce a much better result than any one technician or manager could ever achieve on their own. The other type is the less "sophisticated" and less "mature" version, and this team lacks complementary and unique skills (skills in this kind of team are about the same for each member) so that when problems arise there is no "ownership" and therefore no added value. One book I read on this described a similar team environment in terms of a football match- the ball goes down the left wing and everyone follows it, bunching up in a panic in order to "get the ball". What we need to happen is that each player brings their own sense of responsibility into the equation and also their own unique skills- that's why footballers have their own position and their skills tend to reflect that central ethos. I would say- you need to stop thinking of your technicians as a team right now (they may become one, but aren't operating as one now). Teamwork involves taking a problem that one skillset could never solve on its own and by using different sets of skills found in each member adding value to the solution and reaching a conclusion. Far fetched? Not really. Because what you are seeing is a breakdown of this natural process and so it is affecting productivity and expectations are falling as a consequence. So- *ownership* tends to be the management solution to this problem. Assign specific tasks to your technicians that are within their talent and skills area, and allow them to take ownership of the situation. This tends to give staff a better reason to come to work every day other than money The benefits? Increased productivity and the opportunity to fail in private- not in front of the whole "team". The downside? As part of the management solution to this problem it is your job to assess what the individual value of each member is and where their skills are and how these fit into your company picture. It's all about valuing staff to add value to the company. So to carry out reviews of the staff individually you need to first stop seeing this as a team and begin looking at each one and how they perform when offered tasks that suit their skillset. A help desk system is a good way to start, but meetings with each one and assignment of tasks individually would be a better way to go at the start- that way you aren't "measuring performance" but rather "evaluating effectiveness". By "tasks" I mean areas that the technician can take ownership of and develop, not job tickets that get handed out in addition to this! Don't forget too that the manager *as leader* is just as important as each individual in the support department. Sometimes the support structure fails because the manager doesn't manage, or doesn't lead from the front. Self-assessment isn't just for tax returns Change requires a leader who will make decisions, set direction, delegate responsibilities and keep the "team" on course. So really what I am saying is start with yourself and work down. Think and plan in terms of more individuality and you might find that people have a bigger sense of worth in your department and so contribute more to it by adding their value to tasks. In ye olden days it was called "staff development" HTH? Paul