kingswood

Do any of you get Linux Format? Next to "Linux Journal" I think this is a great resource for all things Penguin. Anyway, in this month's magazine there's a great article on PHP Website Authentication...worth a look! Next month they are looking at Linux in education. Just a heads-up. Did I mention that the cover disk this month has a copy of Knoppix 4 on it? OK. I just did. I don't work for them, honest! Paul

I'm convinced that we need (as a school that is) some kind of tool for implementing a support request logging system. We now have 400+ machines over two sites and most of the time two technicians to cover those sites. I really hate what FITS calls the "corridor" method of support, and I don't like scraps of paper being scribbled on and passed around...and don't even get me started on "word of mouth" support calls! Looking at this in the past week I used our CSE tools to implement an "intermediate" call logging system that is basically a technical support forum whereby staff can log support requests and we (the IT department) can respond with either an attempted solution in the form of a walkthrough or a prioritised system of resolution. It looks like some of the staff really like the idea. All I have to do now is write up a small manual for use and get manglement (thanks Tony!) behind it all. What do you use for your support system (if you have one), and do any of you have any ideas as to how I can improve this system (I'm already thinking in terms of web-based front end that staff log into so that they can post off a support form)? Thanks! Paul

We have a Systems Manager (been that for about 10-15 years, so much deserved) and myself (Network Manager); we then have an ICT Technician under me. The technician's first LM is myself, and then the system as it stands means that he is passed on up the line to the SM. I have to say though that the current way of doing things leads to amazing clashes of philosophy and management style that we could do without. It would have been better to have a Systems Manager, Senior Technician and then ICT Technician in my mind if it weren't for the lines of demarcation being drawn now: the Systems Manager deals mainly with SIMS and I handle the 400+ curriculum network. In your example, I think the system could work so long as the technician is just that- a technician. Either that or move your own position (without pay drop) to Senior Technician and then hire an ICT Technician to work under you... Good luck! Paul

..that's the one! lol! Paul (feeling stupid now)

Update: I've been playing with Tiger Server on an iBook as a test, and there's a lot of good there. DNS and DHCP are very easy to implement and running OD is also very easy. Seems like things have improved. Now to get it to work with my test 2003 Server... Paul

Damn good money though...notice however the "up to £29,582"? That means you go the interview and find someone like that beasley98 (sp?) there who then tells you how unprofessional you are and that you really lack the hard qualifications...but what the heck...if you'll start at £11,000 a year the jobs' yours! :-) Paul

Our media department has about 8 emacs and a G5 tower, as well as two PowerBooks; I'm sure they run Final Cut Express as their main software for video editing, but don't quote me on that. If you want to talk to our head of media I can put you in touch if you like? Have fun! Paul

I haven't gone for A+ or N+ at all- instead I took a diploma in PC Repair, and then completed an HNC in Network Support (now studying my HND in Systems Administration). They have their place though- even though I didn't take the exams I *did* use the books :-) I'm not even going for MCSA or such. But I am thinking about Linux+ and Apple certifications... Paul

Thanks to all for the replies- I'll be trying Ric's script out today or tomorrow. Paul :-)

Yes- RealTek 8139 chipsets tend to PXE boot either with the remote boot generated floppy or (sometimes, strangely) without one! I don't know whether this has to do with different iterations of the chipset or something, but it's the most prominent chipset on our school network so if it doesn't PXE boot so we can use Ghost/RIS then I end up with a huge headache! lol! Paul

OK. These posts are really great- we have some VB scripts running (kind of) and set up by CSE engineers in the past; there's a utility we have in their software that sets these to autorun at login. They worked until last week, and now they sometimes work and sometimes don't. Pathetic really. Not being a scripter myself, could someone tell me where to put Ric's excellent script so that I can modify it and test it? I know Group Policy pretty well and I'm aware that logon scripts can go in the "Startup Script" section, but once in my SYSVOL/Scripts folder do I merely browse for the file in the GPO or paste the actual contents in there (as I was told to do this week)? Basically I want the script to check the first 4 letters of the location and choose a default printer from there (e.g. ICT 6 ICT 5 etc etc). Am I right in assuming that since Ric's script chooses the default location based on station name that I could drop it in at the top-level of the Stations OU we have rather than appying it to each OU?? /Ramble Thanks! Paul

Get behind me satan! But you're right. I bought the XBox 360 magazine over the weekend and some of the vidoes of up-coming titles are mouth-watering. Damn I hate spending money! Paul :-)

@Kevin: my Systems Manager and I were talking about giving a large (around £500) donation to MST for LanView when we first installed it. We've had some issues since trialling it, but are sure that when those issues are ironed out we too will donate to the project. Keep up the good work! Paul

Pcounter here- and I really don't like it...no I don't. I'd prefer a built-in Windows 2003 print quota tool a la Mac OS X Server... Paul

Question: how would you move your user areas (saved work etc) over to a Linux server and make it so that the users could still access that work (taking into consideration permissions)? This has always intrigued me. I have no problem with NFS/NIS, LDAP or SAMBA; but what has worried me about moving from Windows servers to Linux is the possible loss of user data. Paul

I'm running it fine on an X300 Radeon PCI-Express card. My main gaming haunt is XBox Live, so PC games don't hold me for that long. Since BF2 is being released for XBox shortly, I think I will use that to game with and avoid system crashes, and the thought of updating my graphics card to something decent costing in the region of (wait for it) £280. Ouch. No thanks. Paul :-(

The mac minis are great russ! Enjoy :-) Paul

Have you tried this one? http://www.lostpassword.com/word.htm I've used it before and it worked a treat. Here's an article about password recovery in office using some of the free tools available: http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=1548&page=2 Paul

Battlefield 2 is excellent....ahhhhhh...much fun playing that. Esp. since I get to drive an Abrams around. Strange though: the enemy look like the teachers at our school. Anyone else notice that? Paul :-)

lol! I tried that with what I thought was a "spare" 2600 router...then county decided it was still theirs and took it home. Blast! Paul

Hey Nathan. Glad to hear it (not the long week part! lol). Terminating the cables is the easy part. I like that bit. For me, finding spare capacity in a switch is the hard part!! Paul :-P

...take yours off and he'll have space to post his!! :-) Paul

I really like it! Well done. Paul :-)

You could go here and find out: http://www.tomcoyote.org/hjt/ You're moaning about nothing- it makes sense to me! You can see running processes (and therefore by implication processes that you perhaps think shouldn't be there) and you also have registry entries in the second section (which by further implication shows the registry entries for applications on your system). Don't think one should be there? Disable it. I'm still finding it hard to understand why you wouldn't think posting the log file on here is that good an idea. In the time it took to discuss it and for you to try and prove your point, the log file could have been posted and discussed. *sigh* Paul

I didn't know this either. Now it's got me buzzing....blah. Monday again. Paul