rjf2019

We have a number of Promethean ActivBoard boards across our school, which were purchased in 2014. When we upgraded to Windows 10, we kept getting a Blue Screen of Death, which was resolved after updating the firmware on the boards. However, we now have the issue of the board frequently disconnecting and reconnecting via USB. This triggers an alert noise, notification and leaves the board unresponsive to touch for a short time. Mostly, it will do it every few hours, but sometimes will get into a sort of loop and run continuously for a minute. Things that trigger it are other devices being connected via USB and I also believe ActivInspire being open (even if being unused in the background.) We have a case open with Promethean support, but we don't seem to be making much progress. Some of the steps to resolve this include connecting it to a PC with the same version of Windows (but not domain joined so no GP applied.) Has anyone else had a similar issue? Did you find a resolution?

Yes, this is the deployment option I chose ' Deploy and manage corporate-owned Android devices: Android Enterprise device owner mode' from this guide https://documentation.meraki.com/SM/Device_Enrollment/Android_Enrollment

With us being closed we loaned out a batch of Lenovo Android tablets, that I felt confident were sufficiently locked down to prevent the children installing their own apps on them. I was, of course, proven wrong within a week. I have a small number of devices that have had games installed by the pupils. The first step will be the relevant staff following up with families, regarding signed agreements etc. However, I am curious about what I have got wrong, so that I can learn from it. The devices were enrolled in Meraki using EMM. At first boot, in the email address box we entered something like 'eem@meraki' or similar. Then they have had the settings attached applied. During my testing, the end users couldn't download apps using the Play Store. I'm thinking that either: * They have removed some of the settings / management profiles (I think less likely as they are listed in Meraki as being installed. * They have downloaded .apk files from a website (Only settings I didn't screenshot was the wallpaper.) Any thoughts? What have I missed?

Really helpful, thank-you. I got the ​Devices Pending​ email from ASM this morning. Am I right in thinking that I just need to be patient for 24 hours and I will get another email confirming that they've been accepted into ASM? Only ever done this before when I've added the reseller ID in advance.

Thanks all, I'll look into these options.

Years ago if I was on a phonecall already on my mobile and received an incoming call, then I could 'join' them together and have a conference call. I'm informed by my network EE that this is no longer supported, supposedly for security issues. I am looking to make phonecalls to children during lockdown and also 'add in' a Teaching Assistant to the call also. It's not really practical to use one of the conference call services where everyone has to phone a certain number at a certain time and enter a passcode. Is there a way (or even an app) that I can get that will call two people at the same time and faciliate a mini conference call? Free is always nice, but open to paying also.

Sounds a little like SSL to me too. Have you tried it over 4G tethering to see if you can replicate the issue?

I have the JL384A coming in at 24.6cm . The 48 port version is around 32cm

Looking to replace a network switch that has recently died - we are muddling through in the meantime. Which would you opt for, and why? Option One​ This requires the replacement of the network cabinet as it is particuarly shallow. It's an added cost, but one that can be afforded. It is my preferred option as keeping a simple network as simple as possible and means that data travelling from one downstairs location to another (e.g. a PC to a photocopier) can do so across the same switch. ​Option Two​ I would welcome any feedback because, as well as coming to a decision, I'd like this to be a useful learning experience for me also. TIA.

That's great. Thanks for this. I had wondered if it would involve that feature. I guess the last bit is then whether I need to manually go round and delete all of the existing apps, or whether I can just manage them and let that take care of it. I have just tried it in Meraki Systems Manager and it said something about displaying a message for the end user to agree to. I will wait and see what happens and go from there. I share your frustration!

We have just completed an iPad refresh. On the old devices we had 'purchased' licences for iMovie and GarageBand from Apple and deployed them via our MDM with zero interaction. The iPads Airs that we have just received have iMovie and GarageBand preintsalled. However, on opening it wants each device to be signed in with an Apple ID. I'm not looking to manually handle each device individually. Is there a way of replacing the pre-installed app with the one pushed from the MDM? Has anyone experienced the same thing?

We have purchased a bulk lot of tablets for students to use for home learning. Because they will primarily be used at home, I can't justify the cost of a trolley or powered cabinet to charge them in... but do need an easy way to charge them. I'm thinking something pretty basic, like an extension plug with multiple sockets. I have managed to find one with 10 sockets on it for plugs. (This seems to be the most I can find anywhere reputable.) I was wondering though if it's possible to get one with say 10 or even 15 USB sockets instead. That would mean the USB cables could just go directly into the extension lead. Basically something like this, but at way less cost. https://www.lockncharge.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/LNC-US-Website-Product_Page-iQ_16_Charge_Box.png

We've recently purchased two batches of (cheap) Lenovo tablets. Some are running Android 8.1.0 , but most are running Android 9.0 My experience of tablets until now has entirely been with iOS. With iOS, I can name the device in Settings, and that name will sync to our MDM (Merkai.) Or vice-versa, I can name it in Merkai and it will sync to the device. This is also the name that will show up in our list of DHCP leases. What I have discovered so far is that if I edit the 'Name' in Meraki, then it applies only within Meraki and isn't synced to the device. I can edit the 'System Name' on the device by going into bluetooth settings, which will then sync to Meraki under 'System name'. However, regardless of both of these changes, the 'Name' listed under DHCP Address Leases is still blank for every single device. Would be intersted to know if anyone has come across this problem before, and if they managed to solve it.

Unsurprisingly, we need Zoom on all of our Windows 10 PCs. This isn't specifically my job, but the sort of thing that often falls under my remit. My experience of installing msi files is limited to those that haven't needed any switches, and compiling msi files from exes, with the switches included. I have a list of switches that I am looking at for the Zoom msi. Does anyone have a link to a guide that I can follow in order to make this happen? Generally a fast learned, but have drawn a blank from Google. Some of the things that I have come across include: 1) Edit the msi with OCRA to include the switches 2) Call the msi with a batch file 3) Have it install normally, and then use Zoom's own custom GPOs to ammend the settings.

We are gradually moving over to the cloud, and are looking to push out Google File Stream to all of the PCs on our domain. However, I notice that Google don't provide an MSI. I was wondering how everyone else has gone about installing it? We have Windows server on site, and all of the PCs are domain joined. Typically push out software using an MSI and GPO.

Many thanks. I should have said that I'm looking for something with a GUI. I notice from searching that there are a number of offshoots from rsync that I'm looking into. - - - Updated - - - These were my thoughts exactly. I think I'll go ahead with this.

We are looking to transfer several large folders to G-Suite. The process can run on a VM that will be untouched over the weekend. Happy that our bandwidth will allow this transfer to take place in an acceptable amount of time. I'm wondering about the best tools availabe to do this successfully. E.g. it will keep a log of files that couldn't be duplicated and the reasons, and the process can run again, and copy only the files that were missed. Free is of course a magic price, but open to paying for some software if needed also. I have used SyncBack Pro for something similar before, but not sure if it is up to the job for this or not. Additionally, if anyone has any experience in transitioning from a 'my drive' shared folder, where the various files might have different owners (e.g. lots of different pupils) to a team drive, I'd welcome hearing about your experience.

I have some RM One 214 machines that I need to boot from a USB. I am able to change the boot order in the BIOS and this works correctly. This of course means that I need to change it back afterwards. Is there a hot key that I can press that will allow a one time choice to be made about where to boot from. I have tried all of the usual suspects. It’s made a bit trickier because the monitor doesn’t come on for 5-10 seconds it means I miss any message that might be showing about what to press.

Thanks both. Really helpful to hear about your experiences.

Thanks all - I will start to look into all of these options.

I am researching good storage solutions for a set of 16 iPads, and wondererd whether anybody has any products that they would recommend? We currently have Lock n Charge trolleys, which I don't rate very highly. I could be persuaded by them if they have gotten better, but am looking more heavily at alternatives.

We are looking at implementing the HTTPS filtering offered by LGfL. As well as the advantage of improving the filtering, it is extremely helpful for staff to see the blocked page message on HTTPS pages, rather than quering whether the site / internet is simply down. In preparation for this, we have deployed the HTTPS certificate to all iOS devices via our MDM, and also to Windows devices using a GPO. I understand that Chromebooks are not supported, and we just need to advise LGfL of an IP range that they will be in so that they are excluded. In terms of personal devices, this is what I'm thinking. For staff personal devices on the staff wifi, we will place a link to the certificate on the school website, and it will be up to them to install it / choose not to use the wifi. In terms of guests, it seems a bit infeasiable as we might have parents trying to forward an email to the admin staff etc that just need it for a minute. I'm wondering whether we also point our guest wifi to a subnet that doesn't have the HTTPS filtering enabled. Finally, as a starting point, I am considering having the HTTPS filtering targetted at a narrow IP range (outside of DHCP scope) and statically adding a few devices to the subnet to test. Just in case we find any issues, we haven't prevented the whole school from using the internet. I'd welcome any thoughts from anyone that has implemented this on LGfL, or the equivalents from other providers.

We are in the process of updating our systems for recording assets, and there is some flexibility to ammend the policy to best suit our needs (and also provide more clarity.) At present we are required to tag and keep a record of every asset with a purchase price over £100. And also, 'items under £100 which will be moved, such as digital cameras.' The second part is what is causing the confusion. We have erred on the side of caution, and been tagging things like kettles as they could potentially be moved from one location to another. I'm thinking that for the under £100 part, we should be looking for at items that are more likely to go missing, such as an external harddrive, or a digital camera. HT and SBM are supportive of this, but I'd welcome opinions from others about what they do. I'm happy to be convinced either way. Edit 1Ive just had another think, and I think the reason I am against kettles etc. is that every year we have carried out an audit to update the records, it's the kettles and other small appliances (which we have paid £15) for that are listed as missing. It turns out it has stopped working and been thrown away, or put in a cupboard, we write it off, and then it turns up again at the audit the next year! Edit Some other examples of items that we are debating removing include: drums (30 at £50 each), one keyboard at £80, one xylophone at £90. The drums does make me think as they are obviously part of of a costly set.

Thanks for all of the responses. Truthfully, I'm not surprised that I can't get what I was aiming for in my budget. Does anyone have any suggestions for something then that will allow me to plug into the socket in the patch panel, and then into a data point to determine whether they are connected? We don't have a huge number to test, so it's not a problem to keep moving it from one to the other on the patch panel. I'll take a look at the Noyafa NF388 thanks Thanks for the info about PoE. We only have a small number, which are all connected to wireless APs, so it will be simple enough to pull them out and see which LEDs go out. In terms of testing the data points using a PC/laptop, is it as simple as disabling wifi, connecting via ethernet, and going: Windows Key + X Network Connections View Your Network Properties and looking at the info in the screenshot?

I'm looking to buy a network tester to test data points. I need to do two things: Identify where some unlabelled data points terminate, and also test several for the speed that they are capable of (with a view of having faulty data points replaced.) I know that Fluke are a market leader, but I don't have that kind of money. Is there anything under £80 that is realistically going to do this job? Has anyone had any good experiences with kit in this price bracket? If not, plan B is to go for a simple device that can help me to identify where the unlaballed data points terminate, and then test them by connecting a laptop and seeing what speed they run at when the data point is patched to port that I know is cable of gigabit.