Juggling 10,000 Pounds:

Anne Livermore - NERCOMP 2001

Juggling 10,000 Pounds:Managing Computer Labs and

Classrooms at Brandeis University

Anne LivermoreComputer Classroom Facilities Manager

[email protected]

http://www.brandeis.edu/~anne/nercomp


Talk Overview

• Quick Tour of the Labs and Classrooms• Four Phases of the Upgrade Project

1)Discovering the Problems

2)Building Infrastructure

3)Consequences of Rapid Change

4)Reaping the Benefits

• New Policies, Better Practices• Principles, Mistakes, and Lessons• The Powers of Fours


Classrooms Tour


What do I do?

• Computer Classroom Facilities Manager

• Work for Information Technology Services

• Part of the Academic Technology group

• Duties:– Manage the computer labs and classrooms– Help faculty implement courseware in the

classrooms and on the academic file servers– Weekly seven hour shift in CIMTech


Vital Statistics

• ITS maintains 4 labs, 4 classrooms

• 140 computers, 8 spaces, 5 buildings

• 4 staffed, 4 unattended

• Hours: 9 a.m. to 12 midnight, longer during finals and shorter during breaks

• One FTE

• Two student staff


Classrooms and Labs

Computer Classrooms and Labs

CIMTech (8)

LMC (7)

GSIEF (26)

Feldberg Main (27) Goldfarb

(21)

Hughes (11)

Farber (21)

Feldberg 123 (19)


Classrooms and Labs

# of Computers Computer Type Operating SystemFeldberg 123 19 Compaq Deskpro EN NT 4.0Goldfarb 21 Dell OptiPlex Windows 2000Hughes 11 Dell OptiPlex Windows 2000Farber 21 iMac DV MacOS 9Feldberg Main 18 iMac (original) MacOS 8.6

4 PowerMacs MacOS 8.65 Dell OptiPlex Windows 2000

GSIEF 26 Dell OptiPlex Windows 2000LMC 4 Compaq Deskpro EN Windows 2000

3 Macintosh G4 MacOS 9CIMTech 5 Macs, varied MacOS 9

3 Compaq Deskpro EN Windows 2000

TOTAL 140


PC’s versus Macs

PC's versus Macs

PC's64%

Macs36%


Feldberg 123


Goldfarb


Hughes


Farber


Feldberg Main


GSIEF


Language Media Center (LMC)


CIMTech


Classroom Usage S2001

Classroom Usage, Spring 2001

29

9

21

2

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Feldberg 123 Farber Goldfarb Hughes

Ho

urs

pe

r w

ee

k


Four Phases of the Upgrade Project


Phase One: Discovering the Problems


Five Big Problems

1) Institutional problems

2) PC problems

3) Windows network problems

4) Macintosh problems

5) Print system problems


Institutional Problems

• Classrooms not a high priority

• No overall policy

• Sketchy paper trail

• Initially, no money set aside for upgrades


PC Problems

• Aging, mismatched PC’s

• Restrictive permissions

• Slow imaging software

• Infrequent maintenance

• No central storage for PC Ghost images


Windows Network Problems

• Feldberg domain

• Woodstock the Old (Feldberg PDC and Courseware file server)


Macintosh Problems

• Aging Macs

• Old Macintosh Fileserver


Print System Problems

• Vended printing

• Different cards from campus photocopiers and library printers

• Card reader connected directly to printer


On My Side

• Great team

• Supportive supervisor

• Strong advocate in the CIO

• Good departmental communication


First steps toward a solution


Philosophy

“Clusters”

Are these rooms classrooms or labs?

Why does it matter?


Phase One Timeline

Install F123 PC's in Feldberg MainRenovate Feldberg 123 Rebuild Goldfarb images

Set up Clusterserver Begin documentation project

January 2000 February 2000 March 2000 April 2000

Install and troubleshoot new printing systemRespond reactively to faculty requests in the classrooms


Phase One Results

• Clearer domain structure

• New computers, single image in Feldberg 123

• Storage space for PC Ghost images

• Improved printing system


Phase Two: Building Infrastructure


Renovations!




Phase Two Timeline

Renovate FarberRenovate Goldfarb Refurbish Goldfarb computers Replace Hughes computers

Survey summer school needs Deploy new version of Ghost (6.0) Replace Feldberg Main PC's Survey faculty F2000 needsSeek funding for renovations Buy new Mac File Server

May 2000 June 2000 July 2000 August 2000Summer school in session


Money

Date Amount Terms DepartmentFeldberg 123 January 2000 $46,000* Lease ($32,000) Continuing EdFarber June 2000 $39,000 Lease ITSGoldfarb June 2000 $43,000** Lease ITS/Continuing EdFeldberg Main PC July 2000 $0Hughes August 2000 $7,000 Purchase (parts) ITSGSIEF December 2000 $33,000 Lease GSIEF

$64,000$104,000

$168,000

Overall total does not include about $10,000 of software and small purchases (lockdown kits, etc.)

* includes computers, software, tables, additional wiring, and LCD projector** $18,000 from ITS, $25,000 from Continuing Ed

ITS TOTALNON-ITS TOTALOVERALL TOTAL


Phase Two Results

• New computers, new image in Farber

• New computers, single image in Goldfarb

• Newer computers, new image, platform switch in Hughes

• Newer PC’s in Feldberg Main

• Current, faster version of Ghost (6.0)


Phase Three: Consequences of Rapid Change


Phase Three Timeline

Set up GIS in HughesSet up New Mac Fileserver Assimilator images to new server

Recover Mac Courseware data Begin archiving old images to CDNew W2K academic fileserver Inherit CIMTech maintenance

Survey faculty S2001 needsBudgeting for FY'02 Renovate GSIEF lab

GSIEF lab purchase consulting Migrate to Ghost 6.5September 2000 October 2000 November 2000 December 2000

Late faculty requestsGhost 6 network issues

Goldfarb and Hughes W2K permissions problems


Phase Three Results

• New Mac fileserver resolves most Mac classroom issues

• New Windows academic fileserver relieves space crunch

• Inherited CIMTech and GSIEF

• Migrated to Ghost 6.5


Phase Four: Reaping the Benefits


Phase Four Timeline

Inherit Language Media Center (LMC) Regular maintenance scheduleContact S2001 faculty individually Revise S2001 images againRevise images with S2001 changes

January 2001 February 2001 March 2001Focus on faculty projects


Where we are now

• Consistently meeting basic requirements– Fulfilling faculty requests in a timely way– Classroom computers are all working and

regularly maintained– Robust servers and network

• Spending more time on academic technology


New Policies, Better Practices


Hardware

• Standardize computer hardware within classrooms

• Buy swappers

• Replace hardware every three years


Routine Maintenance

• Post weekly room schedules

• Ghost the PC’s weekly

• Assimilate the Macs daily

• Reboot computers twice weekly

• Daily walk-throughs

• Maintain current hard drive images

• Avoid individual troubleshooting


Documentation

• Archive old images

• Tasking and documentation in one step

• Write mini-docs as needed• Put it on the Web

http//www.brandeis.edu/its/resources/facilities/classrooms.html

• Be organized; put things away

http://www.brandeis.edu/its/resources/facilities/classrooms.html


Security Policy

• Did away with local security• Installed lockdown kits• For Windows 2000, cluster guest login is

local admin. Risky? Not really.– Local admin only, can’t administer domain– Clusters is untrusted domain– Switched network– Servers require SSL connections– Frequent and unadvertised refreshes


Security Problems

• Disable Assimilator

• The Porn Fiend

• Exploit hidden C$ share in Windows 2000

• Relatively little theft


Principles, Mistakes, and Lessons


The Eight Commandments


1) Get help!


Get Help - How?

• Ask for advice and concrete help from colleagues

• Always help a coworker in need

• Make friends with the Systems people

• Enlist the Help Desk to help notice and report problems


• Invite everyone to rollout parties and bribe them with food

• Get to know the hardware shop manager

• Hire and retain good students


Danielle


Lucas


2) Spend your time on people, not on things.


3) Talk to faculty individually.


4) Convey deadlines by multiple means.


5) Take time regularly to plan.


6) Stay mobile and always reachable.


7) Be honest about what you can do.


8) Deal with the highest priority first.


The Powers of Fours


Four Most Common Problems

• Printing • Computers down/broken• Problems with new software• Whatever you don’t expect . . .


Four Big Mistakes

• Don’t make purchasing decisions for political reasons.

• Don’t underestimate down time in the classrooms

• Don’t allow client departments to “own” you or your classrooms

• Don’t adopt new technology too quickly


Four Future Directions

• Buy more applications for the classrooms

• Become more knowledgeable about courseware applications

• Institute a two-year classroom replacement schedule

• More faculty outreach


Appendices


Indispensable Tools

• Ghost http://enterprisesecurity.symantec.com/products/products.cfm?productID=3

• Assimilator http://www.digitalriver.com/dr/v2/ec_MAIN.Entry17c?SP=10007&PN=5&CID=0&SID=27412&PID=260197&DSP=&CUR=840&CACHE_ID=0

• Printing system (we use Copico, http://www.vendedcopiers.com/)• CDRW and CD’s for archiving• Segregated Clusters domain on switched network• File servers (Mac and Windows)

http://enterprisesecurity.symantec.com/products/products.cfm?productID=3

http://www.digitalriver.com/dr/v2/ec_MAIN.Entry17c?SP=10007&PN=5&CID=0&SID=27412&PID=260197&DSP=&CUR=840&CACHE_ID=0

http://www.digitalriver.com/dr/v2/ec_MAIN.Entry17c?SP=10007&PN=5&CID=0&SID=27412&PID=260197&DSP=&CUR=840&CACHE_ID=0

http://www.vendedcopiers.com/


Indispensable Tools

• Print server

• Micrsoft Sysprep utility• Netsaint http://webserver.brandeis.edu/netsaint

• Swappers and masters

• 2 dedicated cluster subnet ports in office• Lockdowns http://www.flexguard.com/

http://webserver.brandeis.edu/netsaint

http://www.flexguard.com/


URL’s

• Brandeis: http://www.brandeis.edu

• Brandeis ITS: http://www.brandeis.edu/its

• Classroom web pages: http://www.brandeis.edu/its/resources/facilities/classrooms.html

• This presentation: http://www.brandeis.edu/~anne/nercomp


Juggling 10,000 Pounds:Managing Computer Labs and

Classrooms at Brandeis University

Anne LivermoreComputer Classroom Facilities Manager

[email protected]

http://www.brandeis.edu/~anne/nercomp

Documents

Juggling 10,000 Pounds: