“Open” lab projects for the remainder of 2001

NC State University Information Technology, Systems, unnamed Micro computing group

Let go every Zig for Great Justice!

March 6 Feedback meeting

• Our slides, and “raw” feedback that we gathered is on the web at http://www.ncsu.edu/mtip/zen/labs

• Polite feedback is always welcome, either at this meeting or via e-mail to microsys@help.ncsu.edu

• We are basing all our work plans on the feedback we receive!

Breakdown of the To-Do list:

• Things to fix

• Infrastructure Improvements

• New Capabilities / Applications

• New Policies and Procedures

• Training

Things to fix

Things to fix• Actually fixed now

– Norton AV now in base NT install– Netscape bookmark copies now run once only– Netscape NSREG.DAT Corruption*– Assistive Tech software collection– Access to Dept Servers (Remedy Solution 2531)

• Things we’re still working on– Roaming Profile Corruption*– Acrobat Distiller and embedded fonts– Improved install instructions*– Time and process to establish Wolfcopy printers

* Work begun, but not complete, or results not yet available

Some suggestions

• If you’re having profile corruption problems:– Be sure your workstation container is

associated with .Unity-WSP.Users– Check your version of Norton! (7.5)– Educate your students about the perils of

storing files on the profile volumes.

Infrastructure Improvements

Infrastructure Improvements – Easy stuff

• Complete retuning of ITD replica/profile servers for optimum and consistent performance. (complete Summer I)

• Profile increase to 25MB (Fall)

• IP only in new labs to reduce net traffic

Infrastructure Improvements – Harder Stuff

• Replicas at CVM for geographic fault tolerance (complete Summer II)

• Printing Services to NDPS for IP based, clusterable, IPP (with NW6) and automatic driver distribution

• Storage Area Network (SAN) and Cluster Services! (Fall)

Replicas at CVM

.Users

Others

NDS

Two 1GBServers

.Users

Others

NDS

Two 1GBServers

.Users

Others

NDS

Two 1GBServers

Hillsborough

Poe CVM

“Replication”

Three sites with all dataAny site can authenticate users, &Process any updates (Multi-master)

Novell Distributed Print Services

• Designed to handle the increased complexity of managing modern printers in a network environment

• Exploits the new functionality offered by these printers

• Web based management• IPP support with Netware 6• See http://www.novell.com/products/ndps/

Remember RAID-5?Redundant Array of “Inexpensive” Disks. Data is

written to multiple disks, with an ‘extra’ disk that has enough data to reconstruct any disk in the array that fails.

“Extra”aka “Parity”

Your FilesData is split up, and parts kept on several disks for safety

The “parity” disk computes a value that can be used to restore the data from any one lost disk

SANs are even better

• With RAID, only the disk channel is redundant

• A single transistor on the motherboard, network card, or other subsystem can still crash the system

• Enter the Storage Area Network!

ITD SAN Configuration

½ TB disk subsystem

                                                                           

Fibre Channel connectionto two “disk switches”

And servers are clustered

Servers are connectedto both switches

Novell Cluster services

152.1.3.50

152.1.3.55 “Virtual” Server

“Service” IP of 152.1.3.100

152.1.3.100

152.1.3.100

Clients Think theyTalk toThis IPAddress

Both “real” and service address

On failure a new node picks up the service IP address

“Real” Servers

No real hardware, but all NDS configuration objects

• Next level of fault tolerance – any server subsystem can fail, with 4 x failover

• Transparent to clients. Virtual servers can host read/write as well as read-only volumes

• Any IP based Netware hosted service can be clustered, not just volumes (NDPS, ftp, web)

What Clustering gives us

IP based

Prepare for the future!

• All Novell Clients should be configured for IP• We recommend Client-32 v 3.3 for Win9x

Client-32 v4.8 for Win 2000 / Win NT• You should install the NDPS client, even if you’re

not using it now• Guidelines for SANitizing applications being

developed and shared with Zen test group

New Capabilities / Applications

New Capabilities

• Windows 2000 in labs (Fall)• New installer for Win2K (sysprep)• New Applications• Zen 3 uses MSI files directly (no snapshot)• Zen 3 “Disconnected” NAL• Zen 3 workstation imaging and auto registration• WebDAV (“clientless” web access)

Hey, hey, it’s Win 2K

• Limited deployment Summer II to iron out anti-features.

• Win2K with SP1, Novell Client v4.8, AFS 3.6 v 2.14

• All “Unity Apps” will be tested with Win2k

• Print drivers for automatic setup via policies

• IP only*

Sysprep

• No Leadoff for Windows 2000• Ghost image with all drivers (New site

license in progress)• On first boot, prompts for Computer Name

and Administrator password• Log in once for Workstation Registration,

and you’re done!• Classes / Demo in Summer II

New Applications

• Applications for Fall and Spring will be tested under both NT and 2000

• Fall brings major version updates for most shipping applications

• Internet Explorer! • Complete list of applications on web at

http://www.ncsu.edu/mtip/zen/labs/newapps.html

Zen 3: MSI support

• Making and maintaining applications one of the most difficult skills to master in this environment

• “Snapshot” is rather an art. Must watch for DHCP leases, explorer and rpc mess.

• With Zen3 use “Microsoft System Installer” files. Snapshot completely eliminated!

Zen 3: Disconnected NAL

• Use a laptop’s hard drive or burn a CD-ROM with NAL’s .FIL files

• Even without a network connection, “Verify” functions to rebuild apps

• ITD to provide, but not lead on this without a strong mandate from campus (too much else cool in Zen 3!)

Zen 3: Imaging and Autoregistration

• Zen 3 provides WS imaging (like Ghost) but controlled via NDS

• Not fully developed for use here (no compression)

• Autoregistration removes last login from setup.

• Zen 3 scheduled to be installed June 30, 2001

WebDAV

• Use IE or “Web Folders” to access Netware lockers or other resources remotely

• No client software to install• Access to all security features (ACLs)• Mac AFP/IP a bust, so may be best way to

get Mac access from off campus• We’ll pursue with Netware 6 (not shipping

yet)

New and ImprovedPolicies and Processes

Password and Profile Resets

• Unity Password Resets: Coming Soon!– Dept heads and above may request privilege

for staff (full or part time)– Good for one (fiscal) year– Must have Unity and Remedy accounts

• Profile Resets – Web-based tool in the future, workaround documented in Remedy solution 2590

Software and Printing

• Application Issues:– Discipline Apps in Unity Labs – policy on web– Software priorities/responsibilities – in progress

• Printing documentation in progress; anticipated turnaround for WolfCopy queues, < 1 week

• Assistive Technology folder on APPS volume, Terry Thompson controls access

Improving support for admins

• Computing Services is developing “tiered support”, to help admins bypass 1st level helpdesk when appropriate

• Documentation review and reorg beginning in Systems, rules/regulations project

• Some new Remedy solutions – Access to dept. lockers, #2531, Help an end user reset NT profile, #2590

Support Issues for Local Servers

• ITD will hold, maintain and troubleshoot NDS replicas for departments/Colleges

• ITD offers a Distributed Support program, which can place qualified staff in departments that need to run a server

• ITD can refer you to vendors on state contract for “Rent a Systems Engineer” for consulting, server setup, maintenance and troubleshooting

Support Issues for Local Servers, cont.

• For groups that wish to move commodity services off of local servers, ITD offers the following services:– NetWare file space /AFS locker rental– Print services (accounted printing through Wolfcopy or

NetWare file space rental)– Unity IMAP email– General consulting on the migration project

• Send email to microsys@help.ncsu.edu for more information on these services

Training

• Remedy training – – 1st Thursdays, 9am-11am, Avent Ferry Training Center

– Alternating general and advanced (http://remedy.ncsu.edu/news)

• Norton Antivirus Workshop– Summer I• Windows 2000 installation - Summer II• How to “Key” applications – Fall• How to Build NAL Applications – Fall

Linux

• No plans for Linux desktop development– Linux initiatives already underway in groups

that have identified this as a critical need– We will work with these other groups to

leverage NDS/LDAP into this platform– Our focus will continue to be on meeting

NCSU community’s need for strong support of the Windows and Macintosh desktop platforms

“Open” lab projects for the remainder of 2001

NC State University Information Technology, Systems, unnamed Micro computing group

Let go every Zig for Great Justice!

Secret Slide Unaddressed Issues

• “Power users on particular workstations” – Huh?

• NAL equivalent on Macintosh

• Macintosh client access • Force Run “sysnews” on login

• NAL and Unity apps in Resnet / Off campus