Fall 2007 Updates (Part 1)

This was going to be a really long post about everything we did over the summer and everything we are still working on. It was so long, it would have been Fall 2008 before I finished it. Therefore, in the interest of time and sanity, I am breaking it down into sections. Here is Part One of the Fall 2007 Updates.

District-wide Changes / Updates

Items of interest to the entire district include:

• Updated Web Site. Thanks to the tireless work of Mr. Keinath, the Web site has undergone a makeover. This is not just a change of graphics and updated schedules. No, we've rebuilt the site from the ground up with an eye on making it easier to update and easier to find information. After a couple months of making sure it is working as well as it should we'll start working on some more improvements we've dreamed up. If you have suggestions, criticisms, ideas, or dreams for the Web site make sure you tell them to Isaac or myself.
  
• Help Desk. Since I obviously have short-term memory issues, and a phobia about checking voice mail - not to mention short-term memory issues - I have installed a Help Desk application to keep track of everything that needs done around here. The idea is to 1) keep track of what needs done, 2) keep you informed of progress on the things that need done, and 3) keep a record on what has been done. This should allow us to see trends in the type of requests that are made concerning technology. With that information, we can do a better job of managing technology in the district. Plus, I have short-term memory issues that I don't think I mentioned yet.
  
  Anyway, the Help Desk app is located at http://crlxp01/helpdesk. (This only works inside the school buildings.) You can put in your own requests as well as view the status of requests you have already entered. Let me know if you have trouble using it.
• Server-related Updates. I'll discuss the new servers some in future posts, but since they affect the whole district, I will mention them here as well. We've purchased six new servers. Three servers will power the new Wyse Streaming Applications in the North and High schools. This is relatively new technology that allows students to run a full version of Windows XP and needed applications on a thin client computer. I'll try to post more info on this in the future. The remaining three servers replaced our two terminal servers. This paves the way for more thin clients in the classrooms. It also paves the way for...
• New Domain Controllers. Well, not precisely new - just newer than the current ones. The year-old terminal servers I replaced this summer will find new use as our domain controllers. The intent is twofold.
  
• One, remove the aging servers before they stop working. We've used these servers to control user logons, network security, printing, and a few other vital network functions for about two years longer than we should have. I really don't want to risk having catastrophic failure on the servers that control that much of our network.
  
• Two, the new servers are faster and have more memory than the old servers. This should decrease the amount of time it takes to log on to your computer. A related issue is our ScripLogic application that controls which printer you print to, where your My Documents folder is and numerous other functions. By moving it to one of these faster servers, we should see faster load times for it.
  
  This isn't an upgrade I am entering into lightly. If I am not comfortable with it, I am not going to risk destroying our network just to get it done. On the other hand, I strongly feel it is necessary to do this before we're forced to do it by aging hardware. Keep an eye out for updates.

I think that's the main points on the District-wide stuff. I'll discuss some building-specific updates over the next week.