LLTI Archives

October 2003, Week 1

LLTI@LISTSERV.DARTMOUTH.EDU

Options: Use Monospaced Font
Show Text Part by Default
Show All Mail Headers

Message: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Topic: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]
Author: [<< First] [< Prev] [Next >] [Last >>]

Print Reply
Subject:
From:
LLTI-Editor <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 1 Oct 2003 16:15:40 EDT
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (280 lines)
--- Forwarded Message from "Cantu, Chris" <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Subject: RE: #7269 Mac vs. Windows
>Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 14:41:12 -0500
>Thread-Topic: #7269 Mac vs. Windows
>Thread-Index: AcOHfzLDV65DH0GsSdm10QRd8OOb2wAA9aoA
>From: "Cantu, Chris" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: "Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum"    <[log in to unmask]>

------------------
I am a network administrator and I support a language lab of 62 PC's and
33 Mac's.  

If you are going to a windows lab, be ready to perform frequent updates.
These are crucial in protecting your lab from virus and security
attacks.  During the summer, we experienced three such attacks.  On one
occasion, we were affected and made the machines unusable for classroom
instruction.

Personally, I prefer the Macs.  There is less maintenance involved and
the interface is very intuitive.  However, there is not a wealth of
software available yet, especially for Mac OSX.  Mac OSX does provide
"classic mode" which allows software designed for OS 9 to run on new
Macs. This feature will allow you to run your older software packages.
You may be able to please those die Mac hard fans in this way.  Finally,
Apple's reputation for supporting foreign languages speaks for itself.

If you must go with PC, I would recommend purchasing some automatic
system update solution.  Hopefully, your IT department will setup the
solution.  Otherwise, you run the risk of being infected.  Next, I would
recommend that you install something like "DeepFreeze" to prevent your
would be hackers from installing Trojans.  The software basically
deletes any and all changes made to computer once it has been rebooted.
Also, you may want to push your professors to find current language
software solutions.  We are still supporting a few outdated software
packages but they are problematic and a hassle to support.   Lastly, you
should be running Windows 2000 or XP.  These windows operating systems
are much more secure than their predecessors.  

If you have further questions, feel free to contact me at
[log in to unmask]

Chris

-----Original Message-----
From: LLTI-Editor [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Tuesday, September 30, 2003 12:52 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: #7269 Mac vs. Windows

--- Forwarded Message from Betty Woerner <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 10:46:57 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Betty Woerner <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum
<[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #7245.2 Tandberg proprietary network (1)
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>References: <[log in to unmask]>

------------------
DO those of you with Windows labs have any advice for us?  This campus
is
usually Macintosh only, but it looks like we will have to use a Windows
lab for language teaching because of the paucity of Mac software.  The
one
demo we did on Windows machines froze halfway through, enough to
convince
our faculty that it was not something they wished to pursue.  I have
heard
that the freezing is caused by some of the machines in the lab having
slightly different updates on them, so that all are not "on the same
page".  Doesn't running RevRDist or something equivalent on them before
the class starts get them to be uniform?  If classes are contiguous, is
it
likely that individual machines will get messed up enough not to work
for
the second class?  What have your experiences been?
Betty Woerner
Media Librarian
Reed College
Portland, OR

On Thu, 18 Sep 2003, LLTI-Editor wrote:

> --- Forwarded Message from Deanne Cobb <[log in to unmask]> ---
>
> >From: Deanne Cobb <[log in to unmask]>
> >Sender: [log in to unmask]
> >Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2003 15:51:57 -0600
> >To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum
<[log in to unmask]>
> >Subject: Re: #7245.1 Tandberg proprietary network (1)
> >In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >References: <[log in to unmask]>
> >Disposition-Notification-To: Deanne Cobb <[log in to unmask]>
> >Return-Receipt-To: Deanne Cobb <[log in to unmask]>
> >Priority: NORMAL
>
> ------------------
> We, too, run the ICM Divace Duo lab at our institution
> although without the ClassNet addition.  We haven't
> suffered the same problem; however, to simplify matters
> we have created a lab where all of the students use a
> generic username and password and in fact, the computers
> auto log-on (so it eliminates problems due to students
> mistyping usernames or passwords).  We also restart our
> computers between each lab so that our security system
> can erase any student saved materials and revert the
> system back to the administrator-set settings.
>
> The only times that we have had problems with the student
> computers losing contact with the ICM have been when A)
> The network fails or B)the CER is turned off at the front
> or C) a fuse is blown in the ICM system or D) the
> network drop that that particular student computer is
> using is faulty. I know that there has been instances
> when I have needed to log onto the front computer using
> my own username and password in the middle of the lab to
> complete some administrative work and this has not caused
> any problems. However, we do have a dual console, so
> perhaps the lack of problems is due to the fact that
> there is always one or the other front computer in
> operation.
>
> There may be another difference in installation,
> however, that might be causing the problem. My
> understanding is that one can choose an installation
> where the media files that a student accesses are stored
> on the front computer CPU or one can choose to have these
> media files stored on the computer network.  We chose to
> have the latter.  Perhaps, if your choice was the former,
> this may be a source of the problem as restarting the
> front computer would obviously interrupt a student's
> access to these files.
>
> This is a lot to read and understand so if you would like
> to continue speaking off list to clarify anything I may
> have said, I would be willing to speak further with you.
>
> Deanne Cobb
> University of Regina, Canada
>
> On Tue, 16 Sep 2003 15:55:51 EDT LLTI-Editor
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > --- Forwarded Message from Judy Shoaf <[log in to unmask]> ---
> >
> > >Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 20:11:55 -0400
> > >From: Judy Shoaf <[log in to unmask]>
> > >Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
> > >User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:1.4)
Gecko/20030624
> > >To: Language Learning and Technology International Information
Forum    <[log in to unmask]>
> > >Subject: Re: #7245 Tandberg proprietary network
> > >References: <[log in to unmask]>
> > >In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
> >
> > ------------------
> > Our system is starting its 3rd year and runs Windows 2000, but it
sounds
> > like a similar setup. However, we do not have individual
authentication
> > for the students and instructor. It is true that the Divace Duos do
not
> > function if they can't detect the ICM.
> > However, the shutting and closing of the Divaces, or the restarting
of
> > individual computers, should not affect the functioning of the ICM.
It
> > certainly doesn't in our lab.
> >
> > If the system is used for drop-in labs or other use, then probably
you
> > should have an administrator log in to the instructor computer in
the
> > morning and leave it on all day so that the ICM is not closed.
> > If your system is used only for classroom use, you could just have
the
> > instructor restart the student computers before he/she logs
out--that
> > might maintain the connectivity between ICM and the student
computers.
> > IE, the ICM is always turned off after the student computers, and
> > restarted before they come back on.
> >
> > Have you contacted your rep, or Nils Soderberg of Tandberg, who is
their
> > national tech guru? They can't always wave a magic wand (too many
> > different kinds of installations) but the problem you describe re.
the
> > ICM losing contact with the student computers seems like something
they
> > would recognize.
> >
> > Judy Shoaf
> >
> > LLTI-Editor wrote:
> >
> > > --- Forwarded Message from <[log in to unmask]> ---
> > >
> > >
> > >>From: <[log in to unmask]>
> > >>To: [log in to unmask]
> > >>Subject: Tandberg proprietary network
> > >>Date: Fri, 12 Sep 2003 15:52:48
> > >
> > >
> > > Dear colleagues,
> > > Our Tandberg/Divace Duo language lab consists of PC's and two
servers running
> > > Windows 98. We need suggestions for reconciling network security
with the
> > > requirements of the lab software and for preventing crashes.
> > >
> > > The 21 PC's are connected to a local proprietary network for the
server
> > > running Tandberg's ICM software and ClassNet.  The entire lab is
also connected
> > > to a second network for log on, Internet access and drive mappings
to file
> > > servers on the campus network.  The campus network connection also
affords
> > > access to a server running Rosetta Stone.
> > >
> > > For security reasons, all lab users including teachers working at
the server
> > > machines must log in and out using their campus domain usernames
and passwords.
> > >  This creates a communication problem between the student stations
and
> > > the teacher machine, which is the ICM server.  When a teacher or
student
> > > user logs out, the ICM and/or Divace software is automatically
closed.
> > >  When it is subsequently reopened by later users, the ICM server
can no
> > > longer reach out to the student stations.  For example, it is not
possible
> > > to launch Divace Duo or to shut down the student machines from the
ICM.
> > >  When Divace Duo is open, error messages sometimes appear on the
student
> > > machines warning of communication problems with the ICM, and
student work
> > > is sometimes lost.  Has anyone found a solution to this problem?
> > >
> > > Secondly, our lab and its Tangent computers are four years old and
have
> > > unfortunately been plagued since opening with technical problems
which
> > > severely limit its use.  The most common problem is machines
freezing and
> > > crashing.  Up to one third of the lab crashes each day, a problem
which
> > > persists even though the student stations were just reimaged.  The
crashes
> > > occur about equally on start up, on shut down and while running
during
> > > the day.  Our IT department believes that the problem is somehow
caused
> > > by the nature of the proprietary network installed by Tandberg, or
by its
> > > interaction with the campus network.  Has someone experienced
problems
> > > of very frequent crashes who could suggest some steps to
troubleshoot?
> > >  Thank you.
> > >
> > > Julia Tebbets
> > > French Teacher
> > > Sewickley Academy
>
> Deanne Cobb
> Language Lab Manager
> Language Resource Centre
> University of Regina
>

ATOM RSS1 RSS2