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October 2003, Week 1

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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 16:15:46 EDT
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--- Forwarded Message from Laura Atkinson <[log in to unmask]> ---

>Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 14:04:07 -0400
>From: Laura Atkinson <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum    <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Re: #7269 Mac vs. Windows
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
>References:  <[log in to unmask]>

------------------
Hi Betty,

We use the built-in tools of Windows 2000 to lock down the machines, so 
that users can't make many changes, and usually a reboot is all that is 
needed to undo the few changes they would make (mostly volume control 
properties).

Some of the things we do are:

1) set the generic login as a restricted user
2) disable the control panel
3) use mandatory profiles on a remote server

We turn the machines off at the end of each day, so they are set back to 
the desired configuration when they are started up each morning. You could 
reboot after each class to be on the safe side.

We don't use any special software for maintaining the configuration. 
However, it admittedly takes a good deal of Windows 2000 expertise to pull 
off the maintenance scheme we have in place. The third-party software might 
make it much, much easier. I don't have any first hand experience using 
such things.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Laura Atkinson
Technical Coordinator for Foreign Language Computing
Duke University
[log in to unmask]
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

--On Tuesday, September 30, 2003 1:51 PM -0400 LLTI-Editor 
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> --- 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
>>

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