--- Forwarded Message from Ron Skulas <[log in to unmask]> ---
>Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 14:06:53 -0400
>Subject: Re: #7269 Mac vs. Windows
>From: Ron Skulas <[log in to unmask]>
>To: Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum <[log in to unmask]>
>In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]>
------------------
Paucity of Mac software? At BGSU, I run an all-iMac LLC. The only
non-Mac software that we have is Office for OS X. While everyone
using PCs was screaming that the sky was falling during the resent
virus attack, we were humming right along.
Try using Apple Remote Desktop to really make things interesting for
both faculty and students.
Get ahold of your publisher reps and ask them for their latest and
greatest Mac OS X-based software too.
If this doesn't get results, contact me personally, and I'll describe
our layout to you.
Dr. Ron Skulas
http://www.bgsu.edu/departments/greal/llc
On Tuesday, Sep 30, 2003, at 13:51 US/Eastern, LLTI-Editor 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
>>
>
>
Dr. Ron Skulas
(419) 372-8146
BGSU
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