I actually got some customization done on the blog, AND I even set up a home page so you can go to www.techcoordinator.org and get here.  Now if I figure out how to get rid of the blank banner ads.

Next goal is to write my about page.  Maybe later tonight.

Background on my summer project.

After nine years our network is showing it’s age.  We have a mish mash of different switches, none manageable, we have servers in several rooms and one subnet.  Finallty there are only three wireless access points in the building.  Instead of me doing the upgrade, I have other projects for the summer, our district hired CenturyTel, the local telco to do the work.  They speced out Nortel Layer 3 switches and access points.  We have accepted the bid and sometime in May we will get together to plan the work and draw out the network.  More on this project as we go along.

Call me a crumegon, I am still using Windows NT for my NOS.  It is time for a change, and there is no better time than now, our PDC died in February and the BDC if on it’s last legs.  Because I have a destain for Microsoft and their methods of operations I am attempting to go fully open source.  I am also going to give virtual servers a go at the same time.  We have three VMWare certified servers on order from Aberdeen Inc that should be arriving this week.  The have dual quad core processors, 32 gig of RAM and 4 to 6 Hitachi 1 tb hard drives.  Two servers will host 3 virtual servers each, the third will be used for network service (DNS, DHCP printing) and for disk based backup.  My next post will describe how I decided on this summer project.

Mark

OK Day 2 and I got rid of the default theme, but I have not yet customized this theme.  I will work on that today (hopefully).

So what does a tech coordinator in Gilman do?  My to do list for today is:

1. Follow up with guidance on install from Friday
2. Follow up with elementary teachers about end of year slide show I will be creating.
3. Install Adobe PS Elements on second grade teachers PC – should have been done last summer.
4. Down grade Nero in tech ed lab.  We had installed the new version that came with our DVD drives, but that expired after 30 days.  Of course it never said that anywhere.  So now I get to uninstall 9 and reinstall 8.
5. Social studies teacher’s computer is freezing regularly.  I will replace it with one from storage.  I purchase off lease PC’s.  I can afford a couple extras as spares so when one starts balking I just pull it and turn it into a parts PC and put another in it’s place.  I just hope all of the teacher’s stuff is on the network.

My mine goal in this blog is to document not the mundane day to day stuff I do, but to document the major undertaking scheduled for this summer.  A complete overhaul and upgrade to our network infrastructure.  Beginning with replacing the NOS with Linux (Ubuntu), new virtual servers and new layer 3 switches and continuing to . . . ?  I will start with my decision process, then go on to planning which I am currently in the middle of, continuing with implementation and ending with happy users.

Keep checking back and enjoy the ride.

Mark

I will have a blog of my life as a technology coordinator for a small school district in Northern Wisconsin.