Middle school server is down

UPDATE 12:55 PM-
Server is now working normally. Users will have to re-login to Novell in order to access their home directories.

NOTICE- MIDDLE is not mounting VOL1, where user data is kept. Logins should still work, but data is not accessible. Error appears to be with the SAN device driver. SAN pool VOL1 not showing up under nss /pools.

Monthly review, April 22, 2008

IT Monthly Review

April 22, 2008

The past month in IT:

• The IT department has closed 265 helpdesk tickets.
• Got MAP testing working reasonably well, thanks to a week's worth of work by Doug and Zach.
  
• Deployed a new SPAM filter system that allows users to see the spam that got blocked and whitelist senders who should not have been blocked.
  
• Launched a pilot program of the EeePC at OHS that has attracted interest in several states. (Read description here.)
  
• Created a Datacast web-publishing wiki to share resources with other Wisconsin school districts.
• Developed a Linux-based live CD to install the datacast software onto any PC, and made it available publicly.
• Worked with the Educational Communications Board to educate other districts about the advantages of datacasting and the open-source software available to deploy it easily.
  
• Evaluated several computers for the 2008-2009 school year replacement cycle.
• Panicked about the new ice rink construction threatening to dig up our fiber optic cable feeding OMS and BKE.
• Prepared and submitted MAP test rosters.
• Developed online registration for summer series courses for teachers.
• Set up new parent liaison employees in the increasingly crowded DSO.
  

The past month of the Information and Technology Literacy Team:

• Coped with reorganization plan for next year.
• Coordinated our involvement with the SACs to incorporate ITL outcomes into curriculum.
• Reviewed summer course offerings.
• Assisted TIP participants with using new equipment.
• Helped with a little bit of MAP testing logistics.
  

In the past month, Jon:

• Developed recommendations for the board regarding Tech Resource, computer apps, and keyboarding staffing.
• Assisted principals with job change meetings with teachers.
• Co-presented OSD's Datacast web-publishing model with Zach at the WEMTA conference.
• Assisted with interviews for a Tech EA position.
• Developed 2008-2009 budget priorities and created a preliminary budget.
  

Web access and new filter

What:
The new SPAM filter that we are using for email also has the ability to filter web traffic. We will be implementing this functionality this afternoon at 3:00 PM.


What this means for you:
--Some sites that you used to be able to get to may be blocked.
--Some sites that were blocked may be unblocked.

The categories of sites are bound to be a little bit different than the filter that we are currently using. I have tried to match up the sites as closely as possible, but there will probably still be some differences.


Actions needed to be taken by you:
If you plan to use any web sites in your curriculum tomorrow or later this week, please check that they are unblocked before class time. While checking access please keep in mind that, as with the old system, staff are able to access more than students.

Normally when a site needs to be unblocked a request needs to be sent to the principal at your building and then they will forward it to Jon Tanner.
For the next two weeks, if the site was previously available, please send an email directly to me and I will get it changed ASAP.

Thank you for your patience while we try to improve our services and efficiency.


-Zach

“Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine.”
~Robert Gallagher

MAP testing appears to be going well

Thanks to Doug and Zach's extensive work last week, MAP testing appears to be going well. Logins this morning occurred quickly. The few glitches included one student not showing up as active, which Doug fixed manually, and some logins not working at RCI when trying to set up the second round of testing. That was fixed by exiting and relaunching the program.
Keep your fingers crossed!

MAP Testing- hopefully not the apocalypse

MAP testing starts Monday morning. Doug and Zach have been working on getting it running. Here is Doug's summary of the situation.

After spending the better portion of this week troubleshooting, I've concluded that the Virus Scanning application on all the district computers is a large detriment to MAPS. In simplistic terms, when TestTaker starts up, it is copying all of the student info and test questions from the server to a temporary location on the C: drive. this is a fairly large amount of data and can be slow when many computers are doing this all at once, without any delays. At the same time, our anti-virus application is doing what it is supposed to - scanning every single file that gets saved or copied to the hard drive. The natural drawback is that this also slows the loading process as each file pauses for a fraction of a second to be scanned. Eventually, the TestTaker either times out or believes that one of the files is corrupt and produces the error that you are all familiar with by now. The first solution I thought of was to remove the Virus Scan and this is what I've done at OMS in both labs. After all that, I thought of a better (i.e. easier) way to help this morning. I pushed a setting through the Application launcher this morning that will disable the service controlling the scanner. It will be/was pushed out to any computer that uses a MS/RC or EL student login today. after this setting is in place, a reboot is required for it to actually be in effect. Time for the payoff - to ensure that all machines are set to go Monday morning. Please make sure that any computers that will be used for testing gets logged in once today by a student user, then reboot, or just wait and shut down this afternoon. When they start on Monday, the scanner will be disabled and the tests will load correctly. This won't prevent 100% of the problems, but I think will help with a large majority of them. I expect there to be a few instances where the load still hits the time out period, but it will be due to too many loads running at the same time, instead of the Virus scanner. In this case, just go back to the student selection screen and try again until it loads. Finally, if you want to be sure the virus scanner is disabled, check the taskbar icon. Normally, it is the blue box with the "bouncing ball" running through. When disabled, the blue box will have the classic Red Circle with a line through it.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Welcome new bloggers!

After attending the WEMTA conference on Monday, I and the rest of the Information Technology Literacy Team have lots of ideas buzzing through our heads. One thing I am particularly excited about is the two new blogs that have been launched in our schools. One is by "iVelvet", one of our Technology Resource Teachers, and the other is a class blog by Ms. Boyer's third grade class.

Velvet's blog is "Shaping the Future- One Click at a Time."

Shannon Boyer's class blog is called "Boyer's Bloggers." (I love the name.) Shannon is going to use the blog to post student work (after getting appropriate parental permission, of course).

Please help me welcome Velvet and Ms. Boyer's class to the blogosphere by visiting their blogs and perhaps posting a comment or two!