Monday - In the office. I answered voice mail and email from the previous week. I ran out to the Hope early childhood program to troubleshoot a computer problem. Turned out the maintenance folks had cleaned over the holiday break and knocked the power cord loose on a video distribution box. I employed the help of the DL Coordinator and we updated printer drivers in the APSCN mini lab. I worked with our bookkeeper to locate various items requested on the auditor inventory pull (three servers, an Opscan scanner, a projector, and a partridge in a pear tree.... Sorry, couldn't resist the holiday spirit there! I have talked with no fewer than three vendors and I shared the USAC E-Rate Window announcement via Twitter and FaceBook. I helped a staff member point her home page to the company's new website address. As this post was created at 10:30am on Monday, there is still a full day of tech ahead. This post may or may not be updated to reflect everything done today (hopefully, I will!!).
A few of our DTU-16D's have been acting a bit weird - namely, when an internal extension pages directly to certain phones, a loud buzzing sound could be heard in the background. After swapping units, I narrowed the issue down to the base/handset itself. Luckily, I have a couple left from the old building and took care of the main users with the issue. I have a repair/exchange in place for the two phones, so that should be fixed when I get back into the office next week.
Tuesday - OUT
Wednesday-Friday - I will be at the AESA National Conference in Colorado. I will be co-presenting with Harry Dickens in one session and helping to man the technology for Phoebe in another session. I will also be attending various breakout sessions, including the 2011 Digital Jam hosted by Kevin Honeycutt. I will be posting updates to twitter (@davidinark), FaceBook, and at least one of my personal blogs (http://www.poppedinmyhead.com).
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Moodle Monday
Phoebe asked me to generate a list of TIE modules with their authors/editors as we move into a new phase for the TIE program. The modules will be retooled for a hybrid environment using the Moodle CMS program.
Last Friday, I installed Moodle on a server we have and then I spent time on Monday working out kinks. The main one being mail delivery (or the lack thereof). I installed Moodle on a Windows server. The included mail subsystems with Moodle would not play nice with our Google Apps account. So, I finally managed to get that working after quite a bot of tinkering with ini files and php configs. I do need to make a couple of tweaks for security, but that should be a simple doing compared to the hoops I had to jump through in order to get mail working.
I suppose there are more effective ways to get mail delivery working, but my way works and I could not find a comprehensive solution online. I wrote up my solution and posted it to our locally held techblog: techblog.k12.ar.us
I also made a tech support visit to the early childhood program in Hope. Not sure what was going on, but they had intermittent Internet connectivity issues. Possibly weather related.
Tuesday, I have a presentation project to finish for Phoebe. I also have a phone call with George Lieux scheduled for the morning regarding the new direction of TIE, and possibly a call with Harry Dickens and Kevin Honeycutt regarding the upcoming AESA conference.
The offices are closed Wed-Fri for Thanksgiving.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Thursday
Had the November area tech meeting. We covered IDEAS, MyEvent updates, new wireless in Co-op main building, iPads and bulk purchasing apps, had a vendor discussion/presentation regarding maintenance and E-Rate. This was done over CIV with a direct connection to the vendor's system.
After the meeting, several techs stayed to work on disaster recovery and/or tech plans.
I adjusted the time and timer settings for our parking lot lights. i also installed a new access point in the "attic"
Friday's plan: upgrade the active directory on my 2003 servers in order to prepare for the move to the new 2008 server. Once that is done, I plan to fire up the new server and start moving data to the new box.
After the meeting, several techs stayed to work on disaster recovery and/or tech plans.
I adjusted the time and timer settings for our parking lot lights. i also installed a new access point in the "attic"
Friday's plan: upgrade the active directory on my 2003 servers in order to prepare for the move to the new 2008 server. Once that is done, I plan to fire up the new server and start moving data to the new box.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
So much for that...
Well, today's agenda was SUPPOSED to be upgrading the 2003 Active Directory to 2008 in preparation for the new server. Turns out, I have an old/dying DVD drive in the old server and had to order a refurb/used one. So, until that comes in, I won't be upgrading AD any time soon.
I did get a Moodle Server up and running (can't remember if I wrote about that or not), and the domain works. So, on to other projects!
I did get a Moodle Server up and running (can't remember if I wrote about that or not), and the domain works. So, on to other projects!
As matter of record
The machine that gave me fits on Monday/Tuesday finally succumbed to a complete Windows reinstall. As a matter of recording everything I did, I offer the following:
PC had random pop-up windows, evident of traditional malware infection. As a matter of course, I fired up ComboFix to clear the infection. ComboFix ran for a time, but froze up the computer. i have seen this happen before, and the general "fix" is to reboot the machine and start ComboFix again. Did that. Froze up again. Not good.
I managed to get MalwareBytes installed and updated, then ran that on the computer. That program found one infection and supposedly cleaned it. Upon reboot, however, the machine exhibited the same behavior as before.
I noticed that iexplore.exe was showing up in the Task Manager as soon any user logged in, though the process was not found in the registry as part of any normal start-up locales. It occurred to me that I needed to delete the dllcache files, so I did. The program would still fire up on its own. I renamed iexplore.exe in the Program Files folder, but it would reappear in a matter of moments.
Upon the suggestion of a local tech, I installed Avast free and ran the Boot-up Scanner. That found several infections and supposedly cleaned them. However, upon reboot, the problem returned immediately.
After doing some research, I ran GMER with the suggested settings (see below) and the program found no altered files. I tried to run TDSSKiller but the program would never launch - just show a brief hourglass then do nothing. Even in Safe Mode, Killer would not execute.
At this point, I had spent almost the entire day on Monday and a good hour or so on Tuesday working on this. It was time to blow away Windows and reinstall. I saved the user's Favorites to a flash drive (or tried to. After Windows was reinstalled, the Favorites folder was not on the drive, even though the system had said it copied it. Must have been something with the infection).
I spent the next hour or so putting Windows back on, getting the computer into the Domain and installing our standard software (along with her printer software). When reinstalling Windows, I deleted *ALL* the listed partitions, then did a long format on the drive. Neither of those may have been required, but I wasn't taking any other chances. I was tired and ticked - not a good combination for infections.
*GMER suggested settings: UNCHECK Modules, Process, Threads, Show all, and Files. DO check IRP Hooks and NTAPI Registry scan
PC had random pop-up windows, evident of traditional malware infection. As a matter of course, I fired up ComboFix to clear the infection. ComboFix ran for a time, but froze up the computer. i have seen this happen before, and the general "fix" is to reboot the machine and start ComboFix again. Did that. Froze up again. Not good.
I managed to get MalwareBytes installed and updated, then ran that on the computer. That program found one infection and supposedly cleaned it. Upon reboot, however, the machine exhibited the same behavior as before.
I noticed that iexplore.exe was showing up in the Task Manager as soon any user logged in, though the process was not found in the registry as part of any normal start-up locales. It occurred to me that I needed to delete the dllcache files, so I did. The program would still fire up on its own. I renamed iexplore.exe in the Program Files folder, but it would reappear in a matter of moments.
Upon the suggestion of a local tech, I installed Avast free and ran the Boot-up Scanner. That found several infections and supposedly cleaned them. However, upon reboot, the problem returned immediately.
After doing some research, I ran GMER with the suggested settings (see below) and the program found no altered files. I tried to run TDSSKiller but the program would never launch - just show a brief hourglass then do nothing. Even in Safe Mode, Killer would not execute.
At this point, I had spent almost the entire day on Monday and a good hour or so on Tuesday working on this. It was time to blow away Windows and reinstall. I saved the user's Favorites to a flash drive (or tried to. After Windows was reinstalled, the Favorites folder was not on the drive, even though the system had said it copied it. Must have been something with the infection).
I spent the next hour or so putting Windows back on, getting the computer into the Domain and installing our standard software (along with her printer software). When reinstalling Windows, I deleted *ALL* the listed partitions, then did a long format on the drive. Neither of those may have been required, but I wasn't taking any other chances. I was tired and ticked - not a good combination for infections.
*GMER suggested settings: UNCHECK Modules, Process, Threads, Show all, and Files. DO check IRP Hooks and NTAPI Registry scan
Monday and tuesday
Well, I spent nearly the whole day on monday troubleshooting an infected machine to no avail. Tried running tdsskiller and it would not launch. Decided that reinstalling windows would be best solution. Who knows what the rest of Tuesday will look like.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Recapping... 10/19-10/26 and 10/31-11/13
In addition to daily duties, these are the highlights of days gone by:
*Note: At various times during this period, I was out sick. I have emails confirming this, as well as emails detailing some tasks not specifically outlined here. i will happily share any of that information with personnel in authority as needed/requested.
10/19 - Participated in the Prescott Schools Technology Committee Meeting.
10/24 - Worked with Blevins to get printers working at the district. Turned out to be an issue with wireless access points handing out "bad" addresses on the network. Resolved all but one a/p issue, but that a/p could not actually be physically located. Resolved issue in software, rebooted workstations. Set up reservations in dhcp. Then traveled to Fouke to work on various Server 2008 issues, tech plan items, and other issues.
10/31 - out sick
11/02 - Went to Txk ECH to work on laptop. Ended up bringing laptop back for complete factory restore.
11/03 - Lewisville ECH and Bradley Schools - Went to Lewisville to troubleshoot computer problems. Resolved settings in Adobe in order to make SEAS work via web browser. Also installed/set-up SmartBoard. From there, went to Bradley in order to resolve connectivity issues. Like Blevins (above), we found wireless access points handing out "bad" ip addresses. Evidently, a power surge over the previous night had reset the access points to hand out ip addresses. in one case, we resolved an ongoing issue (thought it had been an infected machine, but turned out to be an access point handing out ips). We also looked at other server issues, worked on e-rate (specifically BEAR form info), and took care of local work orders.
11/04 - Returned the Txk ECH laptop to the classroom, reinstalled the printer and tested everything. Looks great.
11/08 - Talked with Paul Glen, CEO of LeadingGeeks regarding communication differences between "techies" and "non-techies" for a book he is writing with a partner. The interview/conversation lasted about an hour. I also evaluated Xirrus and AeroHive for enterprise wireless solutions in our main building. Evaluated a couple quotes for Crestron installation of a control panel system for our conference rooms.
11/09 - Met with Lindy and Phoebe regarding several tech issues and topics. Ultimately decided to table the Crestron/automation project and move forward with AeroHive.
11/10 - Monthly Board meeting. Presented "app of the month." Covered FlipBoard and "This Day in History."
11/11 - Met with Lindy, Phoebe and Trish regarding TIE schedules and meeting agendas. Installed CWT on iPad and iPod for workshop. Worked on Operations Guides for various presentation rooms at co-op. Ordered parts to help clean up the wiring in the main conference center.
*Note: At various times during this period, I was out sick. I have emails confirming this, as well as emails detailing some tasks not specifically outlined here. i will happily share any of that information with personnel in authority as needed/requested.
10/19 - Participated in the Prescott Schools Technology Committee Meeting.
10/24 - Worked with Blevins to get printers working at the district. Turned out to be an issue with wireless access points handing out "bad" addresses on the network. Resolved all but one a/p issue, but that a/p could not actually be physically located. Resolved issue in software, rebooted workstations. Set up reservations in dhcp. Then traveled to Fouke to work on various Server 2008 issues, tech plan items, and other issues.
10/31 - out sick
11/02 - Went to Txk ECH to work on laptop. Ended up bringing laptop back for complete factory restore.
11/03 - Lewisville ECH and Bradley Schools - Went to Lewisville to troubleshoot computer problems. Resolved settings in Adobe in order to make SEAS work via web browser. Also installed/set-up SmartBoard. From there, went to Bradley in order to resolve connectivity issues. Like Blevins (above), we found wireless access points handing out "bad" ip addresses. Evidently, a power surge over the previous night had reset the access points to hand out ip addresses. in one case, we resolved an ongoing issue (thought it had been an infected machine, but turned out to be an access point handing out ips). We also looked at other server issues, worked on e-rate (specifically BEAR form info), and took care of local work orders.
11/04 - Returned the Txk ECH laptop to the classroom, reinstalled the printer and tested everything. Looks great.
11/08 - Talked with Paul Glen, CEO of LeadingGeeks regarding communication differences between "techies" and "non-techies" for a book he is writing with a partner. The interview/conversation lasted about an hour. I also evaluated Xirrus and AeroHive for enterprise wireless solutions in our main building. Evaluated a couple quotes for Crestron installation of a control panel system for our conference rooms.
11/09 - Met with Lindy and Phoebe regarding several tech issues and topics. Ultimately decided to table the Crestron/automation project and move forward with AeroHive.
11/10 - Monthly Board meeting. Presented "app of the month." Covered FlipBoard and "This Day in History."
11/11 - Met with Lindy, Phoebe and Trish regarding TIE schedules and meeting agendas. Installed CWT on iPad and iPod for workshop. Worked on Operations Guides for various presentation rooms at co-op. Ordered parts to help clean up the wiring in the main conference center.
A new approach to Keeping Up
Okay, I have not posted an update on what I've been doing in my job since late October. The "after-the-fact" approach is not working at all.
So, I am going to try a new approach: Task Listing
I will post what my goals are for the day, week, etc. and we'll go from there.
So, starting with today:
Monday - Set up equipment (iPad/iPod) for CWT training; Work on technical aspects of Phoebe's presentation for later this month; Post recaps of the past month work of work; Follow up on AeroHive wireless purchase; Look into ASA server being offered to us by one of our districts; Talk to CentruyLink regardin a phone line at one of the early childhood sites; Talk to George regarding Moodle and the TIE program; Transport backup offsite
Tuesday - Upgrade Active Directory on 2003 servers; join the 2008 server to the domain; promote 2008 server; decommission various servers; set up recording of Advanced Erate videoconference; work on LMS server (Moodle)
Wednesday - Install AeroHive wireless network (assuming it arrives); Continue work on LMS server (Moodle); Meet with Prescott Technology Planning Committee
Thursday - Area tech meeting and tech plan/ACOOP work day
Friday - Possibly schedule a school visit
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