I drove straight to Blevins this morning. They were having connectivity issues following the storms the other day. Turns out, they had a pair of media converters knocked out. Swapped the devices, and the network came back up, humming along.
Had a separate issue in a classroom. Teacher could not connect. After some sneakernet, we discovered a wire had come loose from the switch.
In yet another classroom, teacher could not connect. Turned out to be a bad end that plugs into a cat5 coupler. Replaced the end and user was back up and running.
Set up an Airport Extreme. After much troubleshooting, it turned out the switch in that room had TWO bad ports - and we just happened to have picked those two while installing/troubleshooting. Figures.
At the office, I worked on creating a new workshop survey. This year, surveys will be online, accessible via desktop, laptop, and mobile devices. We will have QR codes posted for folks to scan and take the survey. We will also provide paper copies of the survey should some folks decide not to do it online.
Helped Phoebe with playing AudioNote files on her computer, then I recorded a podcast for the SWAEC@Technology series. That can be found: http://davidinark.podomatic.com/
Met with the Supt of Blevins to give a summary of what happened there. Also talked with Supt of Fouke regarding new position they are looking to fill. he had asked me to help review applicants, etc.
Showing posts with label network. Show all posts
Showing posts with label network. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Week of January 27 UPDATE
Wednesday - Traveled to Bradley to help troubleshoot several issues and run a cable in one of their labs. We had to install DyKnow monitoring software, which turned out to be much more involved than we had anticipated. In fact, we ended up removing the installation at least once (I think maybe twice) before we got it right. Let me just say that I miss the days when thousand-dollar software came with a PRINTED manual. We had to locate and replace a wire that was causing a video issue in the distance learning lab. We also looked at several other technical issues as well.
Thursday - I drove to Fouke to help troubleshoot network issues. The tech and I looked at their backup configuration and made sure that it was backing up everything it was supposed to be. We went through the Middle School trying to find a possible network loopback, but did not find one. There is something going on, and I let the tech know that the co-op would be getting an Etherscope soon and that I would bring it to troubleshoot as soon as it arrived. in the meantime, I offered suggestions for manually hunting down the problem. The "old school" method is to unplug cables one at a time until things settle down. If EVERYTHING is unplugged before the network settles, then plug things back in one at a time and monitor the situation. It is long, tedious work with a lot of network connections to go through.
They have Xirrus wireless and one array keeps rebooting itself, but does not log the boot loop in its diagnostics. I can only assume that the system is rebooting before the diags can be recorded.
The tech asked me to research the following: 1) Cloud-based backup for Netware, 2) Multi-sheet document scanner for record keeping, 3) Info regarding migration from Groupwise to Google Apps for Education. I will have those to them next week.
Friday - Went to Blevins to help troubleshoot network issues and other problems. They had a lightning strike take out one of their T1s. The telco replaced the line, but the internet connection was no where near up to speed (running about 26k/sec). We had DIS on the line and Warren helped us narrow down a couple issues. One issue surfaced in the form of the video LAN and the Data LAN being on the same physical network. After a LOT of sneakernet, we found the problem (a wire plugged into the wrong place) and fixed that. As for internet connectivity, it turns out the line was not provisioned correctly on the telco end. Aonce both of those were resolved, the district was running at near 3-meg capacity.
Additionally, I had a list of things the techs wanted me to look over, so I did. A MacBook had a CD stuck in the drive and it would not eject. The system was "hosed" and would not boot beyond the spinning grey circle. Holding the EJECT button whole booting did not work. Holding COMMAND-OPTION-F-O never put me in Firmware Mode, so that was no good. I finally took a stiff piece of cardboard and stuck it in the drive. When the system tried to boot, the CD was held in place by the cardboard. The system tried to read the disc 3-4 times. After that, the CD eventually ejected from the system.
I helped set the password expiration period to 90 days (it had been set to 42 days).
I helped set up two printers as DHCP reservations.
I showed the tech how to DENY requests for IP addresses in the DHCP server module. I love that feature of Server 2008 R2! Wahoo! They had a LOT of iPhone, iPod, Android, etc users snagging up IP addresses.
We worked on a couple other issues, then I headed to the office.
At the office, I worked on updating the Operations Guide for the Conference Room - added a cheat sheet for multiple screen scenarios. I posted the 2012-2013 DL Calendar to the ARDL portal, answered phone calls, emails, voicemails, etc.
Thursday - I drove to Fouke to help troubleshoot network issues. The tech and I looked at their backup configuration and made sure that it was backing up everything it was supposed to be. We went through the Middle School trying to find a possible network loopback, but did not find one. There is something going on, and I let the tech know that the co-op would be getting an Etherscope soon and that I would bring it to troubleshoot as soon as it arrived. in the meantime, I offered suggestions for manually hunting down the problem. The "old school" method is to unplug cables one at a time until things settle down. If EVERYTHING is unplugged before the network settles, then plug things back in one at a time and monitor the situation. It is long, tedious work with a lot of network connections to go through.
They have Xirrus wireless and one array keeps rebooting itself, but does not log the boot loop in its diagnostics. I can only assume that the system is rebooting before the diags can be recorded.
The tech asked me to research the following: 1) Cloud-based backup for Netware, 2) Multi-sheet document scanner for record keeping, 3) Info regarding migration from Groupwise to Google Apps for Education. I will have those to them next week.
Friday - Went to Blevins to help troubleshoot network issues and other problems. They had a lightning strike take out one of their T1s. The telco replaced the line, but the internet connection was no where near up to speed (running about 26k/sec). We had DIS on the line and Warren helped us narrow down a couple issues. One issue surfaced in the form of the video LAN and the Data LAN being on the same physical network. After a LOT of sneakernet, we found the problem (a wire plugged into the wrong place) and fixed that. As for internet connectivity, it turns out the line was not provisioned correctly on the telco end. Aonce both of those were resolved, the district was running at near 3-meg capacity.
Additionally, I had a list of things the techs wanted me to look over, so I did. A MacBook had a CD stuck in the drive and it would not eject. The system was "hosed" and would not boot beyond the spinning grey circle. Holding the EJECT button whole booting did not work. Holding COMMAND-OPTION-F-O never put me in Firmware Mode, so that was no good. I finally took a stiff piece of cardboard and stuck it in the drive. When the system tried to boot, the CD was held in place by the cardboard. The system tried to read the disc 3-4 times. After that, the CD eventually ejected from the system.
I helped set the password expiration period to 90 days (it had been set to 42 days).
I helped set up two printers as DHCP reservations.
I showed the tech how to DENY requests for IP addresses in the DHCP server module. I love that feature of Server 2008 R2! Wahoo! They had a LOT of iPhone, iPod, Android, etc users snagging up IP addresses.
We worked on a couple other issues, then I headed to the office.
At the office, I worked on updating the Operations Guide for the Conference Room - added a cheat sheet for multiple screen scenarios. I posted the 2012-2013 DL Calendar to the ARDL portal, answered phone calls, emails, voicemails, etc.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
January 23-27, 2012
Monday - Office
Tuesday - Office
Wednesday - Bradley
Thursday - Genoa (possibly)
Friday - Office
Monday, spent the morning in the office then headed to Fouke to look at a DL problem. Turns out, they do not have a mic mixer for their ceiling mic. Talked to the tech support folks, they will be in touch. From there, headed to Prescott to look at their DL issue (remote control). I thought the problem was related to the plate in the top of the C20, but instead, the issue was much simpler. Inside Tandberg remote battery compartments is a switch. The switch regulates how much power is being used for the IR output. By default, it is set on low. That works well for close-up remote needs and/or incandescent lighting. For fluorescent, though, you need to flip the switch to HIGH power. So, I flipped the switch and it works great. I had forgotten that was even in the battery compartment until yesterday.
Tuesday, heading out to Hope ECH to troubleshoot connectivity and SmartBoards. We'll see what the rest of the day holds...
Problem at Hope ECH is directlt related to a coupler being used between two pieces of network wire. I will most likely run a new line so that we do not have this problem in the future.
The smartBoard problem was a result of screen resolution to the projector. I adjusted the resolution so that the display would show the entire desktop area, filling the projection screen (it had been "squished" due to a much higher resolution). This fixed the SmartBoard problem.
Installed Apple TV on the TV in the Asst Director's office. AppleTV, at the time of this writing, does not have alive weather program. Seriously!? Lame. So, I contact Weather.com to encourage them to work with Apple on getting a channel on the system. No, I am not going to jailbreak the AppleTV. I shouldn't have to, and besides, this is a company installation.
Worked with Prescott via phone regarding their technology survey results.
Worked with UACCH regarding an RUS grant for which we are a partner. They needed a specific invoice and copy of payment for the grant. I ran that over as soon as I had a copy.
Working on other daily tasks as well - email, phone calls, etc.
Tuesday - Office
Wednesday - Bradley
Thursday - Genoa (possibly)
Friday - Office
Monday, spent the morning in the office then headed to Fouke to look at a DL problem. Turns out, they do not have a mic mixer for their ceiling mic. Talked to the tech support folks, they will be in touch. From there, headed to Prescott to look at their DL issue (remote control). I thought the problem was related to the plate in the top of the C20, but instead, the issue was much simpler. Inside Tandberg remote battery compartments is a switch. The switch regulates how much power is being used for the IR output. By default, it is set on low. That works well for close-up remote needs and/or incandescent lighting. For fluorescent, though, you need to flip the switch to HIGH power. So, I flipped the switch and it works great. I had forgotten that was even in the battery compartment until yesterday.
Tuesday, heading out to Hope ECH to troubleshoot connectivity and SmartBoards. We'll see what the rest of the day holds...
Problem at Hope ECH is directlt related to a coupler being used between two pieces of network wire. I will most likely run a new line so that we do not have this problem in the future.
The smartBoard problem was a result of screen resolution to the projector. I adjusted the resolution so that the display would show the entire desktop area, filling the projection screen (it had been "squished" due to a much higher resolution). This fixed the SmartBoard problem.
Installed Apple TV on the TV in the Asst Director's office. AppleTV, at the time of this writing, does not have alive weather program. Seriously!? Lame. So, I contact Weather.com to encourage them to work with Apple on getting a channel on the system. No, I am not going to jailbreak the AppleTV. I shouldn't have to, and besides, this is a company installation.
Worked with Prescott via phone regarding their technology survey results.
Worked with UACCH regarding an RUS grant for which we are a partner. They needed a specific invoice and copy of payment for the grant. I ran that over as soon as I had a copy.
Working on other daily tasks as well - email, phone calls, etc.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Wednesday
Saw the digial copier tech working on one of our copiers at the end of the day on Tuesday. I asked if there was something I could help him do. He said the copier had quit sending page counts. We talked about subnets, firewalls, etc and I told him i would work on it Wednesday.
On Wednesday, I brought up the web interface for the copier and started going through the settings. Everything looked okay to me on the surface. I decided to do a line-by-line analysis of the configuration. Sure enough: smtp had been disabled, thus preventing the copier from sending email to anyone.
I changed that, and everything seems to be working fine (I scanned-to-email a document to myself).
On another note: the auditor returned the findings of our disaster recovery plan, and we scored 93%! That is excellent. There were three dinged areas, each of which is easily rectified: job descriptions need to be in the plan, cross-training for critical areas of management, and a written server recovery procedure.
On Wednesday, I brought up the web interface for the copier and started going through the settings. Everything looked okay to me on the surface. I decided to do a line-by-line analysis of the configuration. Sure enough: smtp had been disabled, thus preventing the copier from sending email to anyone.
I changed that, and everything seems to be working fine (I scanned-to-email a document to myself).
On another note: the auditor returned the findings of our disaster recovery plan, and we scored 93%! That is excellent. There were three dinged areas, each of which is easily rectified: job descriptions need to be in the plan, cross-training for critical areas of management, and a written server recovery procedure.
Monday, September 19, 2011
9/14-9/16 2011
Wednesday - Met with the Board of Directors regarding CIPA, Internet Safety, RUS Grant CIV system installs, monthly tech meetings, Website requirements, Disaster recovery training.
After the meeting, I went to Blevins to help with various network related issues. We also tried to hunt down a rogue wireless device, but by then school was out. I believe the device is a 'hockey puck' portable wifi spot that someone brought and plugged in to the network. We will try again another day.
Thursday - Met with Jeff Madlock of Hope Schools regarding disaster recovery testing, policy, Apple Lion server and other tech-related issues.
Also met with representatives from Howard Technology regarding a touch panel control unit for our conference rooms. They will put together a quote and get back to me. In the meantime, I will call in 2 or 3 other vendors for quotes as well.
Had some issues in the computer lab, so I spent the bulk of the afternoon ironing those out. For the most part, Parallels would not print. Installed correct network printer drivers on the machines and took other measures to help keep the lab up and running. Mostly, I disabled some software updates and changed a few settings to help make the virtual environment more stable and efficient (memory settings, full-screen options, etc)
Friday - Spent the day in Fouke. We installed Server 2008 on two servers, created a secondary Domain Controller, and did some troubleshooting in a lab. We had to make a few changes to the DHCP settings, and they will need to make some more as well, as the pool has filled up. It is amazing how many devices they have! Talk about tech in schools! We also took care of some other network issues (DNS, subnets, etc)
After the meeting, I went to Blevins to help with various network related issues. We also tried to hunt down a rogue wireless device, but by then school was out. I believe the device is a 'hockey puck' portable wifi spot that someone brought and plugged in to the network. We will try again another day.
Thursday - Met with Jeff Madlock of Hope Schools regarding disaster recovery testing, policy, Apple Lion server and other tech-related issues.
Also met with representatives from Howard Technology regarding a touch panel control unit for our conference rooms. They will put together a quote and get back to me. In the meantime, I will call in 2 or 3 other vendors for quotes as well.
Had some issues in the computer lab, so I spent the bulk of the afternoon ironing those out. For the most part, Parallels would not print. Installed correct network printer drivers on the machines and took other measures to help keep the lab up and running. Mostly, I disabled some software updates and changed a few settings to help make the virtual environment more stable and efficient (memory settings, full-screen options, etc)
Friday - Spent the day in Fouke. We installed Server 2008 on two servers, created a secondary Domain Controller, and did some troubleshooting in a lab. We had to make a few changes to the DHCP settings, and they will need to make some more as well, as the pool has filled up. It is amazing how many devices they have! Talk about tech in schools! We also took care of some other network issues (DNS, subnets, etc)
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Monday and Tuesday, September 12-13, 2011
Monday, I spent the day troubleshooting via phone and email while getting caught up on some office things that needed to get done. I also ran a few local network tests in preparation for DIS to come on Tuesday. I also reminded the Supts and school techs about the September 15 deadline for the website requirements signature page to be signed and posted online. This triggered a discussion about the signature form and pertinent Commissioner's Memos. After some digging, I came up with a form for schools to use based on sample forms provided by Hope and Nevada. I am thankful to those schools for helping me out - helping us ALL out!
Tuesday, worked with DIS on troubleshooting our local network problems. The issues boiled down to folks streaming radio stations and video. We also had an inordinate amount of software updates running all at the same time, clogging the network. We also checked for loopbacks, and spent quite a bit of time on trying to get 1-to-1 NAT working on ISA 2006. We think we have a solution, but I will have to test it after hours.
Tuesday afternoon, I spent time with Prescott Schools, working on various Sharepoint issues - one regarding group permissions and site settings, and the other regarding the use of SSL for intranet access.
Tuesday, worked with DIS on troubleshooting our local network problems. The issues boiled down to folks streaming radio stations and video. We also had an inordinate amount of software updates running all at the same time, clogging the network. We also checked for loopbacks, and spent quite a bit of time on trying to get 1-to-1 NAT working on ISA 2006. We think we have a solution, but I will have to test it after hours.
Tuesday afternoon, I spent time with Prescott Schools, working on various Sharepoint issues - one regarding group permissions and site settings, and the other regarding the use of SSL for intranet access.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
08/25/2011
Went to the office first. Helped set up a CIV with DVD recording. Headed to Bradley.
Dropped off math manipulatives for the high school and a bag of snacks for the ECH program. I am a man of many hats and talents!
In Bradley, talked with various DL personnel regarding connection issues, quality issues, etc. All the issues seem to be outbound-related. That is, the quality and connections are perfectly fine coming INTO the campus, but the other end(s) of the CIV are getting pixellation, stuttering, etc.
The tech and I ran a few local tests - internal network calls only, and everything ran smoothly, looked good, sounded good. The issue appears to be external, but we will see what DIS says after their testing and analysis.
The tech and I worked on several other issues: server backups, network wiring traces, hardware/software troubleshooting, etc.
I left Bradley and headed to the Lewisville ECH. They are having connectivity issues, but the bigger items are related to the computer being put on the school's local domain. That seems to have messed with some of the permissions and settings for the local user (even when not logged into the domain). I am working on those and think i have most of them pinned down and fixed.
After Lewisville, I went back to the office to drop off equipment I picked up and to pick up equipment to take with me to the Prescott schools, which i will be visiting in the morning.
Dropped off math manipulatives for the high school and a bag of snacks for the ECH program. I am a man of many hats and talents!
In Bradley, talked with various DL personnel regarding connection issues, quality issues, etc. All the issues seem to be outbound-related. That is, the quality and connections are perfectly fine coming INTO the campus, but the other end(s) of the CIV are getting pixellation, stuttering, etc.
The tech and I ran a few local tests - internal network calls only, and everything ran smoothly, looked good, sounded good. The issue appears to be external, but we will see what DIS says after their testing and analysis.
The tech and I worked on several other issues: server backups, network wiring traces, hardware/software troubleshooting, etc.
I left Bradley and headed to the Lewisville ECH. They are having connectivity issues, but the bigger items are related to the computer being put on the school's local domain. That seems to have messed with some of the permissions and settings for the local user (even when not logged into the domain). I am working on those and think i have most of them pinned down and fixed.
After Lewisville, I went back to the office to drop off equipment I picked up and to pick up equipment to take with me to the Prescott schools, which i will be visiting in the morning.
08/18/2011 - 08/24/2011
I have been way too busy to log what I've been doing! This is a summary of where I have been and what I have been doing:
8/18 - Spent the bulk of the day taking care of in-office stuff, but had to run to the Lewisville ECH program to help get them going after their computer had been joined to the local network's domain.
8/19 - Blevins - Worked with their techs resolving some active directory issues and helping move key user data from the local desktop to the new home folders on the network. Also did some connectivity troubleshooting. Oh, there was also a statewide DNS issue, so I had to run back to the co-op to resolve internet access issues. Once that was taken care of, I went back to Bradley to finish up the day there.
8/22 - Ran to Blevins to troubleshoot a distance learning issue. Turned out to be a remote control/video input issue.
8/23 - Ran to Lewisville ECH to troubleshoot issues with Vinelands II. Had to disable UAC and give specific permissions to the user account.
8/24 - Set up a new laptop for a co-op employee, headed to Blevins to help with software distribution/installation over the network and trouble shoot a desktop issue in which a user had added "-extoff" to the end of their IE shortcut, forcing the program to run without add-ons. Fixed it by removing the switch at the end of the command line.
In the meantime, I talked with DirecTV and DiSH regarding TV programming for the co-op as well as take care of everyday issues that arise at the co-op.
8/18 - Spent the bulk of the day taking care of in-office stuff, but had to run to the Lewisville ECH program to help get them going after their computer had been joined to the local network's domain.
8/19 - Blevins - Worked with their techs resolving some active directory issues and helping move key user data from the local desktop to the new home folders on the network. Also did some connectivity troubleshooting. Oh, there was also a statewide DNS issue, so I had to run back to the co-op to resolve internet access issues. Once that was taken care of, I went back to Bradley to finish up the day there.
8/22 - Ran to Blevins to troubleshoot a distance learning issue. Turned out to be a remote control/video input issue.
8/23 - Ran to Lewisville ECH to troubleshoot issues with Vinelands II. Had to disable UAC and give specific permissions to the user account.
8/24 - Set up a new laptop for a co-op employee, headed to Blevins to help with software distribution/installation over the network and trouble shoot a desktop issue in which a user had added "-extoff" to the end of their IE shortcut, forcing the program to run without add-ons. Fixed it by removing the switch at the end of the command line.
In the meantime, I talked with DirecTV and DiSH regarding TV programming for the co-op as well as take care of everyday issues that arise at the co-op.
Monday, August 15, 2011
8/12/11
Started the day by working on several co-op issues before attending our annual "back to school" staff meeting. During the meeting, I had several calls from a district regarding distance learning issues. After I presented my part regarding network ethics, changing passwords, etc, I worked with our DL Coordinator and their tech to try and solve the problems.
After an hour or so, I decided I would head down to Bradley to help them. I had already told Prescott I would come there to help with THEIR distance learning issues. I called Prescott to let them know I would be late. About the time I got to my car, Bradley called to tell me they got it working. I headed to Prescott. On the way, Bradley called and things were not working, but we thought we could solve them over the phone. We were half right. I told them I would be there Monday.
In Prescott, the tech and I had to do some network restructuring to get their new DL system online, but it went smoother than expected! That opened up time to look at several other issues they were having. We knocked a few of those out, and the tech gave me permission to install Triptico on my wife's computer! Awesome!
After an hour or so, I decided I would head down to Bradley to help them. I had already told Prescott I would come there to help with THEIR distance learning issues. I called Prescott to let them know I would be late. About the time I got to my car, Bradley called to tell me they got it working. I headed to Prescott. On the way, Bradley called and things were not working, but we thought we could solve them over the phone. We were half right. I told them I would be there Monday.
In Prescott, the tech and I had to do some network restructuring to get their new DL system online, but it went smoother than expected! That opened up time to look at several other issues they were having. We knocked a few of those out, and the tech gave me permission to install Triptico on my wife's computer! Awesome!
8/11/11
If memory serves, I spent last Thursday taking care of a few things around the office and then I headed to Blevins to help work on Active Directory issues. I also installed some new RAM in one computer. I worked with the techs there and we moved several machines off of Novell and on to Windows.
One machine had a SEGina.dll error that prevented us form logging in. Turns out, that was caused by SynchronEyes software. I booted in safe mode but could not remove the software. So, I pulled up the registry editor, searched for instances of the errant program and removed them. After a reboot, the system let us log in, remove Netware and join the domain.
One machine had a SEGina.dll error that prevented us form logging in. Turns out, that was caused by SynchronEyes software. I booted in safe mode but could not remove the software. So, I pulled up the registry editor, searched for instances of the errant program and removed them. After a reboot, the system let us log in, remove Netware and join the domain.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
07/27/2011
Wednesday morning, helped get workshops up and going. At 10am, I met with rep from Howard tech regarding Xirrus wireless solutions and Extron speaker/control solution for our new facilities.
Spent afternoon at Blevins, mapping out the rollover from Netware to Windows. We plugged in the Windows server and ran around releasing and renewing IP addresses on the machines currently in use. also set printers to static IP addresses and reconfigured the software on machines that print to those printers.
Spent afternoon at Blevins, mapping out the rollover from Netware to Windows. We plugged in the Windows server and ran around releasing and renewing IP addresses on the machines currently in use. also set printers to static IP addresses and reconfigured the software on machines that print to those printers.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Monday, Tuesday, and most of Wednesday
Monday - I spent most of the day at Blevins School District. I used my Fox-and-Hound to help located a few network wires that seemed to go "nowhere fast." Turned out they really did go somewhere, but they weren't plugged in to anything. We remedied that. I also worked on some wireless issue they were having in one of the buildings. Turns out the wireless router was defective (most likely after a recent storm).
While working on the wireless, I spent time talking with/working with the Instructional Technology Specialist about her new job, duties, etc.
After I returned to the Co-op, I answered phone calls and emails from vendors and techs until quitting time, at which point I went with my boss to her house to try and get her home network set up so she could work from home. This had been working in the past, but for some reason quit working. After several hours, we decided to call it quits, take a break and approach it again on Wednesday.
Tuesday - I spent the day at Bradley schools troubleshooting several issues, ranging from the switchover from server-based Renaissance Learning tools to the web-based version, several laptop/networking issues, connectivity issues in several classrooms (and HS library). The tech and I checked out several projectors with apparent color wheel problems (a known issue) and one projector that seems to have a bad extra-long VGA cable. I will return to the district to help narrow that problem down at a later date.
I also worked in the Early Childhood room, setting up a new computer for the students to use, troubleshooting viruses/malware, and setting up one of the student computers for printing.
Before heading to Bradley Tuesday morning, I helped get the lab set up for Neil Gibson to host a data workshop.
Wednesday - Helped set up the conference room for a presenter (a/v system, internet, dvd playback, etc). Worked on several server-related issues (trying to get ISA server to route traffice to certain web front-ends). At lunch, I went to the boss' house and was able to fix the connectivity issue so she can now work from home.
At 2:00, I got a call from the Hope early childhood program about a database issue in regards to Batelle Reporting. Headed out to see what I could do to help fix it.
While working on the wireless, I spent time talking with/working with the Instructional Technology Specialist about her new job, duties, etc.
After I returned to the Co-op, I answered phone calls and emails from vendors and techs until quitting time, at which point I went with my boss to her house to try and get her home network set up so she could work from home. This had been working in the past, but for some reason quit working. After several hours, we decided to call it quits, take a break and approach it again on Wednesday.
Tuesday - I spent the day at Bradley schools troubleshooting several issues, ranging from the switchover from server-based Renaissance Learning tools to the web-based version, several laptop/networking issues, connectivity issues in several classrooms (and HS library). The tech and I checked out several projectors with apparent color wheel problems (a known issue) and one projector that seems to have a bad extra-long VGA cable. I will return to the district to help narrow that problem down at a later date.
I also worked in the Early Childhood room, setting up a new computer for the students to use, troubleshooting viruses/malware, and setting up one of the student computers for printing.
Before heading to Bradley Tuesday morning, I helped get the lab set up for Neil Gibson to host a data workshop.
Wednesday - Helped set up the conference room for a presenter (a/v system, internet, dvd playback, etc). Worked on several server-related issues (trying to get ISA server to route traffice to certain web front-ends). At lunch, I went to the boss' house and was able to fix the connectivity issue so she can now work from home.
At 2:00, I got a call from the Hope early childhood program about a database issue in regards to Batelle Reporting. Headed out to see what I could do to help fix it.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Monday
October 4
I drove straight to Fouke. On the way, it occurred to me that they were most likely having issues due to a loop in the network. I called the co-op and had the technology clerk (Terry) ping the Fouke server from her desktop. She was able to hit it, though it was intermittent. I then called the school to see if their distance learning system was still functioning. It was. These are both good signs. It means that the problem is local (since we could see their server from outside their network) and that it was only affecting "data" traffic and not traffic on the compressed video side of things.
When I got to Fouke, we went to the core closet to start troubleshooting. After quite a while (they have a LOT of connections coming into their core), we were able to isolate the problem down to the High School. At the high school, we were able to further limit the trouble to the distance learning lab. And, once there, we had it nailed down to a switch that had gone bad. We swapped it out with another one, and started hooking things up. Uh oh. Still problems. We narrowed it down to ANOTHER bad switch in the same room. That was pure luck, fate, divine intervention, you name it. After we swapped that one out, we still had an issue. Turns out, there WAS a loop in the network at that second switch! Once that was taken care of, we let everyone know they could get back online and we checked connections. About that time, DIS showed up and we went to the core closet and he (Neil) began running a test on his Fluke. While that was running, we went to the server room.
While in the server room, I realized I had left my phone in the car. I got it and had a message from the office. My server closet was running 90+ degrees!! Whoa! I left Fouke and immediately headed back to the office. As I got close to the office, I got a call about a distance learning event coming up at 1pm (it was about noon when I got the call). I tried talking our Distance Learning coordinator through the connection set up, but I could not visualize the core layout for DL and ended up at the office about 10 minutes until the program started. Through some troubleshooting, we got the DL up and going but had no sound. Actually, it turned out we had sound but the far end was muted. On top of that, the far end was presenting too far from the microphone for most sites to hear. I ultimately connected some powerful speakers to the system and made it through. In the meantime, I was running back and forth to the server room to get the temperature down. I believe I have it fixed, but won't really know until Tuesday morning.
I took a very brief lunch before heading back to the office to check email, answer voicemail, and take care of some E-Rate related issues. One of the things I had in my inbox was a message from SLD about our PIA (Program Integrity something or other) review. I had to answer five questions, and hopefully that will move our FY10-11 funds along! Yes, we are still waiting for FY10-11 funds! UGH... I also called the air conditioner folks about a remote for the unit in the server room and for an instruction book.
And then, it was after 4pm. Time flies!
I drove straight to Fouke. On the way, it occurred to me that they were most likely having issues due to a loop in the network. I called the co-op and had the technology clerk (Terry) ping the Fouke server from her desktop. She was able to hit it, though it was intermittent. I then called the school to see if their distance learning system was still functioning. It was. These are both good signs. It means that the problem is local (since we could see their server from outside their network) and that it was only affecting "data" traffic and not traffic on the compressed video side of things.
When I got to Fouke, we went to the core closet to start troubleshooting. After quite a while (they have a LOT of connections coming into their core), we were able to isolate the problem down to the High School. At the high school, we were able to further limit the trouble to the distance learning lab. And, once there, we had it nailed down to a switch that had gone bad. We swapped it out with another one, and started hooking things up. Uh oh. Still problems. We narrowed it down to ANOTHER bad switch in the same room. That was pure luck, fate, divine intervention, you name it. After we swapped that one out, we still had an issue. Turns out, there WAS a loop in the network at that second switch! Once that was taken care of, we let everyone know they could get back online and we checked connections. About that time, DIS showed up and we went to the core closet and he (Neil) began running a test on his Fluke. While that was running, we went to the server room.
While in the server room, I realized I had left my phone in the car. I got it and had a message from the office. My server closet was running 90+ degrees!! Whoa! I left Fouke and immediately headed back to the office. As I got close to the office, I got a call about a distance learning event coming up at 1pm (it was about noon when I got the call). I tried talking our Distance Learning coordinator through the connection set up, but I could not visualize the core layout for DL and ended up at the office about 10 minutes until the program started. Through some troubleshooting, we got the DL up and going but had no sound. Actually, it turned out we had sound but the far end was muted. On top of that, the far end was presenting too far from the microphone for most sites to hear. I ultimately connected some powerful speakers to the system and made it through. In the meantime, I was running back and forth to the server room to get the temperature down. I believe I have it fixed, but won't really know until Tuesday morning.
I took a very brief lunch before heading back to the office to check email, answer voicemail, and take care of some E-Rate related issues. One of the things I had in my inbox was a message from SLD about our PIA (Program Integrity something or other) review. I had to answer five questions, and hopefully that will move our FY10-11 funds along! Yes, we are still waiting for FY10-11 funds! UGH... I also called the air conditioner folks about a remote for the unit in the server room and for an instruction book.
And then, it was after 4pm. Time flies!
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
08/17/2010
8a-4p - More moving, more network patching, more general helping out. The air conditioning guys came down to look at one of the systems. Turns out is had bad wiring. I really can't remember what all happened on Tuesday. I do know that at 3pm, I headed up to a school that was having problems with connecting to distance learning provider. As it turns out, the school could connect to three other providers. I recommended the school contact the one provider that wasn't able to connect and have them troubleshoot their issue(s).
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
08/16/2010
8a - 430p
Mainly spent the day patching phones from the phone system to their assigned ports. Er, that was the plan anyway. Spent much of the morning over at the old building picking out things that still needed to be moved. After lunch, I went back to the patching. According to the folks that ran the wiring, there is a scheme they followed: From the first jack on the lft, go around the room in sequential order (so, if room 115 has three jacks, the first on left is 115/1, then 115/2, and 115/3. I should be able to look at the phone jacked into the wall, determine the jack number based on room and location and plug in the patch wire in the wiring closet. As it turns out, however, not every room follows the pattern. Add to that, some rooms are even labeled incorrectly (one jack in room 224 actually terminates as 113/2). AUGH! I spent a lot of time using the FOX and HOUND to find which wires went where.
By using the device (FOX shown above), I can plug a wire from the wall into the FOX then use the HOUND (which generates a high-pitched tone) to figure out where the cable lands in the closet. Best invention EVER!
Of course, LOTS of other things came up during the day as we are still moving things in, trying to get things organized, etc. I am putting myself under a lot of pressure to get things done quickly. My boss is pretty laid back about it.
Mainly spent the day patching phones from the phone system to their assigned ports. Er, that was the plan anyway. Spent much of the morning over at the old building picking out things that still needed to be moved. After lunch, I went back to the patching. According to the folks that ran the wiring, there is a scheme they followed: From the first jack on the lft, go around the room in sequential order (so, if room 115 has three jacks, the first on left is 115/1, then 115/2, and 115/3. I should be able to look at the phone jacked into the wall, determine the jack number based on room and location and plug in the patch wire in the wiring closet. As it turns out, however, not every room follows the pattern. Add to that, some rooms are even labeled incorrectly (one jack in room 224 actually terminates as 113/2). AUGH! I spent a lot of time using the FOX and HOUND to find which wires went where.
By using the device (FOX shown above), I can plug a wire from the wall into the FOX then use the HOUND (which generates a high-pitched tone) to figure out where the cable lands in the closet. Best invention EVER!
Of course, LOTS of other things came up during the day as we are still moving things in, trying to get things organized, etc. I am putting myself under a lot of pressure to get things done quickly. My boss is pretty laid back about it.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
08/12/2010
8a- 930a - Helped a school district set up a redirect from their old website to their new one. Also helped the tech get ConsoleOne and NWADMIN32 running on his workstation. We also looked at a connectivity issue in the computer lab and got it resolved.
10a - 4pm - Drove back to co-op and spent the day breaking down a couple labs, moving and packing, etc.
4p-5:30p - Shut down servers and router, loaded up the equipment and moved it to the new building. We had a bit of a scare during the move. Friday will tell us if everything still works the way it should.
10a - 4pm - Drove back to co-op and spent the day breaking down a couple labs, moving and packing, etc.
4p-5:30p - Shut down servers and router, loaded up the equipment and moved it to the new building. We had a bit of a scare during the move. Friday will tell us if everything still works the way it should.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
08/11/2010
8a-915a - Went to one of our early childhood sites to set up the computer, smartboard, sound etc.
915a-930a - Met with Health Liaison regarding a workshop. Presenter needed a speaker system. Met with presenter (tech from one of our area schools) about their upcoming switch to Exchange Server. I am hoping to be able to get down there for "hand-holding" if possible.
While I was at the early childhood site, there was a staff meeting at the main office. We begin moving this weekend.
950a - Helped get the presenters hooked up with their presentation and on the wireless mic system.
10:00a-1030a - Email & co-worker discussions
1030a - Met with Director and Assistant Director then went to new building to check status of T1 Demarc placement. At some point yesterday, I talked with our phone installer and let them know that they should be able to come out on Friday to install our upgraded phone system. I forgot to document that yesterday.
Network Demarc looks good, though I now have a concern that we will not have enough facilities for our phone services. This should be interesting come Friday. Have I said that already?
11:30-Noon - Continued cleaning/packing the office for the big move.
1:00p-2:00p - Continued to pack and clean office.
2p-330p - Email, phone support, spam filter configuration/quarantined message cleanup
3:30-4:45p - Met with Director, Assistant Director and other personnel regarding packing and prepping for the move! Wahoo!!
915a-930a - Met with Health Liaison regarding a workshop. Presenter needed a speaker system. Met with presenter (tech from one of our area schools) about their upcoming switch to Exchange Server. I am hoping to be able to get down there for "hand-holding" if possible.
While I was at the early childhood site, there was a staff meeting at the main office. We begin moving this weekend.
950a - Helped get the presenters hooked up with their presentation and on the wireless mic system.
10:00a-1030a - Email & co-worker discussions
1030a - Met with Director and Assistant Director then went to new building to check status of T1 Demarc placement. At some point yesterday, I talked with our phone installer and let them know that they should be able to come out on Friday to install our upgraded phone system. I forgot to document that yesterday.
Network Demarc looks good, though I now have a concern that we will not have enough facilities for our phone services. This should be interesting come Friday. Have I said that already?
11:30-Noon - Continued cleaning/packing the office for the big move.
1:00p-2:00p - Continued to pack and clean office.
2p-330p - Email, phone support, spam filter configuration/quarantined message cleanup
3:30-4:45p - Met with Director, Assistant Director and other personnel regarding packing and prepping for the move! Wahoo!!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
08/10/2010
8:30a - 9:45a - Worked with Prescott schools during their Pinnacle software update. The update was performed via remote desktop session from tech support with Pinnacle. Ran into a couple snags during the configuration phase, but between the three of us, figured everything out and the software is ready for the 2010 school year rollover!
10:00a-12noon - Taught teachers how to access their new classroom portals, including posting announcement, events, photos, etc. Also discussed adding students and creating groups based on class periods, dropping students into those groups, then setting permissions so students could only participate in their assigned period discussions, etc.
12:00-12:15p - Talked to AT&T about moving the T1 connections. He had mistakenly been told to move the lines TODAY! Whoa! I am glad he called me! He said he would put everything in place and then we would be able to "flip the switch" on Friday to get connectivity to our new building.
1:00p-2:00p - Helped user recover distribution list that had been mistakenly deleted. Talked with Phoebe about the upcoming move, the convo with AT&T, and other issues related to the new building.
2:00p-2:20p - Talked with Bradley administrative assistant regarding her limited access to perform certain functions on her computer. Walked her through the process of adding her to the local admins group. Once done, she had access to all the software she needed to run (signage, Office, etc).
2:40-3:45p - Worked with Bob Cochenour at Western Co-op regarding a business-facing Facebook page. We set up the page then spent a considerable amount of time trying to lock down the page to meet their needs. Evidently, there is some 'super-secret' to getting Facebook to "let" you do that. Apparently, there is a "whitelisting" process that can provide this. Of course, actually getting support from facebook is impossible to find. It amazes me that we, as a society, allow ourselves to post and host personal information on a site that provides no easy means for contacting the people that run the show. There is something not right about that, I think.
During this process, I also helped one of our users with her login and password. I anticipate several folks needing that help as they return to schools after being off in the summer (and not checking email).
3:45p-4:00p - Called Bradley schools to talk with HS Principal regarding the IP addresses for their video systems. Apparently, DLC had to cancel a few of their classes at the last minute. Luckily, ASMSA stepped in and will provide the needed classes. I also gave her the phone number to ArkansasIDEAS because she has a teacher that could not log in. I tried to locate the teacher with the STIN lookup tool that state techs have access to, but she did not appear in the database.
10:00a-12noon - Taught teachers how to access their new classroom portals, including posting announcement, events, photos, etc. Also discussed adding students and creating groups based on class periods, dropping students into those groups, then setting permissions so students could only participate in their assigned period discussions, etc.
12:00-12:15p - Talked to AT&T about moving the T1 connections. He had mistakenly been told to move the lines TODAY! Whoa! I am glad he called me! He said he would put everything in place and then we would be able to "flip the switch" on Friday to get connectivity to our new building.
1:00p-2:00p - Helped user recover distribution list that had been mistakenly deleted. Talked with Phoebe about the upcoming move, the convo with AT&T, and other issues related to the new building.
2:00p-2:20p - Talked with Bradley administrative assistant regarding her limited access to perform certain functions on her computer. Walked her through the process of adding her to the local admins group. Once done, she had access to all the software she needed to run (signage, Office, etc).
2:40-3:45p - Worked with Bob Cochenour at Western Co-op regarding a business-facing Facebook page. We set up the page then spent a considerable amount of time trying to lock down the page to meet their needs. Evidently, there is some 'super-secret' to getting Facebook to "let" you do that. Apparently, there is a "whitelisting" process that can provide this. Of course, actually getting support from facebook is impossible to find. It amazes me that we, as a society, allow ourselves to post and host personal information on a site that provides no easy means for contacting the people that run the show. There is something not right about that, I think.
During this process, I also helped one of our users with her login and password. I anticipate several folks needing that help as they return to schools after being off in the summer (and not checking email).
3:45p-4:00p - Called Bradley schools to talk with HS Principal regarding the IP addresses for their video systems. Apparently, DLC had to cancel a few of their classes at the last minute. Luckily, ASMSA stepped in and will provide the needed classes. I also gave her the phone number to ArkansasIDEAS because she has a teacher that could not log in. I tried to locate the teacher with the STIN lookup tool that state techs have access to, but she did not appear in the database.
Monday, August 9, 2010
08/09/2010
8:00am - Helped a couple presenters get set up for presentations. The phone rang, and the tech from one district called to let me know that the power had gone out over the weekend, and now the server had an "IP Conflict" error on the screen. This is never a good sign and usually means a computer on campus is infected with software that makes that computer think *it* is the server.
I was able to remote into their server from my office and I could see the server was trying to acquire an IP address on a secondary network card. That is not normal for a server, as servers should have assigned addresses. I checked the settings and everything seemed okay. The tech unplugged all the wires from the main switch (including the router at one point, which gave us both a chuckle since suddenly my connection dropped!), and then plugged them back in one-by-one until the error message came back up again. Or, that was the plan. The error never came back up.
8:45am - I had to interrupt the phone call in order to help one of the presenters. After that, I met briefly with the Early Childhood Coordinator to talk about our upcoming office move.
8:55am - I called the tech back at the school. Everything looks good, right? Nope. The server still showed it was trying to get an address. I disabled that card, and then PINGed the server's address. BINGO! Another machine was using the same address. One-by-one, I had the tech unplug a connection, then I would PING again. When she unplugged her tech workstation, the PINGs stopped replying. We found the culprit!
I had the tech check the properties and sure enough, under "Alternate Configuration," the workstation had been set to use the server's IP address. I have no idea how or why that was set like that. I had her change the setting back to "Private" and the conflict went away. I re-enabled the network card on the server and everything worked great. Almost.
The tech machine would no longer get an address from the server. When all else fails, reboot. After the computer rebooted, it grabbed a new address and everything worked fine so far as we can tell! Wahoo!
Now, at some point, we need to flush DNS and DHCP so the server can attribute the correct names with the correct addresses, but that's something we can do later. They don't really do anything using DNS internally, so it does not "actually" affect their network. (Yes, I know that's not exactly right, but for the pinch, it works).
*Mental mistake on my part: I did not fully understand that her tech machine (located next to the server) was the one giving the error as well. This would have saved some troubleshooting steps - namely, we would not have had to unplug each of the connections at the switch. Call it a learning experience.
9:30am - Finished the phone conversation with the tech, typed up the summary above, then called Asus because I have yet to receive the shipping instructions to send back the 1201N I worked on last week. I gave the tech my RMA number. he was very friendly and sent a new email out with the information. Now, I just have to wait to see if it gets here. If it is not here by noon, I will call back with my yahoo address.
9:45am - Called AT&T to let them know the address our new building changed - not the physical location, mind you, just the numbers associated with our new building. This may be one of those times where *not* saying anything would have been the right path to take. Guess we'll find out come Friday when the services are scheduled to be moved.
10:00am - Began installation of OpenOffice in the computer lab for a training taking place tomorrow.
10:45am - During install, called to Director's office to meet regarding a spreadsheet to keep track of Medicaid billing forms. The meeting also covered topics related to moving into the new building.
11:00am - Returned to computer lab to finish OpenOffice installation.
11:30am - Returned a phone call to AT&T about the new building address. And, just as I had suspected earlier, I have muddied the waters. There now seems to be confusion about physically moving the wiring that is already in place at our new building. So much for trying to do the right thing....thus far. We'll see how it goes from here. Had to leave a message. Will wait for return call.
11:40 - Began cleaning out SPAM filter. 12:10pm - finished (also had a brief meeting with the Workforce Ed coordinator regarding upcoming move during that time)
Around 1:00pm, I took a package over to the UPS store to have the malfunctioning laptop sent off to ASUS. Turns out the reason I was not getting the RMA information is because the email comes from a .TW domain, and we block those. Good thing I have an alternate offsite address to use.
Around 1:15pm, I headed over to the new building. I spent over two hours working with the alarm guys, elevator guy and meeting with the Director about other issues.
At 3:20pm, I made it back to the co-op to wrap up the day. Whew!
I was able to remote into their server from my office and I could see the server was trying to acquire an IP address on a secondary network card. That is not normal for a server, as servers should have assigned addresses. I checked the settings and everything seemed okay. The tech unplugged all the wires from the main switch (including the router at one point, which gave us both a chuckle since suddenly my connection dropped!), and then plugged them back in one-by-one until the error message came back up again. Or, that was the plan. The error never came back up.
8:45am - I had to interrupt the phone call in order to help one of the presenters. After that, I met briefly with the Early Childhood Coordinator to talk about our upcoming office move.
8:55am - I called the tech back at the school. Everything looks good, right? Nope. The server still showed it was trying to get an address. I disabled that card, and then PINGed the server's address. BINGO! Another machine was using the same address. One-by-one, I had the tech unplug a connection, then I would PING again. When she unplugged her tech workstation, the PINGs stopped replying. We found the culprit!
I had the tech check the properties and sure enough, under "Alternate Configuration," the workstation had been set to use the server's IP address. I have no idea how or why that was set like that. I had her change the setting back to "Private" and the conflict went away. I re-enabled the network card on the server and everything worked great. Almost.
The tech machine would no longer get an address from the server. When all else fails, reboot. After the computer rebooted, it grabbed a new address and everything worked fine so far as we can tell! Wahoo!
Now, at some point, we need to flush DNS and DHCP so the server can attribute the correct names with the correct addresses, but that's something we can do later. They don't really do anything using DNS internally, so it does not "actually" affect their network. (Yes, I know that's not exactly right, but for the pinch, it works).
*Mental mistake on my part: I did not fully understand that her tech machine (located next to the server) was the one giving the error as well. This would have saved some troubleshooting steps - namely, we would not have had to unplug each of the connections at the switch. Call it a learning experience.
9:30am - Finished the phone conversation with the tech, typed up the summary above, then called Asus because I have yet to receive the shipping instructions to send back the 1201N I worked on last week. I gave the tech my RMA number. he was very friendly and sent a new email out with the information. Now, I just have to wait to see if it gets here. If it is not here by noon, I will call back with my yahoo address.
9:45am - Called AT&T to let them know the address our new building changed - not the physical location, mind you, just the numbers associated with our new building. This may be one of those times where *not* saying anything would have been the right path to take. Guess we'll find out come Friday when the services are scheduled to be moved.
10:00am - Began installation of OpenOffice in the computer lab for a training taking place tomorrow.
10:45am - During install, called to Director's office to meet regarding a spreadsheet to keep track of Medicaid billing forms. The meeting also covered topics related to moving into the new building.
11:00am - Returned to computer lab to finish OpenOffice installation.
11:30am - Returned a phone call to AT&T about the new building address. And, just as I had suspected earlier, I have muddied the waters. There now seems to be confusion about physically moving the wiring that is already in place at our new building. So much for trying to do the right thing....thus far. We'll see how it goes from here. Had to leave a message. Will wait for return call.
11:40 - Began cleaning out SPAM filter. 12:10pm - finished (also had a brief meeting with the Workforce Ed coordinator regarding upcoming move during that time)
Around 1:00pm, I took a package over to the UPS store to have the malfunctioning laptop sent off to ASUS. Turns out the reason I was not getting the RMA information is because the email comes from a .TW domain, and we block those. Good thing I have an alternate offsite address to use.
Around 1:15pm, I headed over to the new building. I spent over two hours working with the alarm guys, elevator guy and meeting with the Director about other issues.
At 3:20pm, I made it back to the co-op to wrap up the day. Whew!
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