Why Virtualize?

October 24, 2016Tech AdministrationBrian Pool

<![CDATA[There are a lot of reasons to consider virtualizing your servers. Here is a short list.

A virtualized server is easier to backup.
- You can export, snapshort, image, or use a vendor provided backup option.
A virtualized server is easier to move to new hardware when needed.
- Easier hardware upgrades!
- Backup and restore to the new machine with increased capability.
- Add virtual drives, NICs, on the fly and they just appear on the server.
You can separate server roles so that if you are upgrading a single role, only one server is affected.
- I can’t oversell separating roles! If you have an AD, DNS, DHCP, File Server, Print server…you need to separate some things! While AD, DNS, DHCP may go together, print and file servers do not, they belong on their own servers.
You maximize your computing resources.
- You can afford a better machine if it is running 5 VMs on it, and when it needs power, it is there. Sharing 8 cores and 32Gb of RAM is cheap and runs 4 VMs easy.
It is more energy efficient (Go Green!)
- One PSU running those 4 VMs is 1/4 the power, enough said.
You can extend the life of old applications. If you have a piece of software that only works on an old OS, you can move that machine to a VM and have it rock on the new hardware. I hate keeping 2003 around, but the software only works on that OS, so we stripped everything else off of the server, virtualized, and can keep it running until the new software comes out.
Fast deployment.
- When I was asked if we could make a 2012R2 system for the new video surveillance system in a meeting I had the new server up before the meeting was over. (I have a 2012R2, 208R2, 2016 Sysprep and can make a server in 6 minutes)
- Did that impress my administrative team and the vendor? You bet. Be a IT superhero! 🙂
- I have a separate VM with no active machines on it for these fast requests and immediate needs. I move them later to the “right” place.
It is FREE! While there are obviously versions that do cost. VMWare ESXi is free and HyperV comes with your copy of Windows Server.

Our current VMWare servers are 20 core i7s with128Gb of DDR4 RAM. We use a 2Tb M2 SSD as well as additional 2Tb 850 Pros as needed. The server can maintain 10+ servers without seeming to be running more than 1. The cost per server are around 4000. We reuse the server cases but include new gold rated PSUs with a new build.]]>

Windows Server 2016 RDS Client Server

October 18, 2016IT Support, Staff Tech ReviewsGerrit Anderson

<![CDATA[Windows Server 2016 : Remote Desktop Services
This guide will walk you through how to setup Remote Desktop Session Host on Server 2016. Our application of this role is to provide a central connection server for thin client users. There are two parts of this guide, the licensing server and connection server. This guide covers the connection server, and assumes you have already setup a licensing server named “TRAIL5”.

Connection Server
After creating a new Windows Server 2016 server, open the server dashboard and add “Remote Desktop Services”. (figure 1-1)

Continue through the wizard by clicking next, without adding features. The next screen will display role services for remote desktop services. Add “Remote Desktop Gateway” and “Remote Desktop Session Host” and then finish the wizard. (figure 1-2)

After Installation completes, restart the server as required. Once restart has completed, create a group policy to define the licensing information. This can be achieved on the local machine by running “gpedit.msc” or by creating a group policy object applied to the container in which this server resides. Local policy can be applied at the following path: Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Remote Desktop Services > Remote Desktop Session Host > Licensing. This is where you set the licensing server and type. (figure 1-3)

A policy that is applied through group policy rather than locally would be below. (figure 1-4)

Once this policy is applied, you may restart the server. After a restart, it will be fully licensed and ready to use.

This guide was to setup the client access server portion of a remote desktop environment. To setup the licensing server to process CAL’s, please see this post.]]>

Linux vs. Windows

September 27, 2016OS Reviewsred code

<![CDATA[Linux vs. Windows
I like Linux and Windows but one of them is obviously more appealing to me. I like Linux better for a multitude of reasons that show it is either better than Windows or generally good. Windows does not have half of what Linux offers when it comes to customization, but cost $100-$200. “Windows 10 Pro would sell at $199 and Windows 10 Home would cost $119”, (www.techtimes.com) this is the going price for Windows OS right now. Linux however is completely free of charge and easy to download.
Linux if fast just like Windows I cannot tell which is faster if one is. I think we should use it for the school PC so that way the school can save money on an OS and Linux is safer than Windows when it comes to virus prevention. According to an article provided by Mr. Pool, Linux gets less viruses and has less of a chance to get viruses. It is simple to use, and makes you put in an admin password to delete or change important files, so no one should be able to mess up your computer that way. It has all the software we need for school; we should definitely switch.
I wish I was able to use this before today, I would have used it with every PC I have ever owned. I wonder how I was not able to find and use it until now. Originally I figured it would be a knock off of windows because it was free to use, but it is completely different and has everything you could want, and if not it has an easy software manager to find what you need. I would recommend this OS to anyone and everyone. Once downloaded and opened from my experience it only downloads what you want it to. Windows downloads what they think you want, “They are installing programs onto your computer before you purchase it, thinking they will improve your experience” (http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net).
It is actually compatible with almost any PC as well. You could download it on that dinosaur computer you have sitting in your basement and it will actually run like new and well like a new computer. It is supported by just about every computer and works great on them. Obviously with an older computer it can only operate so quickly but it is still does well. I have a computer at home that has no OS because it crashed during a reinstall of windows, I want to use Linux on it to restore it to a condition better than before. Another good thing is it installs so much faster than windows, and allows you to customize what you get and don’t get during the installation. I was able to use the Linux disc and complete repair the laptop, and it works like new again.
So Linux is if not faster than Windows, then just as fast. It installs more quickly than Windows, and allows you to customize what you want and don’t want. It also has less viruses along with, problems are fixed at a much more productive rate. It is absolutely free, which you will pay hundreds for Windows. Linux comes equipped with software you need for actual activities like reading a PDF instead of making you go search down a PDF reader like Adobe Reader. Overall Linux beats out Windows in just about every category. I would personally recommend this OS for everyone with a computer. Although I favor Linux, but this doesn’t mean I am saying for fact that it is better. I just personally feel this way about Linux and Windows

Work Cited

“Tech Times.” Tech times. N.p., n.d. Web.

“Why Linux Is Better.” Why Linux Is Better. N.p., Mar. 2003. Web. Sept. 2016.

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Linux vs The world

September 27, 2016OS ReviewsIan

Linux Vs Windows

September 23, 2016OS ReviewsNwellman

<![CDATA[Linux vs Windows is a never ending debate and i am going to tell you my thoughts on this popular discussion and maybe change your mind about the two Operating systems. Linux is a great operating system considering its free and it actually offers some things that window's doesn't offer. Linux is one of the least used operating systems according to that graph http://moodle.nationaltrail.k12.oh.us/mod/page/view.php?id=52064 . Though this is true i think its more because people don’t even know what Linux is because its free. I think that Linux offers a lot of different and better changes than what windows has but Windows is a equally as good operating system and arguably better if you know have a way of getting it or you just like the feel of it more and understand it. Linux is different in a lot of different ways then Windows and some of these things are Linux has basically no viruses and Windows can still get them. New computers running Windows have constant problems that people have complained about and are still not being fixed. When you first get a computer running Windows there are a lot of random tabs that constantly open asking you to subscribe and get these free games,apps and services that you later find out aren’t free and were just a free 30 day trial. So besides paying for this Windows operating system now you don’t even get free apps and services when you buy the OS. However when you’re on a Linux computer none of these things happen and your free Operating system is still free because you didn’t have to buy random things.
Linux is free and windows can cost $119-$200 depending on if you get the pro version or just the original.Linux doesn’t have to wait as long for bugs to be fixed or problems because its constantly being updated and changed which is nice. Windows is also constantly being updated but Linux is just slightly faster.You can change what your desktop is going to look like in Linux. Windows doesn’t really need to change what its desktop looks like because it already looks really good but that’s just another feature windows doesn’t have. Windows is a really good operating system but i don’t know if its worth that much money to have. Linux is free however as i already mentioned and does some things windows cant do and can do. Linux however doesn’t look as good in my opinion and if you are used to windows or any of the other Windows versions then it might be a weird switch to Linux. Linux has its own problems however. Linux is open source which means that you can change what it does yourself and this can be bad. Its not too big of a deal because changing it is all your choice and if you do something bad and change it a certain way then its your fault not Linux’s.
Overall I really like Linux and think that its a really good operating system. I think that Linux might not be good on our school PC’s because people are used to windows and might not know how to navigate Linux or just mess around with it all the time rather than doing their work. It might not be bad at our school’s if there was a class on it and people could learn how to use it first. I think it wouldn’t be good though on our school PC’s we just need to stick to Windows. I think the main reason why i haven’t used Linux before is because my brothers always got windows free from their colleges so they would just get me windows for free and i would just use it and i had nothing wrong with it. I might consider installing Linux if i get a newer computer just to try it out and see what its all about. I am kinda curious to see what it has to offer. My overall thought on Linux is that its a great operating system but it is one i think you need to know about before you use it and if you have windows then it isn’t really necessary to switch over unless you just absolutely don’t like windows at all which isn’t the case for most people. If you don’t have windows or any other operating system i would definitely consider using Linux since its free and you can get it right away.
I’ve talked a lot about Linux i feel that its better at the end of the day because it offers more then what Windows does and When it comes down to it I don’t want to spend money on Windows operating system when i can get Linux that’s free and offers just as much and has some things that Windows needs. Windows i will say has a more User Friendly feel and look to it but other than that i cant really find what it has going better for it than Linux. It doesn’t really offer much more than what Linux already has. So this is why I think that Linux is just a better Operating System.]]>

Linux vs. Windows

September 23, 2016OS ReviewsBranden

<![CDATA[After using Linux Mint for the past week, I have realized that Linux, at least in this version, is a pretty great OS — especially when you consider that it is completely free. I feel that because Linux is free, that is an automatic plus when you consider that you need to spend hundreds of dollars to get the programs necessary to run Windows (Cornet).
The display on Linux is decent considering that it is a free program, but I feel it is too close how Windows 7 looked to really feel unique. For example, the home menu is in the bottom left corner with the pinned programs displayed by their icons. This is all on the bottom of the screen, just like Windows. On an upside, this makes it an easier transition for a Windows user, like myself, to start getting into Linux. As a downside, however, you can’t help but compare the sleek design of Windows 7 to Mint’s layout.
Despite Windows having a better designed layout, I really do like Linux. It is far easier to set up a new Linux machine than a Windows machine because Linux comes with everything it needs: A good browser — unlike Internet Explorer– office programs, and the ability to quickly download other necessary programs. Linux is better when you consider the fact that you almost don’t have to worry about viruses, because most are written for Windows (Cornet). It also doesn’t help that I couldn’t find an article on the Internet giving reasons why you should use Windows 10 over Linux.
I feel that had we not already paid for Windows for the computers in the building, Linux would have been the better choice. It would save money that could be used to buy other things that our technology department might need because, as stated earlier, Linux is free. Paired with the fact that viruses are very rare in Linux, we wouldn’t have to worry about someone accidentally infecting their laptops. I feel that the reason why I haven’t personally used Linux is because I wasn’t completely sure how to change operating systems until recently.
In conclusion, for functionality and cost effectiveness, I would recommend Linux. Windows, however, definitely has a better looking layout than Linux Mint. Perhaps other Linux versions have better layouts, but I have only used Mint. Would I recommend Linux to update an old computer? Yes. The display isn’t so far behind Windows that I would feel annoyed with using it, so it would be a great fit to maybe bring an old computer “back to life.” Overall, I feel I should start looking for an old computer to fix, because I really like Linux.

Works Cited
Cornet, Manu. "Why Linux Is Better." Why Linux Is Better. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.whylinuxisbetter.net/>.
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What every K-12 Windows District Needs

May 22, 2016Ed Tech Teach, Moodle, Staff Tech ReviewsBrian Pool

<![CDATA[Note: This post assumes you are reading this as part of the technology staff of a K-12 Windows based school district. I am not a MAC guy and would not presume to know what a MAC district needs. I won't bore you with my credentials, but I have been in IT a while and in education since 2003.
I have recently been helping a new tech director and came to realize that there is little guidance out there on the minimum things a good district needs. Some of the things I have been suggesting are not at his new district and I would have assumed any tech staff would have those things. I realize that some readers may feel some of these are unnecessary and that other items should be added. Feel free to add your ideas in the comments section below. These are NOT in order, I think they are all required so order seems unimportant.
1. A VM (Virtual Machine) system. I have almost every server virtualized. Until 2012 I did not believe that a virtual server could run as well as a physical one. I was at a Spiceworks meeting and an acquaintance convinced me to try the free version of VMWare. I now use ESXi for all my virtualization. There are alot of reasons to virtualize servers.
2. A helpdesk system. I just mentioned Spiceworks so I might as well list that next. It is great, free, fully customizable, and runs easily on any Windows machine. There are others, but Spiceworks has a huge community and runs great. I LOVE spiceworks!
3. A Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) machine running and configured in your network. After it is setup (2 hours max) and added to your group policy all your machines will stop downloading updates from Microsoft (a big deal if you have 100s of machines) and just get them from you server instead. Mine is virtualized and on a 500Gb drive due to the size of downloads.   A properly configured WSUS downloads and accepts your defined approvals automatically. You should not have to touch this again after setup. You configure your AD to point to it and how the clients will process the updates.
4. A Key Management Server (KMS) to distribute your Microsoft keys to your servers and clients.   Installing actual keys on every client takes time and puts your key out on every machine a student logs on to.   Instead, you can put your keys onto a KMS server and never activate anything again. And, if a laptop is stolen, it will deactivate and stop working eventually. KMS was not a must with XP when we had corporate keys that were unlimited…that is no longer the case. Just do it!
5. Look into the Microsoft EES agreement. I am not a software renter by nature, but the EES agreement covers your operating systems on clients, servers, and CALs for a fraction of the cost. It covers unlimited clients with the price based on the number of employees in the district, not the number of computers. If you have anything close to 1:4 then you are way ahead going this route. We added Office (again way cheaper than buying even every 10 years) and employees can install it at home as well on the base price. It covers all the servers I am mentioning.
6.   An Imaging solution. We use FOG. I know there are lots of options and I have tried a couple. I have been using it for several years and am very happy with it. Free, PXE client boots, and works with everything we have tried. In the educational environment we reimage machines all the time, if you don’t you should. Labs are done almost monthly. It refreshes the KMS server count and makes sure that the testing systems are ready to go each cycle. I have all my servers pulled with FOG as well as images for my labs and other machines.
7. Fresh images for your machines. It goes without saying that being able image without having good images is worthless. I have a VM that holds the pertinent images. I update them there and repull them before doing anything major. Having a good imaging server and good images makes your life so much easier. These two items alone are worth their weight in gold. Every time we start a testing cycle I reimage (it is just a click on the Web GUI) all my testing machines. I know they are all fresh and ready to go. I also know that if I am spending more that 30 minutes on a software issue that instead I can just image a machine in 10 minutes (6 minutes to image and 2 reboots to rename and rejoin…all automatic.)
8.   2 AD servers. I think it goes without saying that a sole AD is a terrible idea. But I do know at least one tech director that only had one, and then it failed.   I have one physical and one virtual. I would recommend one at each campus if you are a multi-campus district. The AD should be organized in both the user and computer categories so you can have manage them with good group policies. My AD server does DNS and DHCP as well.
9. Group Policies you can easily maintain. If your AD is well organized, then good maintenance of your network is much more efficient with good policies. I install all printers, network drives, software installs, all through policies. That being said, too many policies can slow your network and ruin the user experience. Take care!
10. An LMS (Learning Management System.) There are a number of good ones. We use Moodle. It is the most full featured, very configurable, and the most powerful. It is not the easiest or the most intuitive. It will require PD, especially for your less tech savvy teachers, but is without doubt the best free option.    It doesn’t matter which LMS you choose if you at least have one. No school should be without an LMS is this day and age.
11. Become a Google district. Even if you use Office 365 (which we could but don’t) then there are enough things to make GAFE a great choice and make it worth your time. It is of course free, with unlimited storage, and a requirement to use Chromebooks in your school. It is worthwhile just to provide your teachers each a YouTube account to save classroom videos.   It is also a great place to keep all PD videos for your district. I record almost every PD session and more to provide a repository for staff to peruse at their convenience.
There are alot of parts that make up a good district. These are just some that seem to be missing in some districts I have helped.]]>

GeForce GTX 660

April 24, 2016NT IT Reviews, Video Card Reviewsbupdegraff

<![CDATA[

The graphics produced are very well and precise compared to most GPU’s. If you buy this from the company’s website you will get it for only $229. If you were to go to any other website the price would vary. If you have a son or daughter that loves to play games then this would be good for them. This video card is actually very small if you are comparing it to its wonderful performance.

Specifications:

Chip	GK106
CUDA Cores	960
Base Clock	980
Boost Clock	1033
Memory Configuration	2 GB
Memory Speed	6.0 Gbps
Memory Bandwidth	144 GB/s
Power Connectors	6-pin
Outputs	1 x DL-DVI-I 1 x DL-DVI-D 1 x HDMI Mini-DP
TDP	150 Watts
SLI Options	2-way
Price	$229

Maximum GPU Temperature	97 C
Maximum Graphics Card Power	140 W
Minimum System Power Requirement	450 W
Supplementary Power Connectors	1 6-pin

Works Cited

GeForce. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. <http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articles/geforce-gtx-660-650-launch#1>.

Toms Hardware. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2016. <http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-660-geforce-gtx-650-benchmark,3297-2.html>.

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GeForce GTX 980 Graphics Card

April 24, 2016NT IT Reviews, Video Card Reviewslunger

<![CDATA[

The GeForce GTX 980 is a high end video card made for gaming. It is one of the top rated video cards according to videobenchmark.net. The GPU (graphics processing unit) is made by Nvidia which is one of the leaders in graphics cards.

Here are some of the specifications of the card:

Core Clock Speed	1190 MHz
Memory Size	4GB
Memory Type	GDDR5
Ports	1 x HDMI, 3 x DisplayPort, 1 x DVI
Max Resolution	4096×2160
SLI Support	Quad SLI
Power Requirements	Recommended 500W Minimum Power Supply
Interface	PCI Express 3.0 x16

This card also features DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.4 which lets you render 2D and 3D graphics. The core clock speed is how fast the GPU operates so the higher the better. It features 4GB of memory on the graphics card so it can be faster and not have to transport data across the motherboard to the RAM. It has GDDR5 which is the newest and fastest memory available. SLI is how many other video cards it will work with, so in this case it can link 4 video cards together to produce a single picture. It uses two fans to cool it and requires a power supply with a minimum of 500 watts. The graphics card also requires two 8-pin power connector. It features 3 different clock speeds including OC (over clock) mode which is maximum performance, Gaming mode which is a balance between best speed and increased fan performance and silent mode which is best for the least amount of fan noise. It is priced on newegg.com for $479.99.

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ASUS Radeon R9 390 Graphics Card

April 23, 2016Video Card ReviewsMichelle

<![CDATA[

Who is ASUS?

ASUS is a Taiwanese company named after the Greek creature, the Pegasus, a mythical winged horse, to symbolize both wisdom and knowledge. ASUS has made incredible technological advancements through an array of PC components, tablets, and ultrabooks, all developed with their over 11,000 employees. It is a trusted company who lives by it’s slogan “In Search of Incredible.”

Card Background

The ASUS Radeon R9 390. It is AMD’s most recent line up of available graphics cards. Advanced Micro Devices or AMD is a semiconductor and microprocessor company, which is very well known and the leading competitor to Intel, and who runs the Radeon GPU models. The card I am looking at, the ASUS Radeon R9 390, is an exceptional choice for gaming with an average of 4 to 5 star reviews. Many times people get caught up in poor customer support, but in an article by www.laptopmag.com they ranked ASUS in the top 10 of tech support, finding that the company was extremely responsive and active with social media and their customer support services, than in past years. ASUS is doing all it can to better improve its company, and the service it gives to their customers.

Specifications:

Graphics Engine	AMD Radeon R9 390
Bus Standard	PCI Express 3.0
Video Memory	GDDR5 8GB
Engine Clock	1050 MHz
Memory Clock	6000 MHz (GDDR5)
Memory Interface	512-bit
Resolution	Digital Max Resolution:4096×2160
Interface	DVI Output x1 HDMI Output x1 Display Port x3 Included HDCP Support
Power Consumption	Up to 300W additional 6+8 pin PCIe power required
Accessories	1 x Power Cable 1 x STRIX Laser Sticker
Software	ASUS GPU Tweak II and Drivers
Dimensions	11.8” x 5.42” x 1.57” Inch 30 x 13.77 x4 Centimeter

Interface Details:

This card includes some interesting digital ports and connections. Such as HDMI, Display port, and HDCP support. DVI stands for Digital Visual Interface and can be used to connect computer monitors. DisplayPort can connect computer monitors, and carry audio, USB, and other forms of data. DisplayPort is very similar to HDMI, or High Definition Multimedia Interface. It has become the main standard, and can connect an array of digital devices. It is very important to have a selection of digital connections, especially HDMI.

Along with the connections, there are some slightly hard to understand words in the specifications. The bus standard is the standard that at which data can be transferred and the connection it needs to do so. The video memory allows the graphics card to handle its own processes, and can use its own memory to handle complex graphics at a faster rate. The memory clock speed is the rate and speed at which the memory actually runs, while the memory interface is basically how much memory can go through, but isn’t as important as it used to be. When comparing the memory interface on Graphics Cards, I recommend a higher model, and increased number, for they are preferred for better performance. The card also includes a OpenGL of 4.4. This means that the standard application interface can be used to define 2-D and 3-D graphics, which works with the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) to render images.

Features:

The features on the ASUS Radeon R9 390 are very expansive and can be utilized very well. The fans on the Radeon are made with aero-space grade quality in mind, making it a reliable choice with a silent Triple Wing-Blade 0dB Fan Design, which allows max air flow. Not only does this graphics card have fans, but has it’s own heat-sink capabilities as well. The DirectCU III with 10mm Heatpipe allows your GPU to have 40% less heat going to it for cooler gaming performance. Not only does this card have incredible hardware, but software too. Introducing the GPU Tweak II with XSplit Gamecaster, you can overclock and monitor your card, in a visual and easy to use way. You can also use the gaming booster to help the game run, and even record and stream your game-play directly without any other software than what comes in the box.

Company Trust

The following video deeply describes ASUS Auto-Extreme Technology, which adds aero-space grade quality and reliability to their products.

https://youtu.be/4gRpuurPsuc

If interested in this graphics card, you can buy it here. Thank you for viewing and reading this article.

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