July15- the last day's blog- VOIP

July 15

thanks Lyle and Morris for a fantastic 2 tech courses !!!

theory and hands on practice .

Log into switch via telnet run the 5 telnet commands from a networked computer into our switch.

We ran the 5 commands with the command prompt
1)Qos enable, 2)qos trust ports, 3)qos apply, 4)write memory, 5) copy working certified.This established QOS the QOS on our switch.
We went to our machines on the S was the xlite software . We installed this software onto our desktop.
We made these setting s changes on the xlite software .
Softphone/account settings /user details
User id 6010
Domain 192.168.181.251
Password 112233
We unselected the domain proxy

In the second softphone menu we went to preferences/Network and selected L

For QOS use softphone /preferences/QOS/select Audio QOS/use dscp/Tos value and the default is 46.

Look for DSCP should be 46 across the supernet .It is highlighted in the areathat equals 46.. which is what we are looking for .
We were able to make and receive call to members of our cohort by dailing the 4 code number . 60 was the first 2 digits for everyone and we put the last 2 digits of everyones network.
6024 was rock and GAils network and we were able to connect to it , and analyse our qos.

Thursday July 14 -virtual machine

Blog July 14 Day 9
Maurice discussed security. This is a vital topic and was well connected to our visit to Blackbridge yesterday. The need for backups and redundancy is a very important as we need access to our data in a timely fashion. I was surprised to hear about the lack of redundancy of the supernet in all areas of the province, rather than the core. I liked the idea of different levels of saving daily/weekly/monthly that Morris had shown, as it would be an idea I will implement on our SIS.
Lyle did a further discussion on virtual servers. These are a more robust machine than a regular server, but can run more than one server. It usually has multiple processors and higher levels of RAM. The virtual server takes advantage of the downtime in the processor to run a different application. One benefit of a virtual machine is that you don’t use a lot of power for a variety of servers.
He also ran a program packet sniffer to allow visualizing traffic from the internet across a server. We were able to see traffic coming across the core switch as he had programmed port 8 to be read. We could not log on one of the other networks servers and see the traffic. We did shut down all our switches for Morris presentation due to noise, just before Lyles presentation, so that may have caused default settings to revert.

We had the opportunity to run a virtual red hat linux machine on one of our Windows 7 enterprise workstation.
We had to log onto the s drive on the server .Our instructor installed the requirements on the server. as they are free I will run this virtual machine on my computer at home.

We had to run the setup_magic disc . We opened it up and it ran on our computer. There was a icon on the bottom right with a disc. We clicked on this and it allowed us to enable the virtual DVD, in this case the E drive.
Install the operating system on your virtual machine. We had to run the CentOS-6.0-i386-bin-DVD via the virtual DVD. This went through it’s processes. There was a few times that we would loose mouse control. We would select the CTRL on the right side of the keyboard. This was something I have never done before.
Once this program was done we were able to run the VirtualBox-4.0.10-72479-Win program from the s drive. This program was very simple to run . Just follow the prompts. The password we chose was admin5769. The only error was the first time I ran the default setting instead of the desktop version, and I gor a line command instead of the GUI for this OS. Once I reran it with this selection of Desktop, it worked fine and we got the GUI This setup also put the Oracle VM virtual box Manager, where we could see the preview of what the redhat os was running,
The login required a password which was admin5769 for the user js
The last install was the Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-4. This gave us full features such as the full screen. We initially could not get the Firefox browser to open on the virtual machine. We had to go to the Virtualbox manager/machine/settings/network/adapter 1 and check the enable box.

This allowed the network card to operate, as initially it had not, and thus we were able to open the Internet using Firefox. as the picture at the top of this blog proves.

A virtual machine setup and operational, who would have thought.

Now I canclaim to be a real geek as I can say I know how to play in Linux.

Bring on the Voip Phone Lyle !!!!!!!!

day 8 july 13 -printers and field trip

Blog day 8 july 13
Installing a printer group policy on AD, as well as the driver for a Xerox phaser 4510 printer, and be able to push the drivers to workstations on our OU .
The printer we installed was a Xerox Phaser 4510. It was decided beforehand that we would all install the postscript driver. Lyle explained that if we each chose to install a different driver, we could eventually run into difficulties. We had to use this static IP in the TCP/Ip port on the server 192.168.24.51, as the printer was physically attached on Rock and Gails switch on network 24

We found a wonderful Powerpoint resource that ran us through the steps in record time. Skip the Print Pool part and everything is there!
installed the print manager on our server when we had set it up last week.
Start/Adminisrative tools/Server manager
Scroll down to print servers/ Right click/add drivers
A printer driver wizard comes up, select next/
We selected the x86 operating system
We selected the have disc as we had downloaded the software for the Xerox phaser4510 ps driver .
We had to add a local printer and select the TCP/Ip port . This is when it asked for an address and we put in 192.168.24.51.
It went through an install and test page came to the printer

To install print services on the workstations
We went to the OU Sandie-John
Right click/add roles to gpo. Went through the start up and called the printer Xerox Sandie John.
To deploy printers to users or computers by using Group Policy
Open the Administrative Tools folder, and then double-click Print Management.
In the Print Management tree, under the appropriate print server, click Printers.
In the Results pane, right-click the printer that you want to deploy, and then click Deploy with Group Policy.
In the Deploy with Group Policy dialog box, click Browse, and then choose or create a new GPO for storing the printer connections.
Click OK.
Specify whether to deploy the printer connections to users, or to computers:
To deploy to groups of computers so that all users of the computers can access the printers, select the The computers that this GPO applies to (per machine) check box.
To deploy to groups of users so that the users can access the printers from any computer they log onto, select the The users that this GPO applies to (per user) check box.
Click Add.
Click OK.
http://technet.problem.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc753109(WS.10).aspx
We logged on to the workstations and printed a notepad document to the printer Xerox SandieJohn without any problems The printer was there automatically

This was an additional step we ran on File redirection from the previous day.
We also realized that we had missed a step yesterday and had not included a policy to ensure that the menu start items were retrieved from the server - aah file redirection. To do this:
1. Create a shared folder on the server. We called our StartMenu. Check security settings. Ensure that users have read rights only.
2. Copy start menu items from one of your workstations to this shared folder. (Note: User the \\JSServer10\home$ command) You can find these items on the c:\drive, in the windows folder. However, you need to ensure that you look at the file options and choose show hidden files and folders.
3. The next step is then to create a GPO similar to the file redirection policy created yesterday. When setting the configuration for this policy navigate to the User Configuration -->Policies/Windows Settings -->folder redirection -->Start Menu. We chose the same settings as yesterday - Basic - redirect everyone's folders to the same local and entered JSServer10\Start Menu as our target (We have learned to use the browse feature versus typing to avoid time lost trying to figure our where the typo is). Close the policy. Enforce the policy. gpupdate /force. Login to a workstation and success is ours

Activity 2 Blackbridge Data services
At 11:00 a.m. the Blackbridge Data Center,newly set up in Lethbridge, was a very informative excursion. The infrastructure for the backup cooling and power was very interesting. We have just gone through the process of building with a new division office and NOC. Our backup data, heating and power systems pale in comaparison to the systems of Blackbridge, but at least we have backup systems designed. I would be interested to see the potential of a school division using this type of organization, especially as we develop more virtualized systems in order to support virtual desktops for devices.

July 12 Day 7 Blog

Day 7 blog July 12

We did 4 items today from the day 6 and day 7 list of activities
We were successful in all 4 of these items, however there were a few items that were very finicky but we were able to work through these items. Most of these setups were to follow a sequence of steps through the references we found on the web. We had to make very sure of out typing, especially spaces in our login script.

Mini exercise: Group Policy- hide desktop

Group Policy Management was installed
The second part is to create a group policy inside our John Sandie OU.

right clicking on the John Sandie container and adding the policy.

Create the group policy called NO Desktop John Sandie
right click on the group policy /choose "edit" which will open a list of options that you can assign to the group policy that you've just created.
Find and enable "Hide items on desktop".
Right click and ENFORCE the change.
Reboot the Windows 7 workstations and log in using the Student name and password and all icons have disappeared from the desktop.


Mini exercise: A third part application specopsgpupdate and remote shutdown feature
One of these free applications that is used widely is specopsgpudate.
Download the file and install the program specopsgpudate on the Windows Server 2008 machine from link Lyle gave us. This was a simple process of following the prompts.
This program is a shell extension that only shows up in the "Users and Computers" program when you right click on an object.
Find the name of one of the windows 7 computers that are in your OU in the "Users and Computers" program.
Right click on the computer and choose the "Specops gpupdate" option.
This will start another program where you have a variety of choices and one option is to choose the shutdown option.
Once you click on shutdown and confirm the selection, the workstation will shut down. We were able to shutdown one of our Workstations using this feature.

Disabling IE explorer securities in Server 2008
You have to click on the root folder in Server Manager.
Then you scroll down to the Security Information Section and click “Configure IE ESC”.
You can turn off IE ESC for Administrators and/or for users.






Mini exercise: Login scripts using group policy
login scripts and in particular how to map drive letters for an S drives . You will use this documentation to create a windows login script and place it in the "Netlogon" directory in Active Directory

http://www.petri.co.il/setting-up-logon-script-through-gpo-windows-server-2008.htm

start/AdministrativeTools/Group Policy Management
right click on Sandie-John / Create a GPO in this domain, and link it here/ select
Call the new gpo LOGIN SCRIPT Sandie John
Right-click the new GPO and select Edit.
In the Group Policy Object Editor window, expand User Configuration > Windows Settings > Scripts.
Double-click Logon in the right-hand pane.
In the Logon Properties window, click Show Files.
A window will open. The path will be a folder similar to the following:
Net use s: \\JSserver10\shared
Close the window.
Back in the Logon Properties window, click Add
In the Add a Script window, click Browse and you will see the logon script step #11. Whatever you do, DO NOT manually browse for the file, it should be in front of your eyes. If it's not there, check the previous steps for a mistake. Click Ok
Back in the Logon Properties window, see if the logon script is listed, and if it is, click Ok
Close the Group Policy Object Editor window.
Close the GPMC window.
Gpupdate
In active directory users / select John-Sandie
Users and Computers" program when you right click on an object.
Right click on the computer and choose the "Specops gpupdate" option
Testing the logon script
On one of the computers that is part of the domain, logoff the specific user account. Logon and test. When we log in as a teacher or student under computer we see the S drive for the js server as a shared drive.

Mini exercise: Folder redirection

Find the documentation online on how to implement folder redirection.
The first task is to set up each user that logs in to your server with a home directory that resides on the server.
You will then adjust the group policy so that all users will automatically be redirected to that home directory when they open up "My Documents" or "Documents".
The second task is to implement a shared start menu so that when a user clicks on the start button and goes to programs, the menu shortcut icons are retrieved from the file server.
The menu icons will be located in a separate share on the file server so you'll need to create a new share called, "StartMenu" where you will past the menu shortcut items.
Make sure you adjust the permissions correctly so all users are able to only read the items in the start menu and not write to the start menu.

July 11- day 6 Blog

Blog Day 6 July 11 Active Directory is setup and configured correctly.
To do this required setups on the Server as well as setups on the workstation.
The setup on the server was much more complex, and something that I had newer done.
These were the steps:
1)configure your server to be a part of Active Directory and specifically to be a domain controller.
a)First step is to run DCPROMO from the command line which will launch the Active Directory Domain Services installation screen
we were able to launch from the start/server manager /add roles and selected the 3 AD roles . Installation was successful and we got to the graphic user interface Active Directory Domain Services Installation.
b)Next we were prompted by a screen which warns you that Windows NT4 clients may not be able to authenticate against a Windows Server 2008 domain controller. This is because Windows Server 2008 policy called “Allow cryptography algorithms compatible with Windows NT 4.0″ Click Next
c)Next screen is to select whether we want to add an additional Active Directory server into an existing domain
We added it to the network5769.local domain. This was a tree on the existing forest that Lyle has set up .on the 198.168.181.50 server.
d) the server goes through a checking up for the domain on the forest .
e) Next screen is to select the location of the Database Folder, Log Files folder and the SYSVOL folder
We clicked Next without any changes to the setup
f) Next is to enter the Directory Services Restore Mode password.We put in a new password as it did not like our admin5769 password. It was changed to Admin5769* but then Lyle change it by policy.
g) There was a review screen: summary of all the options that have been selected, we selected next through a variety of setups through 5 screens
The installation was completed and a restart of the server commenced.

2 join a windows 7 client to Active Directory and join both of the windows 7 workstations to the domain.
a)Log into the Windows computer you want to join to the domain. You must be logged into an account with Administrator access.
b)In the Start Menu or Desktop, right-click Computer and select Properties. This will open the System control panel menu.
c)Under Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings, click Change Settings
d) we entered change settings and entered the domain network5769.local

f)You will be prompted for a user name and password. Enter the credentials provided to you by the Campus Active Directory administrators and click OK.
g) a welcome message. Click OK to continue.
h)You will be prompted to restart your computer which we did . We restarted both workstation computers and checked that the domain network5769.local was held.




C) on the windows 2008 server Active directory users and groups
Start/ administrative tools/ Active directory users and computers
to set up the containers and OU's in Active Directory.
create 4 containers in Active Directory that will be located inside our Sandie –John container
right click on the container, new Organizational unit called Computers
repeat this 3 more times with names teachers Student groups
After the containers are created we added pour workstations found in network 5769.local computers folder and dragged them into our Sandie-John Computers folder.
Inside the "Groups" container we create two groups Teachers JS and Students JS

In the students container we created a
user Student J. Lobo un student.lobo pw Admin5769
user student S. Lefebvre un student.lefebvre pw Admin5769

In the teachers container we created a
user teacher J. Lobo un teacher.lobo pw Admin5769
user teacher S. Lefebvre un teacher.lefebvre pw Admin5769

We were not able to log into the accounts from the workstation initially. We were able to login to the network5769\administrator account.
So we went back to the server and deleted the teacher and student users, re-entered them then we were able to log into active directory from a workstation as teacher.lobo and student.lobo and share a file with the shared folder on the JSserver 50.

The last item to do was to research hidden desktop policy settings on server2008, to hide the desktop icons for workstations. We will run these on the win 2008 server on Tuesday July 12

ed 5769- day 5 July 7

Day 5 Blog July 7
We had a couple housekeeping items to work on before we got to Windows 7 installation on the 2 workstations.
On the windows server 2008 device
1)Server 2008 activation using the MAK protocols ,
MAK - multiple activation key authenticates to the internet once.

Start /right click on computer/properties/windows activation change product key
We then entered the server 2008 product key Lyle gave us, and this registered our machine and we would not loose the installation of server 2008

2) Enable remote desktop services
Start/system properties/remote/select allow connect
On server, command prompt oobe was run.
3) Pointing server 2008 to the correct server in the room for integration with active directory need to have it pointing 192.168.181.50
DHCP services /server options/ general add this dns 192.168.181.50.
This becomes the second DNS address in our protocol ( the first dns address is our local server 192.168.10.50, the second is the Lyles server 192.168.181.50) as well as 142.66.33.100and 142.66.33.101

Installing Windows 7 on the workstation.
This process was fairly straight forward using the Install DVD Lyle had given us. Using the F12 function on the bootup sequence, we booted off the DVD.
The windows DVD ran through its install. We selected English language
When asked what type of install, we choose custom
Installed it in the disc 0 partition, as there was enough room for the 15 GB install , then clicked apply
Then the installation started through the 5 processes 1) copying files, 2) Expanding files 3)Installing features 4) Installing updates 5) completing Installation. These 5 steps only took approximately 15 minutes and went through one restart.
After starting Windows for the first time a screen with user name came up we called it JS-blh00000 , JS stands for john sandie and blh 00000 was a label on the computer
The password screen came up and we gave the password admin5769. This was done for consistency , and benefits later on with active directory install. All the desktops in the class had this password.
I selected use recommended settings in the set up windows for updates
I set up the Mountain standard time, to correlate with the server, and the correct local time
For the computer current location –I selected work.
The computer went through a start up and the home screen came up again
I ran the command prompt- and Ip config . I got an address of 192.168.10.102, which is correct for a dhcp address from our server for a workstation
I opened a browser and the internet was connected.
Start/control panel/system and security/system. We saw the basic information on the computer. At the bottom of this screen was the Windows activation /change product key. This allowed us to put in the windows 7 MAK product key Lyle had provided us. Activation was successful after we put in the code.
We ran the start/all programs /windows update to run any updates. We had to do this 3 times as the computer needed to reboot after downloading and installing the updates. The final update check came with no updates, so we were good to go.
We checked start/control panel/system and security/system/device manager
There were2 items that needed drivers, which were 1) PCI Serial Port and 2) PCI Simple Communications Controller . These were the same drivers as the previous server 2008 install on the Dell Optiplex 755 machines. We went to the Dell support site and selected the Optiplex 755 unit and installed 3 drivers for the chipset even though they were for Vista 32 bit. There were no drivers for Windows 7 for this model of computer. These were executed on the workstations, and then on device manager the errors went away.
We were able to go to start/network and see the 2 workstations and the laptop .We were not able to see the server50 on the network. We were only able to share a file with the server by typing 192.168.10.50 in the dialogue box above the start menu. We had to use the admin 5769 pw and we had access to the shared file from the workstation to the server
We followed some instructions from Lyle to correct DHCP corrections on the server, but still have to find where the problem is on our server services settings with the file sharing.

ed 5769 summer day 4

Day 4 was the Server 2008 services setup.
Our Windows server 2008 machine was running on the network. It had retained the IP address 192.168.10.50 and today it was connected to the Internet. We used the telnet service, another item needed to be activated on my laptop. This was done by going to Start/Control Panel/programs and features/r side turn on windows features/find telnet and click on it. Once that step was done we were able to log into the alcatel switch.
We were able to confirm the 4 routes for our network by using telnet command show ip route

The first activity was to do the Updates on the server. This took about 30 min and required a restart.
There were 3 updates for drivers on this machine from the device manager. After and searching, the solution was to search the Dell website for the Optiplex 755 machine. Our instructor threw us a bone in the form of” Server 2008 was built on Vista” so if we searched for these drivers, we would be fine. Server 2008 R2 is built on win 7 architecture so we would need different drivers if we would have used server 2008 R2. The 3 drivers for the chipset were what were needed to solve the device manager conflicts: PCI Serial Port, PCI Simple Communications Controller and the SM Bus Controller




The second activity was to set up Server2008 services=roles on the server- File sharing, DNS and DHCP
DNS
Start—>Administrative tools—>Server Manager
Installing the DNS is as simple as checking the DNS Services button.

File sharing 2nd service
My Computer interface. On the c:\ drive we created a new folder and named it shared.
Once this folder was created we right clicked on it and clicked on the Share tab.
Once on this tab, we clicked the Advanced button and then checked off the Full Rights options.
By checking off this option, we have given rights to all network users to read and write to this folder.
The hazard is that they may also delete the contents in this folder. That is a risk we need to take.


DHCP. Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol services was the 3 rd service

We installed the DHCP services on the server 2008 unit by going
Start—>Administrative tools—>Server Manager
Once server manager opens click on Roles from left pane now you need to click on Add Roles from right pane
Here you need to select the DHCP Server and click next
DHCP Server introduction details click next
We used the IPV4 DNS setting
Our parent domain was network5769.local
Our preferred dns was 142.66.33.100
Our DHCP scope staring address is 192.168.10.101
Our DHCP ending address is 192.168.10.253
The subnet is255.255.255.0
The default gateway is 192.168.10.254
We followed the prompts and got the confirmation.
http://www.windowsreference.com/windows-server-2008/how-to-setup-dhcp-server-in-windows-server-2008-step-by-step-guide/ is a good reference with screen shots of this process.
To verify the DHCP from the server we booted the one of the Dell workstations with the Knoppix DVD. This is Linux so once again there was something completely new to me. The machines had to be booted from CD via F12 prompt upon startup. Once it was started up, it picked up an ip address of 192.168.10.101, confirmed by using the ifconfig prompt, so the DHCP was working from the server.
It took a couple tries but the Linux machines were able to log onto the internet by typing in a url. This was done by checking the DNS addresses on the server ,adding 192.168.10.254, the Alcatel switch as the first DNS address, in addition to the 142.66.33.100 and 142.66.33.10. service was working on the We are also able to log into the files on the server as well as other servers in the schools and log on, as we have the correct third octet 192.168.XX.50 for other groups.

ed 5769 Day 3 wlan2 and Server 2008

Day 3 : vlan 2 and server 2008

Day 3 was a successful day. There was successful connection to the Alcatel switch via the serial to usb connection to the laptop. The Coolview software was easily connected and the Alcatel switch Ip address of 198.168.10.254 was still held.
The next step was more CLI commands on the Alcatel switch to make a v lan2 as we had already made a vlan-1.
This was confirmed on the show ip interface command that we had only a vlan1

The following CLI commands were used with the need to add a vlan-2 on the Alcatel switch.
aaa authentication default local (This will set up the switch to respond to web browser, telnet, and ftp requests)
vlan 2 (This creates a new vlan - vlan 2)
ip interface vlan-2 address 10.0.10.254. mask 255.255.0.0 vlan 2 (this command gave ip address for port 1 on the switch)
ip static-route 0.0.0.0 mask 0.0.0.0 gateway 10.0.1.254 which was (The will be the next hop that packets will be forwarded to if they are undeliverable on the local switch)
vlan 2 port default 8/1 (sets up the vlan 2 networking port to be on slot 8 port 1 on the switch and starts forwarding packets)

The next thing to do is to verify that both vlans are assigned to the correct ports as well as forwarding traffic. We logged in to the switch using a web browser and using Webview. In a web browser go to 192.168.10.254
We saw the following on the web view brower going through the vlan link, we saw the 2 assigned vlans, 1 and 2 .
We logged back into theswitch via the terminal ( usb to serial) and ran the following CLI commands
Show vlan Show ip interface – where we say both ip interfaces are forwarding packets.

write memory (Saves the configuration to the working directory)
copy working certified (These last two commands permanently save the configuration to the switch.)

We pinged 192.168.10.254 from a workstation, and received a positive response from the switch.
We should have been able to ping the NAT/Firewall/Router at 192.168.1.1 and receive a reply back. We could not do this step cuz there needed to be some adjustments made by our instructor on this switch.J


The second part of the session was working a PC, collecting the vital information of hardware, as we prepared for server 2008 install.
We had to boot up the dell machine acting as a server from the DVD provide to us. There was no problem running the start up disc. We followed the instructions provided and setup the permissions. The server did have the static ip address 192.168.10.50, subnet mask 255.255.255.0 and gateway of 192.168.10.254
which we added.
We ran Windows Server 2008 basic as we only had 3 Gb of ram on the Dell machines.

ed 5769- summer day 2

Day 2 July 5, 2011
The first task was to review our setting on our Alcatel switch. We did have to reset the Cooltime software as we were having troubles with the serial to USB connecting to the correct COM port. Once we got thing running and setup our UN and PW we had to run some CLI commands such as 1) aaa authentication default local 2)write memory 3)copy working certified
These commands were run and our switch did hold the Ip address 192.168.10.254. This process allowed us to connect to the Alcatel Layer 3 switch to simulate WAN environment. Once this process was done we were able to open up a browser using the Ip address 192.168.10.254. This opened up a graphic user face to connect to the Alcatel layer 2 switch with the Un admin Pw switches. The right Ip address was identified on this gui for our switch.
The second task was to have 2 computers attached to the network via static Ip setup. This was not an issue as both Sandie and I have had lots of experience with static Ip addressing using Windows Xp, and now Vista and 7.
These Ip’s are 192.168.10.100 and 105. The common subnet mask was 25.255.255.0. The gateway was 192.168.10.254, which directed to the Alcatel switch which we had setup on Monday. The DNS server was 142.66.33.100/101.
We did do the project on 2 computers pinging addresses as was identified in our assignment. We disconnected our port 1 connection of the Alcatel switch, making a local connection between the 2 computers through the switch.
Our results are as follows. We will be discussing the outcome of our results on Wednesday.
There were a few connection parameters that were unexpected Screen shots are becoming my best friend !!!

These were the observations of our 8 ip ping experiments
1. private address no connection
2. different networks on same subnet but only routing through layer 2 switch
3. class C private and on different networks
4. private address
6. Class B private,
7. same network, same submask Class B private connection
8. same network, same submask Class B private connection

ed 5769 -summer -Hollingsworth/Roberts

Day 1 blog

Lyle had us working with setting up Alcatel switches , part of the data link layer .This is the first time I have ever been allowed or required to set up a device like this . Unfortunately our jurisdiction uses Cisco Layer 2 and 3 switches. We have also moved to Enterysis switches lately. I hope that what we have learned , can be extrapolated to our network .

What was very interesting was the use of a Serial connection to USB to our laptops for connecting to the ALcatel switch. As a network analyist, who would do this work on a daily basis, they would have all their computer all setup with the correct software , but we had to start from scratch. Luckily I have full admin rights to this laptop as we had to load software. We had to use a mini CD, once again, i have never used something like this , but the disc drive handled it fine.

This necessitated the use of specifing a COM port, In this case COM 33, even though the default on the laptop through Cool Term was COM 3. I have not had to worry about COM ports since setting up a modem about 10 yrs ago. At least we did not have to change Jumpers inside the Alacatel switch . We had to reinstall the drivers using the Device manager in Vista
The setup of the Cool Term was fairly straight forward , using the options , we had to specify the correct options, these turned out to be different from the default for CR-carrige l return and LM line mode. Once this was done and we could enter data, the default UN and PW was obtained from the Alcatel documentation.

Entering information software was once again a new experience using this new language .

We were able to enter the correct CLI Command Line Interface commands to
1) enter the correct IP address for our switch 192.168.10.254
we uses the CLI
ip interface vlan-1 address 192.168.10.254 vlan 1
when this was entered the swich went though its processing and we could see the correct ip
we used the CLI write memory to save our changes
2) verify the Ip was saved
this was done with the CLI copy working certified
3) reboot the switch to ensure the ip was in the Certified mode, as opposed to the working mode.
we then were able to reboot the switch, checking to make sure our Ip address was saved.

We connected our Layer 3 switch via a long ethernet cable to the main Layer 3 switch from our port 1 connection.
We then attached a computer to our layer 3 switch in any port , with a ethernet cable (making sure our wireless was off). We opened a browser to check and internet connection, as well check the ipconfig in cmd . Lyle confirmed we had the correct IP address for the main switch we had all connected our switches to, so success.
We did have to use a variety of alcatel resources which we have emailed to our instructor using APA format.

ed 5630 speaker #5 Bette Grey

Speaker #5 Thursday July 17
On Thursday July 16, 2009, Dr Bette Grey video conferenced with us . Once again, it was excellent for our presenters to apply the wonderful capabilities of the Supernet.
Bette brought the provincial perspective to our discussion on IT leadership. She has been at the provincial level for 7 years, 5 years at Stakeholder Technology Branch. She identified the major government documents involved with the implementation of technology in Alberta such as the Learning and Technology Policy Framework, in 2004.
Bette discussed three streams from Kingman’s Anarchy Model of Policy. This was from a book by Nicholas Henry called Public Administration and Public Affairs .This was a model I had never heard of before. According to this model, one stream is the Problem stream. This is defining the problem and framing the issue. It is critical that leaders be able to frame and define the problem in a way people can understand, using appropriate language.
The second stream is the Policy stream. This stream matches the problem with a solution. The solution comes as a policy option. Policy options need to be rational, researched and well articulated.
The 2 streams intersect with the 3 rd stream called the Political stream. The third stream can be more unpredictable than the Problem and Policy stream. For IT leaders the political spectrum is at the school level (principal and staff), Division (superintendent, senior leadership and trustees) and provincially (Alberta Education Officials, Education Minister, Ministers, MLA)
There are opportunities of windows opening and closing when the political stream converges and diverges with the other 2 streams. These are when a policy entrepreneur who has connected a problem with an articulate policy solution, and has the audience of political decision makers. This affords the solution to become reality. Windows open when there are changes in personnel or change in the situational context. IT leaders can identify problems and have Policy solutions ready based on research, ready for the window of opportunity to the solution a reality. I thought this process was fascinating intersection of problems , solutions and politics . IT leaders should understand how their role intersects and interplays within these three streams.
Dr Grey made a very interesting comment, saying she was not a techie, but was an English teacher. Her skills are in the C, communication of the ICT. Such a comment underlies that different skills, from different people on a team come into play, especially in leadership. She concluded the VC with her number one criteria for leadership was to change culture. It is my impression that changing culture means changing people. People will be resistant to change if they are forced or coerced. Leaders need solutions based on research, collaboration skills e to generate a critical mass of people moving in direction for authentic ,lasting change to occur.

5630 spence -john lobo

ED 5630 Speaker July 13. Gary Spence
Gary Spence-Director of Technology, Lethbridge Public Schools
Gary is the second speaker from Wolf Creek School division. The first speaker was the Superintendent of schools. Gary is part of this leadership team as the IT director, and assistant superintendent. Gary spoke to the specifics of IT within Wolf Creek, but it was contextualized with the division vision and what Larry Jacobs had discussed prior.
· Salience (From your perspective, why is IT in education important?)
Technology is here to stay. We have to view technology as an essential component that is for learning. It is not acceptable to be illiterate in respects to language, so being technology illiterate is not acceptable considering that technology is pervasive in our daily life.· Outcomes (What are the specific IT in education outcomes sought through your organization?)
Technology is a vital component of the division as identified in the division vision, and in the main graphic. Technology is pervasive through all the learning outcomes of the division. Gary identified the relationship between education people and technical people, which allowed for the dialogue and discussion to focus the best decisions for student learning.· Processes (What processes are used to achieve these outcomes?)
There were numerous projects that Gary had identified. All the proposals had to have the WHY is this important to student learning. The successful grants enabled the division to move into many areas such as VOIP, , 1:1 laptop computers, and Software as a service. All of these proposal were aligned to the division vision. He identified that the division has a 5 year technology vision and plans from this vision.· Characteristics (What are some of the characteristics of IT Leaders that make them effective in achieving their goals
Gary identified numerous characteristics of the IT leader. We have talked about a lot of these characteristics in other presenters. He identified being committed to people like students and staff. Most importantly he said being committed to Excellence. Probably the most important characteristic he identified was that IT leaders should be HUMBLE.
Gary had often quoted one of his staff members who said “we can do anything, but we can’t do everything. ” This statement is very important for all involved in the field (teachers and techs) as it relates to IT. If you have a solid division vision, with real buy in from division staff, then you are not jumping on every band wagon that comes down the road. The danger, in the day to day of IT , is that without the vision, bandwagons or the latest or greatest that some heard at a conference , can become a direction.

John Percvault Thursday July 9

Speaker #3 Thursday July 9
John Percevault-Director of Technology, Lethbridge Public Schools
Today we had the opportunity to listen to a local IT leader. John Percevault brought perspectives from a teacher, and Division IT director. He had moved from a school division where he had much success, to a school division that was in great need of direction and leadership. John has worked diligently, under the leadership of the superintendent of schools to bring functionality and a long term vision and plan to the school district·

Salience (From your perspective, why is IT in education important?)
IT is a multimillion dollar component of the education enterprise that has to work from both the administrative (business) and educational sides. He identified numerous business and educational areas that were upgraded or new. These upgrades were part of a comprehensive division material inventory and vision/planning process. There is a real focus on standardization of components and enterprise solutions which is essential for integrated operations of hardware and software.·

Outcomes (What are the specific IT in education outcomes sought through your organization?)
Since the division was a series of independently operating schools, there was a need for division wide planning and visioning. The process of a consultation from principals and teachers, gave the data for developing the white paper/vision/plan and implementation process. The division brought outside consultants as part of their analysis of data. The school division front ended 3 yrs of technology funding to bring a standard of technology into each classroom. They developed a reasonable ever greening plan.

Processes (What processes are used to achieve these outcomes?)
The division has the most important component of IT leadership, in that there was a clearly articulated mandate from the superintendant, supported by the board and school administrators to move forward with the standardized technology plan, based on the agreed technology vision. The standardization brought the division to a middle ground from their previously highly decentralized organization.
John pointed out that the division education plan has 3 main goals, Assessment for Learning, Differentiated Instruction and 21 century learning. The IT vision and plan fits into these 3 goals seamlessly. School plans link to the 3 division goals, so the divisions IT plan would be consistent in the school reaching their goals.

Characteristics (What are some of the characteristics of IT Leaders that make them effective in achieving their goals?) John identified many IT leader characteristics. He did point out in his presentation the need to be a daily/hourly lifelong learner. It was also obvious he has complete confidence in his tech team as they had numerous planned activities. The confidence the superintendent has in him , is transferred in his confidence in his tech team. He also uses different capacity available such as students at the appropriate times, to help make the technology systems upgrade work .


I appreciated John’s candor in his discussion. He definitely does not pull any punches, and calls it like he sees it. The documents of what the division had developed are a good addition to my documentation portfolio. The division leadership team, Board, school principals and It department are obviously on the same page when it comes to IT, and how it is integral to the business and education sides of the educational enterprise. This can only help teachers and students in utilizing technology in the exciting novel ways for teaching and learning.
My own school division is moving towards standards. From “being a “division of schools” we are becoming a “school division” in many aspects, IT being one of them . We are not in as bad shape as Lethbridge Public was a couple years ago, but it is a good feeling that many of the Divisions directions in their turnaround are similar to where my school division is , and have plans to go, based on our 3 year Education Plan, and our draft 3 yr Technology Plan.

Larry Jacobs -Fri July 10

Blog of Larry Jacobs presentation on IT leadership Friday July 10

Larry Jacobs is the Superintendent of Wolf Creek Public schools. His presentation started with questions where he identified he was not an honors student in high school. This would underscore that he does not have all the answers, and needs to collaborate. His model of leadership is based on the vision led model. This model is contrasted to a hierarchal ( top down) and a flattened ( decentralized) models
.
The hard work is done in developing the vision. Once the vision is identified, after collaborative process. Departments can make independent decisions as long division vision is upheld. The concept of a “living vision” was discussed as it allows for the realities of the stakeholders needing to change course. The focus of the division is student learning.

I found it interesting that all staff were involved in identifying the central purpose( vision) and where do we need to be in 5 years (goals)and then what are staff going to do to get there , which would be the performance measures.

Salience (From your perspective, why is IT in education important?)
IT was intertwined in the 2 pillars to support student learning through Instructional Design and Assessment for Learning.


Outcomes (What are the specific IT in education outcomes sought through your organization?)
IT outcomes must align with division vision of student learning The It department would work with the goal of collaboration between teachers and skill development of teachers to help students learn.

Processes (What processes are used to achieve these outcomes?)The process to meet these outcomes are indentified in the Wolf Creek visual. They include understanding change, understanding and implementing the technologies such as Videoconference, Ex files server and Voip. Throughout Larry identified collaboration, and taking the time to meet with groups. He identified a group of teachers with membership from all schools. His principal council set the admin meeting agenda. The grassroots were heard and were involved with the process of the division.

Characteristics (What are some of the characteristics of IT Leaders that make them effective in achieving their goals?)The It leader must be a team player, understand the goals of the organization, and be willing to collaborate. The It leader would have to understand Assessment for Learning and Instructional design, as IT plans would have to fit this structure. The IT leader would be meeting the goals of the 7 C’s , creating the 7 requirements for success, as in every other department in the division.
These 7 atr create .....
1) a culture of assessment
2) an environment of live collaboration
3) a knowledge caputre and knowledge share culture
4) strong professiponal learning teams
5) appropriate roles for all stakehlders
6) capacity for leadership
7) appropriate measures of student success and involving students in our learning environments.


What was interesting was that the collaboration discussed by Larry was not just lip service. His enthusiasm and obvious interpersonal skills , would be a great motivator to have the whole staff working together. I found that it was excellent fot the superintendent to be working with the 3 yr teachers as a mentor. This would show to all that the vision is important to have the superintendent working directly with teacher , who are the prime interface education with the students.

speaker 2- ISTE Dr. Don Knezek

Wednesday July 8 IT leader
Dr. Don Knezek, CEO of International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

We had the opportunity to use interactive technology of Videoconference (VC) to listen,talk and data share to Dr. Don Knezek, from Texas. He is the CEO International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). ISTE is a non-profit organization whose mandate from the ISTE website is to “provides leadership and service to improve teaching, learning, and school leadership by advancing the effective use of technology in PK–12 and teacher education.” . This VC session was an excellent for IT leaders to practically apply the technology available, an assertion that Don identified that we IT leaders had to lead by implementing the technology in the regular course of business.

· Salience (From your perspective, why is IT in education important?)
Don has a wide variety of experiences in education as a teacher, school administrator , division superintendant and currently as a national education technology leader. From his practical experience of teaching, IT was an important aspect of helping student in rural area have opportunities available to all students. IT was an essential component of the transition of teacher centered classroom to the student centered classroom. Don cited there needed to be IT standards if IT is become an integral part of education.

· Outcomes (What are the specific IT in education outcomes sought through your organization?)
The ISTE organization has been able to put into documents the NETS (national educational standards) for students, teachers and administrators. These documents especially the NETS for administrators have been updated for 2009 since the last version in 2002. Upon further investigation of the ISTE website, it is my observation that the NETS-S_2007_Student_Profiles could become the basis of a standardized series of outcomes for students at the various grade levels to meet. Maybe this would be a starting point to update the Alberta ICT curriculum as it is nearly 10 yrs old, from 2000.

· Processes (What processes are used to achieve these outcomes?)
I found it interesting that Don identified that business had an important role. Since business organizations develop these new technologies, they would see the educational sector as a large market. ISTE is a non-profit organization, so they can focus on the student leaning as the most important corner stone. The influential nature of ISTE, in all the American states, would result in business would be very interested in the standards ISTE are promoting. ISTE is made up of members who pay to join. I am glad to see the reduced rate for joining online and receiving electronic versions of literature. Affiliated members are a backbone of ISTE membership and in Alberta, ATLE and ATA specialist council are part of the ISTE affiliates. The critical mass of administrators , teachers and students working from a common language to implement the ISTE NETS , performance measures and essential conditions , is a powerful force. These standards will only help

.Characteristics (What are some of the characteristics of IT Leaders that make them effective in achieving their goals?)
The NETS –A, the performance indicators for administrators, and the essential conditions identify the characteristics of school and division leaders. The important focus of the ISTE NETS is that the essential conditions identify what is needed to “to leverage technology for learning.” This illustrates that ISTE is an organization that is focused on student learning. When IT leaders stay focused on student learning, then the technology must cater to the learner, not the learner to the technology. Don discussed the role of advocacy as at the 30th. NECC conference in Washington, DC. ISTE members were able to meet with the influential lawmakers in Washington.

I had not heard of ISTE until two unrelated occasions.The first was in San Francisco airport 2008, where I saw a card of an ISTE executive member on a table. When I got home, I checked the website out and was very excited about seeing what this organization has developed for Technology in Education. The next encounter with ISTE was with the JTC committee of Alberta Education in May 2008, which was using some of the ISTE based questionnaires. These two unrelated events directed me to an excellent organization that has moved IT from the periphery of education. I have been an ISTE member since early 2009, and have used the NETS to align our division Technology Plan with the ISTE nets. The ISTE information , and collaborative venues allows for IT leaders to meet, learn and start talking the same language.

Ed 5630 speaker 1

July 7 Barry Litun
IT leadership excellence and Superintendency leadership
I found that the speaker brought a down to earth example of leadership.
He is student focused, and that was evident from the talk about equitable access of technology, in new schools and old schools. He focused on the need for relationships, which is a huge cornerstone of the education enterprise. I appreciate how he analogized that breaking down barriers within the school is similar to breaking down barriers between schools.
IT is not a separate feature of the school division. It was an integrated area with professional development and AISI programs, under the pillars of Technology, Assessment for Learning and Differentiated Instruction.
He brought in a standard student SIS, in order for information to be shared between schools and central office. He was able to empower people, enhancing and evolving the divisions IT vision . The division focused on technology standards. There was a need to update to an interim standard for computer technology. He leveraged monies to move schools to a new technology hardware standard. The division also focused on School Staff IT leadership through a successful 2 yr proposal. The evergreening technology plan is a real plan, not a piece of paper that really cannot happen within the realities of the division
The fundings from a variety of areas were directed with a student centered vision to move the division forward. When he first surveyed the division, he identified some areas of concern, but through good planning and relationship building he was able to refocus the people and resources in the organization. Leadership from the superintendent was empowering to the rest of his team, which is obviously making a difference for student learning.

ed 5630 assignmnet 2

Assignment 2
John Lobo
The Nature of Effective IT Leaders: Characteristics and Outcomes

Effective IT leaders must be able to demonstrate characteristics of effective leadership. It is their knowledge and skills in technology related areas that make them part of the educational organization team, where their skills can be used to maximal benefit for student learning. .
I have the benefit of observing numerous leaders in my career. Currently I work with variety of leaders at the division office. All of us, educators and non educators, are primarily focused on maximizing student learning. We do not directly affect the student learning, as we are not in the classroom, however we do have an effect on teachers, so our leadership has an effect on students , one step removed.
I have been working in a collaborative environment. There is support by the other leaders of the team. Once you, through your actions, show you are committed to the collective goal of student achievement, you have the complete support of the upper administration. The Leadership team has “the other person’s back”, so it allows for risk taking in a safe environment.
“The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni is a book I have studied with my division Leadership team. A critical statement from this book is ”The key, of course, is to define our goals, our results, in a way that is simple enough to grasp easily, an d specific enough to be actionable.”(Lencioni, pg 78) Many times as IT leaders we get really consumed in the IT jargon and details, and forget to put ideas, goals and actions into simple actionable terms. We often end up confusing people, especially non technical people.
The foundation of real teamwork is trust and therefore the first dysfunction is the Absense of Trust. (Lenconi Pg 43) As an IT leader, it is imperative that the team has trust in your words and actions. You also have to gain the trust of others in your team. IT is an expensive component of the educational enterprise. IT leaders are called on moving the education agenda forward using tools that many people in education rarely understand, but need to work seamlessly. Overcoming this absence of Trust develops when leaders develop a sense of Vunerability. This vunerability is difficult for Many IT leaders as they relish that they are the “go to” people with the right tool to solve the problem. Being vunerable is not in many people’s nature and often is seen as a sign of weakness.
Successful leaders have to be able to “tame their fears, and when faced with the fear,not freeze. ” pg 7 Warner and Schmincke 2009. To overcome this fear they have to “embrace death and focus not on personal agendas but strategic goals.” Pg 23, Warner and Schmincke 2009.
IT leaders have to show the commitment to their teams , develop trust in team members and be able to take risks to implement the effective technologies that support teachers and students.

References
1) Lencioni, Patrick, (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable, San Francisco :Jossey Bass
2) Schmincke, D and Warner, C, (2009) High altitude leadership: What the world’s most forbidding peaks teach us about success. San Francisco: Jossey Bass 2009

This is my first blog, part of U of L IT masters program