Kevin Dunford – Windows Support & Development

What do I do..• Support, configuration, and

development of - Windows servers, desktops, Laptops, printers, and office networking.

What don’t I do..• Microsoft Office – CLEO are the

experts• I’m not a fax machine or

photocopier expert \ engineer!• I know as much about the phone

system as you do!

Windows 2003 \ Active Directory (PPD\dc.pp.rl.ac.uk)

• Active Directory stores information about objects on the network and makes this information easy for administrators and users to find and use. - Servers, workstations printers.

• Group Policy enables me to change system settings from a centralized location - install applications, change settings (security options, networking, registry changes)

• Adding printers is made easy by not taking as long scanning the network. Active Directory knows where they all are in advance.

Laptops in domain – benefits

• Roaming profiles that include - Display & desktop settings, IE favourites, printer, network and drives connection settings

• Windows updates though SUS (software update service) server & automatic Sophos updating.

• Have to be on the PPD Lan to gain the benefits from SUS server and Sophos updates.

• Synchronisation - Don’t store files on your desktop screen or local disk.

Active Directory – Group Polices applied

• Administrating benefiting Group Polices – DNS suffix & Dynamic Update, Time Providers, and Cross forest GP’s and profiles.

• User benefiting Group Polices - Published printers in AD, Remote assistance,

Benefits of Exchange 2003• BITD have been installing

Exchange 2003 on new servers with larger storage space and improved performance.

• There are some administrative improvements to keep server down time to a minimum. – (Shadow Copy service and the Mailbox Recovery Centre).

• The main user client benefit are only available in conjunction with Outlook 2003 client, which CLRC are not planning to go to! Info from – ‘RAL CLEO Helpdesk Service Definition, 2004/05’.

• There have been a big improvement in the web interface.

Exchange server specifications

  Old Server New Server

Model Viglen LX2 Viglen XX225

Processors 2 * 450MHz 2 * Xeon 3.2Hgz

Memory 512MB 2GB

Hard disk storage 34GB 540GB *

* Share with Central Laser facility, Instrumentation and Engineering