Xserve for School

[joemolomo]

Hi i work at a high school here in the UK as a media technician, we have a room of 21 alu iMacs and a another building with 30 alu iMacs. Its becoming clear that its tough to manage these systems without a server. Not being an IT tech i'm not too clear what the server would offer in terms of functionality, things like:

- Update deployment to all the macs
- integration with the schools main windows network
- support for active directory so the kids user accounts and passwords can match the windows network accounts.
- would only one server be needed and what sort of spec would suit this situation

the macs are used for video editing with Adobe Premiere and also photoshop editing, its would be nice to use the server as a place for all data to reside including the raw footage, would the xserve handle this over a 100mb network or would it be best to gigabit for video. Also is it possible to link the kids windows shares in there accounts with there mac accounts. So if they make a word doc on the windows network they could go save to their windows accounts and it would show up in their mac account in office for mac. This is so we no longer need to boot camp the macs which is what they currently do now.

Thanks

Joe

 

[xparaparafreakx]

- Update deployment to all the macs

So you want the server to send the Mac OS X software updates?

- integration with the schools main windows network

How so?

- support for active directory so the kids user accounts and passwords can match the windows network accounts.

Authentication through AD and GPO though Mac OS X server?

- would only one server be needed and what sort of spec would suit this situation

Where will the data be hosted on? On the PC Server?

"the macs are used for video editing with Adobe Premiere and also photoshop editing, its would be nice to use the server as a place for all data to reside including the raw footage, would the xserve handle this over a 100mb network or would it be best to gigabit for video. Also is it possible to link the kids windows shares in there accounts with there mac accounts. So if they make a word doc on the windows network they could go save to their windows accounts and it would show up in their mac account in office for mac. This is so we no longer need to boot camp the macs which is what they currently do now."

You do not have the raw video and picture files on the server. It would be too slow unless you have something super fast.

You want the group policy to allow both saving on the local hard drive and network share point. They can save their doc files, finshed work on the server and their raw items on the local hard drive to work on. The student would need to return to the machine they are using but its the best and cheapest solution.

Do you have anything for watching the student? I recommend Apple Remote Desktop. It is an easy way to do updates and send .pkg files to all the computers to do an install.

Ill add more but its late and I need sleep.

 

[joemolomo]

Thanks for quick reply

So you want the server to send the Mac OS X software updates?

Yeah as we have to update each computer individually either using up all the net bandwidth or getting the dmg from apple on a memstick and going around updating one at a time, and as there usually being used during term time hardly ever get chance to do it except on breaks. Does remote desktop 3 allow this? also does remote desktop 2 come with mac os x server and does this offer similar functionality

- integration with the schools main windows network
How so?

This was in terms of routing the same internet connection and bridging between servers to allow user shares between mac and windows

Authentication through AD and GPO though Mac OS X server?

Not sure what this means i'll have to consult IT techs, i'm network noob incase you couldn't tell

Where will the data be hosted on? On the PC Server?

Data on the windows servers is on the servers and we wanted the mac data to be on the xserve, although as you said video would slow network so that local policy idea sounds good, but generally documents and music files would be good on the xserve.

Thanks

 

[foidulus]

I don't think an XServe is what you need

To distribute packages, you really should investigate Apple Remote Desktop. We use that where I work to manage the software on 100+ workstations, and it works pretty well(some hiccups, but nothing too major)

As per active directory, you can actually set the clients up to authenticate to the AD domain, no XServe required!

 

[xparaparafreakx]

"To distribute packages, you really should investigate Apple Remote Desktop. We use that where I work to manage the software on 100+ workstations, and it works pretty well(some hiccups, but nothing too major)

As per active directory, you can actually set the clients up to authenticate to the AD domain, no XServe required!"

Apple Remote Desktop for sending update and install .pkg.

You can set up your Mac to go though AD domain.

The question is if you want to enforce, GPO (Group Policies)

GPO examples, limiting the users on what they can do on the mac. I have mines on students not opening certain programs. I do not let my kids run around Terminal, use flash drives or even insert CDs.

I am going to try to put OD and AD together this summer.

You want both the mac and pc data hosted on the PC server via SMB.

 

[joemolomo]

Hi guys been working with the ICT tech and we managed to use the Directory Utility to enable AD logins, and it mounts the users docs perfectly in the dock very nice so only issue now is locking down each account with a group policy, to disable things like executing certain apps and limiting general access to things, we just don't know how thats done? any help would be great.

Tried the remote desktop aswell thats solved the updates issue nicely

forgot to mention the no xserve idea seems like its the best way to go. It would be nice to have some storage just for the macs so i was thinking of just a pc tower in each mac room with 2tb in each gigabit'd to the macs for the raw vid storage, any ideas on that solution?

Thanks

 

[xparaparafreakx]

so only issue now is locking down each account with a group policy, to disable things like executing certain apps and limiting general access to things, we just don't know how thats done? any help would be great.

This is where you need Mac OS X Server. If all you are doing is enforcing group policies. A Mac Mini and Mac OS X Server will do here.

http://www.apple.com/server/macosx/features/client.html

Tried the remote desktop aswell thats solved the updates issue nicely

Use this to send install also. Anything that is .pkg can be sent out via Apple Remote Desktop.

so i was thinking of just a pc tower in each mac room with 2tb in each gigabit'd to the macs for the raw vid storage, any ideas on that solution?

It still will not be fast enough unless you have lots of money. I believe a Xsan and fibre will do you good. I never tried editing raw video though gigabit ethernet. Even then your hard drive might be too slow for all the request for data.

What video are they editing? DV, HD?