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Category Archives: Thinking about IT

Choosing a Computer for a Device Refresh

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Device refreshes make me so nervous! In our school system, we rarely have funding to replace in bulk or to replace devices often. Choosing a computer today means working with it for 5+ years. This choice is never easy. You have to balance future proofing what you are getting with the equipment that you already have. All of that still has to fit within your budget.

Starting out, define the minimum specs required. Something like 8GB of RAM, 128 GB M.2 SSD, no optical drive, 6+ rear USB, etc. Talk to vendors about your refresh plans and request sample units for any quotes that they provide.

Next, start comparing apples to apples. To help make that choice in your environment, you can use a weighted matrix and a battery of tests. Here is a very generic template that you can use to compare three different models.

Decide what is most important to you, others supporting this equipment, and the people using it everyday. Apply your own weights to this template. For example, price might be less important to you than a better warranty. You also might never need to use 3 monitors but require wireless networking.

Now – start testing and making comparisons. If wireless networking is important to you, search for differences. One model might have an integrated wireless NIC that can’t be modified and another might have one with included antennas. If range is important, the second option might be better. The only way to know for sure is to test it.

Even computers with similar hardware specs can behave differently in the field. Use benchmark tools to compare performance (Windows still has the built-in winsat tool for this). For boot times and logon times, you can use the Windows Performance Toolkit to capture data and repeatably test a machine to get average start/logon times.

Take your sample computers (or at least your highest rated one) and put it in it’s future environment. You might discover a flaw in the design, incompatibility with existing hardware, or that a small add-on can improve the overall setup.

Hopefully, this quick write-up and template will help you make a better device decision on your refresh. If you have any tips or suggestions for a device refresh, I would love to read about them in the comments!

A Universal Naming Scheme for Your Devices

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What makes a good naming scheme? It should be easy to use by both you and your users. It should generate unique names that are memorable and manageable. Finally, it should be flexible enough to solve multiple problems without needing updates often.

After seeing a recent question, I wanted to share a naming scheme that I’ve used. While nothing magical, it does fit each of the criteria from above and can be used as a starting point for all of your devices. This includes networked printers, projectors, babies, access points, displays, and more.

The real beauty is when you can walk into a room and know how to connect to nearly any device in the room. Need to mirror a display to that networked projector, or connect to a printer? Easy! Just follow a naming convention like this:

Site-RoomNumber/Name-(DevicePrefix)(DeviceNumber)

There is nothing radical here; the main thing is applying a consistent name across all of your networked devices. Let’s break down each component in this naming scheme and build a name along the way.

Site

A shortcode for each physical location. 2-4 characters long. Ideally, known by end users as well. If you prefer a logical organization or are just one site, this might be left off.

EX: GA

Separator

Use a dash between some components in the name. These show up if hyperlinks are ever needed (where some people overlook an underscore) and provide an easy way to sort data containing names as you have a built-in separator.

EX: GA-

RoomNumber/AbbreviatedName

Describes the exact room of the device. Due to legacy systems (mainly 15 character computer name lengths), keep any abbreviated names short. For sorting, be sure to place leading zeros in front of room numbers. If you have a hundred rooms, start the first room with 001 instead of just 1.

EX: GA-108-

Device Prefix

This tells you what the device is and allow you to find it just by name. One or two characters in length are perfect. Here is a table that can be used as an example:

NT Node/Computer for teacher/admin
LTLaptop for teacher/admin
NSNode/Computer for student/general use
LS Laptop for student/general use
PR Printer, 3DPrinter, Copier, etc.
DP Interactive Display, Touch Panel, etc.
PJ Projector, short throw projector
SW Switch, Mini-switch, router, etc.
AP Access Point, Wireless
CA Camera, IP Camera, etc.
TP Telephone, VOIP handset, etc.

The device prefix allows every device in a room to have a unique name in DNS. It also solves a secondary problem for us. Our state requires an annual inventory of certain device types. We have to report the number of staff desktop, student desktops, staff laptops, student laptops, etc. A quick PowerShell query can tell us our device counts by use and location!

EX: GA-108-NS

Device Number

Finally, we have the number of devices in that room. Like our previous room number, be sure to add leading zeros. In most cases, this will just be a 2 digit number (01-99).

EX: GA-108-NS01

The final example tells us that this device is located at the GA location in room 108 and it is the first student computer that you come to in the room.

Final Thoughts on Naming

With a unified and universal naming convention, you can simplify management and make resources easier to access. PowerShell and other tools can make remotely naming devices a breeze while providing automatic checks on devices out of standard.

Finally, don’t get too caught up with creating a perfect naming scheme. Make a list of your sites, a list of rooms in those sites, and play with device prefixes. The most important thing is to find what works for your organization, to make it consistent, and to do the work of implementing it!

Let me know your naming convention, tricks for managing device names and how you make this process easier for your organization in the comments below.

Don’t Fail to Plan – Create or Update Your DR Plan Now!

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If your job is like mine, the Christmas season is an interesting slow period where nothing major can be broken updated, but you have some time to tackle projects. Instead of creating additional work before the holidays, save yourself a lot of time in the future. Take a few hours to create or update your disaster recovery plan!

If you are not sure where to start (or just want to make the planning process a lot easier), download this DR plan template:

Both versions are nearly identical. The OneNote version has a list of sources that I pulled from and is a bit more flexible to use.

They both contain instructions for each DR planning step and examples from a collection of tested DR plans. If you have any questions about these resources (or suggestions for improvement), just let me know!

The One and a Half Year Bachelor’s Degree for Less Than Free

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I recently earned a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology. To simplify the story, it took me nine years to start the degree and a little less than two years to finish it. Even though my work did not pay for any of it, I still managed to come out a few hundred dollars ahead. I got paid to get my degree. It took eleven years to get to this point. During those first nine years, I questioned the value of a degree, wondered how I would even pay for it, and hated the thought of having to spend years doing college crap. I faced these three issues, and after personally having this conversation three times in a week, I wanted to put these thoughts together and dispel some myths.

In this post, we are going to tackle the three issues of value, money, and time. We will start with the assumption that college is expensive and that it will take many years to finish. By the end of this guide, the cost will be little less than free, and the degree will take eighteen months to complete! Most of what I discuss applies to anyone in the U.S. though some tips might be specific to your job, income or situation. Let’s get started!

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Blogs that I Follow – (an early) 2018 Edition

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Finding a mentor is one of the quickest ways to become an expert! Following technology blogs, either through email notifications or a service like Feedly, can give you access to experts around the globe. The collection below, organized by technology, lists any blogs that I follow. Items in blue are new as of the last update. Items crossed out are off my list. This list changes depending on the content of the blog, if the blog is still active, and what I am currently trying to master.

Of course, you can also subscribe to DeployHappiness by email (top right corner of any page) or through RSS: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Deployhappiness. If I missed any great blogs, let me know in the comments below!

Active Directory/Group Policy:

Desktop Management and Deployment:

Scripting/PowerShell:

Servers:

System Center:

Tech Information/Other:

  • Windows for IT Pros