NEW BLOG ADDRESS

This blog has been moved to:
www.khanya.co.za/blogs/tech

Plan your downtime

Starting from 2 April 2008 our electricity supplier has introduced scheduled (pre-emptive) load shedding. ESKOM hereby guarantees the non-supply of electricity during certain periods according to a predetermined scheduled. Although load shedding in general is not conducive to the productivity of schools, this type of shedding is more acceptable since it provides us with a guaranteed schedule that can be used to properly plan activities in our computer laboratories. One good thing one can say about ESKOM is that this time they are managing to deliver according to their schedule.

It is thus important for schools to consult the schedule obtainable from the ESKOM website - http://www.eskom.co.za/. Activities should carefully be planned around it and important time lost in the computer laboratory should be made up in one or other way. All schools should make sure that all computers equipment including the server and UPS are switched off before such a scheduled power outage to protect the equipment against damage caused by suddenly being disconnected from the energy supply.

Preventing hardware problems caused by power outages is in the hands of the responsible people at the schools. Do not be caught with your pants down (or is it server up).

Who must install ?

Software installation is most often a time consuming task. This does not necessarily imply that one needs to be an IT specialist to be able to successfully install the educational software packages used on the Khanya networks. In fact, the installation of most of these packages is a fairly easy task where the installer only needs to have a basic background of the Khanya setup. Detailed installation notes are normally provided with the software and can be followed by anyone who has been exposed to the Khanya networks for some time.

Taking the above into account it is a concern that most LAN administrators at the Khanya schools are not given the opportunity to make use of the knowledge gained in the LAN administrator training courses to take charge of their schools laboratories and do the installations themselves. Does this mean that we are failing in our task to make Khanya schools technical independent? Does it mean that the LAN administrator training courses fail to effectively empower LAN administrators to do the first line support expected from them? Or is it perhaps an indication that our LAN administrators are just not interested or do not have enough time at hand to do these installations?

Update before it is too late

With over 500 viruses being discovered on a monthly basis, it is important that virus prevention strategies be high on the agenda of all LAN administrators. Every school should have an AUP (acceptable user policy) which should include such a virus prevention strategy. All users of the laboratories should be aware of these policies and the importance of adhering to it can not be emphasized enough.

All Khanya networks are configured with antivirus software which protects the network against attacks of known viruses. The full benefit of such antivirus software can only be felt when the virus definitions are updated on a regular basis. Updates are generally done via the internet and should be done on a weekly basis as part of the duties of the LAN administrator at the school.

Too often it is reported that networks are either slow or down due to virus attacks, which has a detrimental effect on the curriculum delivery process at the school. Facilitators should take charge in ensuring that the Khanya networks are not open to virus attacks by making sure the virus definitions are always up to date.

No school should compromise the security of their system by not regularily doing these crucial antivirus updates. In cases where schools do not have access to the internet (which should generally not be the case), antivirus updates can be done by copying the latest virus definitions from http://www.ceie.org.za/ftp/pub/antivirus/datupdate/symantec/ and installing it on the server of the school by making use of a flash drive. These virus definitions can also be obtained from the Khanya project support office and are updated on a weekly basis (every Friday).

Is the non-availability of a reliable internet connection at some schools enough reason not to update their virus definitions on a regular basis?

Saving energy

We are constantly reminded by the media of the vital role we can play in the drive to use energy more efficiently by switching off non-essential equipment not in use. At schools we often see that the workstations in the computer laboratories are kept on during the night causing it to go into “sleep mode” until the next morning when it is interacted with for the first time. The question to ask is whether switching off the workstations at the end of a day will have any significant effect on the school's energy consumption.

It is estimated that an average computer uses about 186 Watt of energy per hour while it is in use (110 Watt for the CPU and 76 Watt for a CRT monitor) and about 145 Watt of energy while not in use (sleep mode)

Scenario: School X uses their Khanya laboratory on average 6 hours per day. The workstations are kept on at the end of the school day, but are only turned off during weekends and holidays. The workstations will go into sleep mode when not used and will wake up in the mornings when it is first interacted with.

We can calculate the energy usage of school X on a monthly basis as follows:

Daily usage while in use (6 hours) = 27 900 Watt (25 x 186 Watt x 6)
Daily usage while not in use (18 hours) = 65 250 Watt (25 x 145 Watt x 18)
Total weekly energy usage for school X = 465 750 Watt
Monthly energy usage for school X = 1 863 000 Watt = 1863 kW

Total monthly cost @ R0.2945 per kW = R 548.65

From the scenario above it is clear that more energy and money is spent on the equipment while it is not is use. School X will be able to save 1 305 000 Watt of energy (which equates to R 384.32) a month by simply turning off the workstations in their computer laboratory at the end of the school day.

Is the above enough reason to switch off the workstations at the end of the day?

Do we have the power?

In the previous posting the question was raised on how we can deal with the current electricity crisis we are facing with. With more than 820 schools currently involved in the Khanya project, while more sites are rolled out on a continual basis, the need to look at ways of preserving energy needs to be high on the agenda.

The Khanya project is known as a project that always explore innovative ways of dealing with issues that have the potential of negatively affecting our goal of becoming the leader in using ICT as a curriculum delivery tool.

In view of the above, Khanya is currently rolling out a pilot project to test the viability of using solar energy to power a full computer laboratory. It is planned to have the pilot project up and running during the second term and the results will be available soon afterwards.

Do you think that such an alternative way (considering the cost implications) of producing enough energy will be a viable option to fight the energy crisis and to ensure business continuity independent of the ESKOM energy grid?

Going Green

While the need for energy efficiency might be top of mind for all South Africans, it is an issue which is not confined to our borders. Internationally, individuals, households and companies are rethinking their approach to energy usage as the threat of power shortages and the global cost of excessive energy consumption is counted.

At an ICT symposium I had the privilege to attend it was evident that as a result of this global energy crisis we are faced with, the major manufacturers of IT equipment are turning their attention to the production of technology which is more environmentally friendly. This concept of “Green Technology” has led to the release of various environmental-friendly computer components which are designed to decrease energy costs through reduced power consumption, achieved without sacrificing any operational performance or functionality.

An example of such a green component is the “Green Ethernet” switch released by D-Link, one of the major networking equipment manufacturers. The switch is designed in such a way that it can detect inactivity on the network and automatically switch off ports that are not in use. It also detects network cable length and adjusts power usage to save energy. This way, a port connected to a 20 meter cable only uses as much power as it needs, instead of using full power, which is only needed for 100 meter cables - reducing power and saving energy. The company claims that by using the “Green Ethernet” technology you can save up to 85.6 % power.

The trend is also to move towards flat screen (LCD Monitors) which use much less energy than CRT monitors. Taking the above energy saving initiatives in mind, is it not time that we in Khanya also look at more effective ways of minimizing the energy usage in our computer laboratories? What methods can we put in place to contribute to the global trend of using more energy efficient systems?

LAN administrator training - Is it too much ?

The task of managing a Computer lab is a demanding one indeed, added to it the other administrative and educational tasks that our LAN administrators are expected to do. Faced with a shortage of competent individuals to take charge of our computer laboratories, we sometimes are forced upon to force feed individuals who may need more of the technical training over a longer period of time than is currently possible.

The twin challenges of strict deadlines and the need to have our LAN administrators practising their trade as soon as they are done with the training sometimes lead to half-baked results with dire consequences for the smooth operation of our computer laboratories.

The questions are thus: Is the time allocated to LAN training too little for the content in the curriculum? How do we measure the effectiveness of our LAN training? What measures can we put in place to augment the LAN training? Are we not perhaps force-feeding our LAN administrators with too much in too little a time frame?

Do you understand broadband?

From the comments on the previous posting it is clear that deciding on the correct broadband option is not a decision that can be made without taking a few important factors into account. In general most schools however are not in the position to make these decisions on their own due to a lack of understanding and knowledge on the topic. It is clear that schools need guidance in this regard. Since Internet connectivity forms an integral part of the Khanya project it must be the duty of the Khanya staff members to give the necessary guidance and to ensure that the schools are in a position to make an informed decision.

In the case of new roll-outs the person that should take responsibility should be the implementation project manager since internet connectivity is one of the deliverables on the implementation project plan. At existing Khanya partner schools the responsibility should be that of the EMDC coordinator who in turn could task the facilitators assigned to the school to fulfill that roll. The question however is whether we as IPMs, coordinators and curriculum facilitators have enough knowledge of the topic to be able to help schools to make such an important decision.

We first need to ensure that Khanya staff members have a thorough understanding of the various connectivity options available. This will allow them to give the necessary guidance and support to schools when it comes to deciding on a broadband option that will suit the school’s needs. In view of this it is suggested that a full day session is arranged for all Khanya staff members where the issue of connectivity will be work- shopped in detail. How do you feel about such a session? Do you think there is a definite need for such a session? Do you have any other ideas on how this issue should be tackled?

How broad is your band?

In the previous posting the question was raised why a lot of schools still prefer to go the dial-up route. From the responses it is clear that most of us agree that schools need to be encouraged to convert to some kind of broadband connection to enable them to make full use of an otherwise underused educational tool.

Schools however need to be guided to enable them to make informed decisions when it comes to deciding on the various broadband options available. The following are a few considerations to take into account when selecting a broadband option that will suit your need.

Bandwidth
Bandwidth refers to the data transfer capacity of the connection and is measured in bits per second. The minimum recommended bandwidth speed for schools is 512 Kbps while 1024 Kbps line speeds are also available but at an additional cost. The bigger the bandwidth, the faster the connection speeds.

Cap
Cap size refers to the amount of data the school has available every month to browse the Internet and download email or any other data. The cap size is measured in Gigs. Gig (Gigabyte) refers to an amount of data. One gig is equal to 1000 megabytes. One gig is approximately 300 mp3 songs, 1500 average MS Word or MS Excel documents or about 10,000 e-mails depending on the attachments sizes. Broadband is available in different cap sizes e.g. 1 Gig, 2 Gig, 3 Gig, 6 Gig, 9 Gig and so on. The cap size however also comes at a price. Schools should consider a minimum cap of 3 Gig.

Cost
Another important factor to consider when deciding on a broadband connectivity option is the monthly cost involved. Remember that broadband connectivity is billed on a fixed monthly bases and the cost is determined by the cap size, the bandwidth, etc.

More information on the topic can be found on the Khanya website on
http://www.khanya.co.za/projectinfo/?catid=38

It is important to note that quite a lot of thought needs to go into the decision on which type of broadband connectivity will be most suited for your school. Guidance in this regard can be obtained from the local CeI Services Managers or Khanya Coordinators.

Schools with existing broadband connections might however not have taken the above considerations into account when they decided on a broadband type. These schools might have experienced that their cap is not sufficient for their connectivity needs or that their connection speeds are slower than they hoped for.

The question is “How broad is your band?”

To dial or not to dial

According to a internet usage and marketing report from the Internet World Stats, the number of internet users in South Africa have increased from 2 400 000 in the year 2000, to 5 100 000 at the end of November 2007 . This implies that an estimate of 11.6 % of the South African population had access to the internet by the end of 2007.

Although connectivity costs have considerably come down, the high cost of internet connectivity remains a challenge. A lot of schools still make use of ISDN dial-up connections to connect to the internet. These connections normally also come at higher cost than broadband connections, are slower and are difficult to manage from a cost perspective since costs depend on time spend online.

Schools making use of dial-up connections also very often restrict internet usage to email downloads in the fear of getting exorbitant TELKOM accounts at the end of the month. This however implies that the powerful tool of the Internet cannot effectively be used for other educational purposes. The question to be posed is “Why do some schools still prefer to go the dial-up route?”

The following might be some of the reasons why a lot of schools have yet not converted to a more affordable, faster, reliable and manageable internet connectivity type:
· The unavailability of broadband coverage (especially ADSL) in some areas. You can do an ADSL availability check by visiting the following link on the TELKOM website: https://secure1.telkom.co.za/app/dslavailability/.
· Is it possible that schools can just be uninformed and do not have enough knowledge on the topic to make an informed decision?

Can you think of any other reasons why schools still prefer to use dial-up? Any ideas on how we should handle these challenges to make sure that all schools have a reliable and affordable always on internet connectivity?

Schools who want more information on broadband connectivity can visit the Khanya website at http://www.khanya.co.za/projectinfo/?catid=38. Please also consult the relevant CeI services managers or Khanya coordinators who will be able to give more advice on the various options available.

Mouses or Mice ?

The most common computer pointing device was first introduced by Douglas Engelbart in the period of 1963 – 1964. He called it a mouse after its resemblance to the small little rodent with the long cord reminding one of the disproportionately long tail of a real mouse. Since the introduction of this terminology, there have been numerous discussions on what the plural form of this device should be. Some people choose to call it mouses, while others prefer mice.

Since the device is named after a mouse some would argue that logically the plural should be mice. However, the English language does not always seem to be logical. For example, the plural form of goose is geese, while mongoose is mongooses; the plural of man is men, while that of human is humans. Radius is radii and not radiuses, as with cactus it is cacti. Louse is lice; however we prefer to say spouses and not spice.

Others claim that the word mouse is an acronym for “Manually-Operated User-Select Equipment”. For this reason the plural should be MOUSEs since acronyms are normally pluralized by adding an “s”. On the other hand if this argument is used, the plural form should stay MOUSE, since “equipment” is plural already.

To be safe and to avoid the argument it might be suggested that you refer to the plural form as “mouse devices” although it does not always feel good on the tongue. Some principals might find it offensive if you ask them how many mice they have in their computer lab.

Whether it is MOUSE, mouses or mice, you decide. I normally just prefer not to mention the plural form of the device in any official communication or report. The fact of the matter is that this is a device that we work with on a daily basis and is present in most of our houses – or is it hice?

What term do you prefer? Do you think it is about time that we decide on a standard term to be used in all Khanya schools?