THE Journal — Integration/Networking
Microsoft Opens Up Vista Virtualization
Microsoft, still trying to find its way in the new world of virtualization licensing, has changed its mind again on Windows Vista, and now says it will allow more versions of the desktop OS to be virtualized.
(1/22/2008)
GigaFin, Amer.com Partner for K-12 Network Control
GigaFin Networks and Amer.com are partnering up to provide network services for K-12 institutions. The partnership, announced at the FETC conference in Orlando, FL Jan. 22, aims to "help education administrators curb bandwidth drainage and ensure networks are free of misuse."
(1/22/2008)
Macworld Expo: 3ware Sidecar SATA II RAID Adds Leopard Support
At the Macworld Conference & Expo this week in San Francisco, Applied Micro Circuits Corp. (AMCC) announced that its SATA II hardware RAID solution, the 3ware Sidecar, now offers support for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard. The units have also undergone a price reduction, and the company is offering a $100 Macworld show discount.
(1/15/2008)
Macworld Expo: Apple Launches MacBook Air, Time Capsule
At the Macworld Conference & Expo in San Francisco, Apple CEO Steve Jobs took the stage Tuesday to introduce the company's latest technologies. As rumored, Apple launched a new, super-slim version of the MacBook laptop computer, known as the MacBook Air. Jobs also introduced a new version of the AirPort Extreme Base Station known as Time Capsule, which combines an 802.11n router with a wireless backup storage solution.
(1/15/2008)
Macworld Expo: SATABeast Xi Delivers 42 TB Storage for Xserve
At the Macworld Conference & Expo being held this week in San Francisco, Nexsan is debuting a new high-density storage solution for Apple's Xserve and Mac Pro systems. Dubbed the SATABeast Xi, the 4U rackmount system, which is expected to ship in mid-March, will offer up to 42 TB of storage and features that allow it to improve energy efficiency.
(1/14/2008)
Visalia USD Bolsters Network for Converged Services
Visalia Unified School District is beefing up its converged network to support higher bandwidths for voice, data, and video. Visalia USD, located in the San Joaquin Valley, has signed AT&T in a five-year deal to act as the primary service provider for network services for the California district.
(1/8/2008)
Virtual Machine Use May Tilt OS Dynamic
The rise of virtual machines may prove to be somewhat of a nightmare for entrenched purveyors of closed operating systems, but it may become a boon for independent software vendors (ISVs) and end users -- so a recent Yankee Group report suggests.
(1/2/2008)
How a Security Play Streamlined a Business Process in a Texas School District
New security initiatives could be viewed as one of those ever-demanding burdens in a school district, sucking up financial resources and adding a layer of complexity to user and IT operations. Or, if you're like Kyle Berger, executive director of technology services for the Alvarado Independent School District, south of Ft. Worth, TX, you could view it as a route to gaining efficiencies in your business processes while reducing expenses.
(12/11/2007)
Windows Server 2008, Vista SP1 Hit RC Milestone
Microsoft Wednesday continued its hand in hand development of Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista's first service pack, publishing release candidates (RC) for each product. The big updates in Windows 2008 RC1 revolve around enhancements to Group Policy, a management framework first introduced in Windows 2000 Server.
(12/10/2007)
Marysville Schools To Deploy WiFi District-Wide
Ohio's Marysville Exempted Village School District (also known as Marysville Schools) is upgrading its network infrastructure with high-speed wired and wireless across the entire district. The objective of the upgrade, with equipment furnished by Extreme Networks, is to improve student performance and communications with enhanced bandwidth for voice and data and to open up support for distance learning.
(12/6/2007)
Parallels Adds Full Mac OS X 10.5 Support, Launches Premium Edition
SWsoft has released an update for its virtualization software for Mac OS X, Parallels Desktop. The latest build (3.0 build 5582) brings full support for Mac OS X 10.5 ("Leopard"). It also brings various other, minor enhancements added since the previous build, released at the end of November. The company has also shipped a new suite called Parallels Desktop 3.0 for Mac Premium Edition, which bundles the core virtualization software with various Windows utilities.
(12/6/2007)
Abbotsford Rolls Out WiFi To Support Classroom Technologies
Abbotsford School District 34 in British Columbia (Canada) this semester began rolling out a new wireless network, one that, at present, covers about a quarter of the district's 51 sites. The move is part of an effort to improve access for teachers, who are increasingly using wireless technologies in their classrooms, according to information released by the district.
(12/5/2007)
North Vancouver SD Accelerates WAN with Silver Peak Appliances
North Vancouver School District in British Columbia (Canada) is optimizing its wide-area network through the use of Silver Peak NX appliances from Silver Peak Systems. According to the company, the district has used the systems to improve network performance, particularly for transferring data between schools and administrative offices and to improve performance for hosted applications.
(12/5/2007)
WiFi Bolsters Alabama District's 1:1 Tablet PC Program
Auburn City Schools in Alabama has found that a "no strings attached" approach to classroom networking has let new approaches to instruction take flight. The district has deployed a WiFi network to more than 1,000 tablet PC-equipped students and teachers at its junior high and high schools as part of a 21st Century Learning Initiative.
(11/26/2007)
Kansas School District Rolls Out 1:1 MacBook Program
In one of the poorer districts in the Kansas City, KS metropolitan area--where more than 75 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches--administrators and school board members have launched a project to ensure that their students have all the technological advantages that wealthier students have in their education. The district serving that area, Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools (KCKPS), is giving every high school student and teacher a laptop for use in the classroom and at home--and not just any laptop, but the latest generation of Intel-based MacBook laptops from Apple, which were distributed to students Nov. 6 and 7 district-wide, about 5,400 systems total.
(11/8/2007)
Fremont Bolsters Web Security with Blue Coat Appliance
As part of its 2007-2008 technology goals, Fremont School District in California had deployed appliances from Blue Coat Systems to improve Web security and reduce bandwidth consumption. The district is also using the Blue Coat ProxySG appliances to provide Web security and policy control across its Internet gateway.
(11/1/2007)
Beaufort County SD Revamps Network for E-Learning
Beaufort County School District is South Carolina is overhauling its network infrastructure to facilitate e-learning applications and to help provide advanced online professional development through the use of streaming video. The district is working with technology provider Extreme Networks and systems integrator Converged Networks on the overhaul.
(11/1/2007)
Districts Revamp Curricula for 21st Century Learning
School districts around the United States are taking an active approach to 21st century learning by retooling their curricula and changing the way they measure student achievement in STEM subjects. What's more, according to a survey released this month by the National School Boards Association, technology is playing a major role in facilitating change, from online learning to project-based learning to Web 2.0 applications like wikis and blogs.
(10/31/2007)
MPISD Deploys Data, Portal Systems
Mount Pleasant Independent School District in Texas is integrating student data and adding new tools to meet state reporting requirements with the help of Mizuni, which is providing the district with its Motiv suite. The district is also using Motiv to set up a portal to make student information available to parents and administrators and to help "inform instruction" with the use of Motiv assessment tools.
(10/31/2007)
Apple Launches iPhone Dev Center
Apple has created a new suite of development resources tailored specifically for the iPhone. Dubbed the "iPhone Dev Center," the service provides a range of resources, including guidelines for optimizing Web apps for the iPhone, sample code, video tutorials, and other reference material.
(10/25/2007)
JCHS Deploys WiFi Array
JSerra Catholic High School has deployed WiFi arrays across its Southern California campus. Xirrus deployed its arrays at the school to support the school's laptop program and online educational tools.
(10/24/2007)
ShareLoader Appliance Automates Remote Backups
Crossroads Systems has started shipping a new appliance designed to automate backups of both on site and remote systems--SurePath ShareLoader. The appliance allows for backups of saved files on user machines (Windows-based) and also allows those users to retrieve lost data themselves, with the aim of reducing "IT overhead."
(10/22/2007)
Leopard Arrives Oct. 26
It was about 14 months ago that Apple first previewed Mac OS X 10.5 ("Leopard") at its 2006 Worldwide Developers Conference. Now, following delays reportedly resulting from resources shifting to iPhone development, the company has announced a release date for the new OS: Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. Coinciding with the release is Mac OS X Leopard Server, which includes the first commercial CalDAV calendar server, along with Wiki Server and Podcast Producer.
(10/16/2007)
MNPS Rolls Out VOD District-wide
Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools in Tennessee is deploying video on demand and digital asset management tools across all of its 135 schools. The district, one of the 50 largest in the United States, signed a five-year contract with Library Video Co., which will supply the services through its Safari Montage video on demand system.
(10/12/2007)
California Schools To Optimize Networks
California is taking a novel approach to tackling the problem of network degradation in its schools and districts. The California K-12 High Speed Network, which administers the broadband network infrastructure for 81 percent of the state's schools, will be traveling around to individual schools and districts to analyze their network configurations, locate problems, and recommend fixes for optimizing performance. K12HSN is using Netcordia's NetMRI appliances to carry out the task.
(10/10/2007)
