Network Redesign and Palette 2.0

1. Network Redesign and Palette 2.0

2. The Mission of GCIS* Provide all of our users optimal access to GCC’s technology resources. *(GCC Information Services: The Innovation Center, Instructional Computing, Office of Information Technology, and Training and Employee Development)

3. Objectives for today • Bring you up to speed on the status of the Overall (Academic and Staff) Network Redesign and the creation of the new Instructional Palette (Palette 2.0) • Solicit your input at various levels • Reach consensus on moving ahead

4. Issues being addressed by redesign project: • Network availability • Server connectivity • Lengthy login times • Complexity of network structure • Limited flexibility issues • Change Management issues • Re-imaging issues • Others? (CTC 12/05: none noted)

5. Goals of the Network Redesign Project • Provide a network that is available 99.9% exclusive of scheduled down time. • Establish processes & procedures that assure the delivery of network services including: • Change control • Release management • Incident response • Problem Management • Configuration Management • Capacity planning • Availability planning

6. CTC 12/05: Additional Goals and Comments from 12/05 CTC Meeting - Security at every point within the project - Ensure processes and procedures are in a written format - Performance measurement tools • Documentation management • Maintenance planning participation through the CTC (to include faculty and students) • Implement Service Level Agreement (SLA)

7. Design Criteria • Services should have • Flexibility to meet changing needs • Stability • Mutually agreed upon maintenance windows • Efficiency of management • Others? (CTC 12/05: “accountability measurements” and “maintenance planning” were also suggested by attendees, but these items were previously addressed by the Goals/Comments listed on slide 6.)

8. Palette 2.0 Design Assumptions • Any user can log into any workstation they have access to and perform the tasks the workstation is configured to perform. • On logout the Palette workstation reverts to a configuration that allows the next user to perform their tasks. • Others? (CTC12/05: Comments from attendees suggested that similar usability could be obtained with “thin clients”; such as Softricity. Remote access of Palette resources (from home and elsewhere) for students and faculty was mentioned as a design possibility for Palette 3.0)

9. Palette 2.0 Design Goals • Workstation imaging should be: • Inline with change control and release mgt. • accomplished remotely and/or automatically—when desired • Classrooms can be re-imaged and ready for use in 60 minutes. • No current functionality will be lost

10. Design Decisions to date • Novell Netware will be phased out. • Microsoft Windows will provide Active Directory and File services for the network. • A new Windows Palette image/design will be created from the workstation OS up. CTC 12/05: Note to attendees, please be active and vocal in CTC planning process!

11. Palette 2.0 Implementation goal • July 01 06 Palette 2.0 ready for testing by faculty, selected students and staff. 2.0 will target implementing the new Microsoft network core using a new build of the current image for the Palette. • June 01 07 Palette 3.0 ready for testing by faculty, selected students and staff.

12. Testing Protocol/parameters • Virtual machine servers for initial setup and testing • Dedicated VLAN, and connected servers and workstations for “real world testing” • Use Packet traces to monitor and track each network related change • Monitor and track effects of changes on workstation CPU and Memory usage • Others? (CTC 12/05: Attendees were assured that load and regression testing would be addressed; however, other metrics - designated by attendees - would be helpful, such as acceptable login times. Attendees requested the testing plan be distributed to the campus in “lay-terms”.)

13. Current Palette Resources/Features • Automatically created, registration related, password protected multiple accounts that appear as one account to the user. • Standard suite of software tools that includes Microsoft Office • Registration related access to specialized software • Network Storage Space (H drive), Animation Volume • Shared Drives (S drive) • Drop Boxes • Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) e-mail • Roaming desktops • Internet access • Wireless access • User created web pages • Off-campus access to some features. • Forums • Secure browser and ftp based file access

14. Additional Features for Palette 2.0 • Automated Faculty Resources Self-Service Site • Common “Start” page for all online courses

15. Additional Features for Palette 3.0 • Plan is to distribute list of current features and software to you at the start of Spring semester. • Please review and make suggestions for the 3.0 image. • Please review and let us know what is longer needed. We will collect and discuss these during Spring Semester 06.

16. Moving Forward We are creating technical groups for each of the major project areas, which include: • Academic Image • Palette Image • Script conversion • Server OS deployment/Active Directory • Administrative Machines • Create conversion process • Genesis Overhaul • Data Migration • Back up/disaster recovery

17. Review of Objectives for today • Bring you up to speed on Network Redesign and the creation of the new Instructional Palette (Palette 2.0) • Solicit your input at various levels • Reach consensus on moving ahead (CTC 12/05: The group reached a consensus to proceed with these plans for the Network Redesign and Palette 2.0.)