Maintaining a Stable Windows Environment Mark Padgett & Bret Madsen

Purdue’s Lab Background 85 lab sites, 200 technology in the classroom (tic) sites, and 25 other sites 1850 lab machines, 200 tic machines, and 50 other machines 18,000 logins per day 2 full time staff, 6 students, and other staff

Products in Use Symantec Ghost – for imaging Pyzzo PCR-dist (DOA) – for software management Faronics Deep Freeze – for environment stability KeyServer – for software licensing Logon/Logoff/Startup/Shutdown Scripts – for reporting of machine stats

Products in Use LifeCycle –New Machine is setup (ghosted with unicast from disk) –Scripts run PCR-dist to bring in applications –Scripts enable Deep Freeze –Scripts run nightly to “Thaw” the computers and run PCR-dist –PCR-dist brings in updates to the computers –Scripts run to “Freeze” the computers –Mass OS level updates are performed to the computers with Ghost Console

Ghost Why we use it –To reduce the manual effort of imaging machines How we use it –1. Mass Imaging: Using the ghost client we can push fully-loaded software images to classrooms at a time –2. Individual fixes: Floppy Network Boot Disk Scripted actions based on user typed computer name Base image that runs PCR-dist at the end to bring in applications.

PCR-dist Why we use it –To update software consistently on all of the computers –To gain the ability of file-by-file replacement and registry control How we use it –A copy of the “base” computer image is made on the server (files and registry entries) –Each application software is setup as a separate PCR-dist application –Custom scripts merge the.dst (configuration file) with the settings files stored in a database then run the result.

PCR-dist

Deep Freeze How we use it –To quickly restore to the machine to the state it was before the user logged in. Why we use it –PCR-dist takes to long between users (>5 min.) –PCR-dist could not remove all changes users made the machine.

KeyServer Why we use it –To allow metering of a limited number of licenses across our labs. How we use it –We install all of our software in all of our machines –We then limit the concurrent use of the software with Keyserver. –Ex. Acrobat Pro has 80 licenses that can run at one time.

KeyServer # of Applications Served –345 # of Client Machines –2508 (includes Macs and PCs) # of Application Requests per Month –1,680,000 (appr. 56,000 per day) Size of Log File per month –1.5 GB

KeyServer

Scripts Why we use them –To track machine availability and usage –To perform machine updates How we use them –We call the batch sequences from the Windows Startup, Shutdown, Logon and Logoff scripts

Scripts – Machine Use Startup –Notifies that the system is available Logon –Notifies that the system is in use and tracks by whom Logoff –Notifies that the user has logged off the system Shutdown –Notifies that the system is rebooting (possibly updating)

Scripts – Machine Updating During the maintenance window (usually 2-6am when the labs are closed): –The Deep Freeze “Thaw” command is run at a random time within the window –If the machine reboots “Thawed”, the PCR- dist command is run updating the system –At the end of the PCR-dist session the Deep Freeze “Freeze” command is run

Questions

Links Ghost: PCR-dist: none Deep Freeze: KeyServer:

Presenters’ Bio Mark Padgett –System Administrator for Teaching and Learning Technology campus computer labs (appr Windows PCs) at Purdue. –Associates degree in electronics for Vincennes University. –Started out repairing computer hardware. Changed to system Administrator about 10 years ago. Bret Madsen –System Administrator for Teaching and Learning Technology campus computer labs (appr Windows PCs) at Purdue. –Master’s degree in Information Technology Management from Purdue University and Bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering Technology from South Dakota State University. –Originally from South Dakota and worked as a Computer Support Specialist for SDSU and Sioux Valley Hospital.