(Part 2) Best products from r/k12sysadmin

This: http://www.amazon.com/Gefen-EXT-USB2-0-LR-USB-2-0-Extender/dp/B001RJ5FJY

...is the only one I've used that worth anything. Another version without the metal case but a plastic one, and almost identical internals is sold by black box. Both are actually/probably made by Icron. These units are the few that actually support USB 2.0 specs and require a dedicated CAT5e between them (yes, it's technically Ethernet, but the spec is a little different and you can't plug a switch in between, they have to be connected direct)

This thing: http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-IPUSB2HD2-HDMI-Extender-Audio/dp/B005WKGZCU

...has also worked pretty good for me, but not all USB2.0 devices seem to work with it. Also you have to manually reconnect it every once in awhile, and there was no way to set it with a static IP on the network (other than DHCP reservation) which I found pretty annoying.

I've used that too, worked great. If you have the extra money the netcamviewer listed below is pretty nice. Just a pi with a nice web ui for adding/managing the camera feeds and it's easy to add sequences if you have a lot of cameras to monitor.

[netcamviewer - amazon.com] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076DH6S4P/ref=s9_acsd_simh_hd_bw_bxmgD_c_x_1_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=DYZB94BS33T45Z31RVNW&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=4d0d7171-1ef6-55cf-bbbf-7e63844cb806&pf_rd_i=14248481)

The whole premise is silly in the face of cheap, effective 1:1 solutions like Chromebooks and iPads and even tight little Win10 laptops.

VDI would have been a miracle 10 years ago, but it just didn't mature fast enough to ever be useful in any situation without a ridiculously massive doctor / lawyer type budget.

They wanted workstation level gigabit which was an LOL way back then... now our internet connection is gigabit. Times have changed. The VDI use-case is not K12 period.

That costs $700 though. I was joking a bit about the sous vide, but you could get one and a clear plastic tub for $80 or less. Here are some ziplock bags that will work.

I haven't used any of the products I linked, just an example. But $42 for a 1kw sous vide is pretty amazing. If it isn't powerful enough for the tub just start with hot water and add some from a kettle if needed.

So if you get 7, next year they'll complain and want 8

This is why I'd go with an omni or array personally.

What are you using now, a karaoke setup or something?

Pyle? May as well just get the wireless version of that, it's total garbage and I wouldn't normally recommend it, but that's about your price range.

e.g.
https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Wireless-Microphone-System-Transmitter/dp/B00DO7AAJW

Seriously, I do not recommend this. But, eh. Probably the only thing in your price range are the karaoke systems like this, which some churches or related houses of worship can get away with. Seriously, I'd talk to some of them in your community.

I'm sure your speakers are total garbage as well and you probably aren't replacing those, so it probably won't even make much difference if you get good mics or barely acceptable ones.

I guess I would find a spare machine that had 4-6 SATA ports and DBAN drives using that. For under $100, you could add 2-6 more ports with a PCIe SATA card, assuming you had the power.

You could always hook up an extra power supply, if needed.

It's a rigged up, frankenstein solution, but it beats hitting them one at a time, I'm sure.

For something a bit nicer, you could buy a server chassis with hot-swap bays and a nice power supply to fit your DBAN rig into.

I don't think $50 is going to get you anything ceiling-mounted and powerful enough to cover a regular classroom, even with the fanciest little speaker you can get at that price range. That said, if the projector has USB ports to keep it charged, I have good experiences with this model in terms of sound quality and volume:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-SoundCore-Bluetooth-Dual-Driver-Distortion/dp/B016XTADG2

But once again, this isn't really a problem you can sufficiently fix for $50. We use these in a classroom setting:

https://www.amazon.com/Anchor-Audio-AN-130-Speaker-Monitor/dp/B000YYVVN2

They sell ceiling mount brackets for them as well and have excellent coverage. Just make sure you have accessible power plugs near the mounting tile.

First I would try to as much as possible figure out how to prevent the situation that caused the tablet to break instead of trying to find the perfect armor.

I'm assuming it is not drops and falls breaking the ipads since they still seem to be breaking frequently with good quality cases. But if they do drop them frequently maybe something like this http://www.amazon.com/URGE-Basics-Swivel-Grip-Tablets/dp/B00DZXS8DK

or this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BCSYZVY could help.

If they are breaking from being put in book bags and then being thrown around maybe something that covers the screen like this http://www.amazon.com/modulR-Tough-Cover-Accessories-C51-50-M/dp/B00I3YKEKG would work

I second the use of Ubiquiti wireless bridges. You'll get plenty of bandwidth, very low cost ($300 per pair, or even less for the Nanobeam ACs, only $200/pair), very simple to configure. They even have these 900MHz pair for not-exactly-line-of-sight connections. We've blown through a line of trees with these for a short throw with no issues, and get 60Mbps throughput, full duplex.

Unless you're streaming multiple 4K video streams, it's a solid solution. Those small Nanobeams work great, as well. We've used a pair to connect a portable, when it was too expensive to trench over to it, and have used them for connections over 3 miles, with about 120Mbps full duplex. This is in the Sierra Nevada, so pretty harsh weather every winter - lots of snow and ice, and haven't had weather-related failures. In any case, they're so cheap it's trivial to have a shelf spare in case a radio dies.

Whatever you choose, good luck!

With a production system like OBS (or something like TriCaster/Blackmagic/etc on the higher end side) you take in multiple sources. I've done the OBS+YouTube Live thing to backup our normal guy when he's out by using a couple of 1080p webcams and loose PTZ IP surveillance cameras I had sitting around. It can take almost any source so it's pretty flexible.

You could even use your existing Canon R20 in the system with a capture device (something like this on the low end).

True production switchers/equipment get pricey fast so it depends on your needs and budget. Hopefully you don't get stuck being the guy who has to stream all the board meetings!

This is our first year with MyAssetTag EconoGuards for our student assigned equipment. I can't really tell you how well they'll stand up yet.

For the most part I use a Dymo LabelWriter 450 Turbo with 3rd party 1" x 2 1/8" multipurpose labels. These tend to fall/wear/fade off, but they're easy to replace. I bought something like 5000 labels (10 rolls x 500 labels) for $15.

CBT Nuggets has lots of networking related training videos, CompTIA Net+ to the advanced Cisco stuff. DNS specifically is something I've been searching for also, the best I've found is a book called "DNS on Windows Server 2003" and I did contact the author on Twitter and asked if there would be a new version, he replied he had not thought about it but would ask the coauthor, never heard back.

​

DNS is also covered a lightly in Active Directory and Windows Server Fundamentals type videos. Microsoft Virtual Academy covers a few minutes on DNS in this module under "Name Resolution"

This Udemy course might be worth it also.

If your school is rolling out 1:1 in macbooks using google accounts... and you're coming on blind but willing to learn... that's going to be rough.

Do you currently have any sort of IT support at your school/district? If so, I'd start by asking them what they currently use. Do you plan on using an MDM? Remote management?

At the very minimum you'd want to familiarize yourself with inventory management. Keeping track of all these devices and being able to link a device to a student/teacher is key in the event something breaks. If you're just starting a 1:1 program, I'd be curious to see how long you eat the cost on repairs before sending bills out. I just talked to one of the largest districts in my state a few months ago (ok...like 6 months ago at least) and they just starting billing for damages on their 1:1 (which is only rolled out to 9-12) because they were eating roughly 10k yearly in ongoing repairs and replacements.

Is there a ticketing system in place? How are requests handled? Would you be flying solo or part of a team? There's all these factors that greatly change how and what you do. Very few people in the sysadmin world walk in as a sysadmin, they start as helpdesk and work their way up.

what should you study? I recommend brushing on on different types of alcohol. If you're doing this all solo with no existing infrastructure or support it'll be helpful. As far as books probably the practice of network and systems administration. It's more of a focus on the theories and practices, not so much the CLI or "how-to" tasks.

If it’s not too taboo, there are plenty of cases with foam squares that they remove such as camera/firearm/tool cases (just find something that doesn’t look like a firearm case )

Things like this:

Condition 1 22" LG #300 Black Airtight/Watertight Rolling Travel Hard Case with DIY Customizable Foam https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B06XGC9GGH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_bs9iDbXGW3ZNW

AmazonBasics Hard Camera Case - Large https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01L0LVLLY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Pt9iDbK2SHERB (which has removable foam squares to make the areas)

Then take out squares/columns of foam for each device. You might have to experiment with this one to find your ideal dimensions that fit what you need snugly.

If your purchase is large enough call up Samsonite or a local or similar luggage/case company and ask them for a case that meets your overall dimensions with appropriate foam slots.

While this might not be what you are looking for, I recommend a cordless screwdriver: http://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCF610S2-12-Volt-4-Inch-Screwdriver/dp/B0043XX872/ref=sr_1_6?s=hi&srs=2588375011&ie=UTF8&qid=1393984525&sr=1-6&keywords=dewalt+cordless+screwdriver

I worked for 3 or 4 years before getting one and wow it was a game-changer for certain projects!

I was getting the Griffin Survivor but recently switched to the Supcase Beetle to save money. Link: http://amzn.com/B00O8RCHES
They seem well made but we haven't been using them long.