As much by writing

Virtualization seems to be a growing trend right now; expanding in its uses and applications. I think most people look at virtualization as something that is done on servers as a means of saving resources. TechRepublic says it like this: “Today’s use of virtualization technology allows IT professionals to automatically manage the resources of the physical server to efficiently support multiple operating systems, each supporting different applications.” http://ct.techrepublic.com.com/clicks?t=47831880-888424b3d30f9d71c6558bff5a2cf89d-bf&brand=TECHREPUBLIC&s=5

Virtualization is so much more than this when you bring it to your pc as well. Virtualizing allows your desktop operating system to host additional operating systems (the same OS as the host or something completely different). This allows a user to experience multiple operating systems on one computer and can be especially helpful when applications have compatibility issues. At SUNY Delhi we have been using this type of virtualization for a few years for the testing and development of software. There are many virtualization packages that are available that will work for this type of use, 3 of which are reviewed by Peter Varhol in ‘Virtualization Hits the Desktop’ http://virtualizationreview.com/features/article.aspx?editorialsid=2449 . (Microsoft’s’ Virtual PC 2007 is available as a free download and gets a decent review as does Parallels Workstation 2.2; however, VMware Workstation 6.0.2 is still the leader in this technology.

So where does this technology go if we push it one more step? Keith Ward in ‘Helping Kids do more – a Lot More’ http://virtualizationreview.com/blogs/weblog.aspx?blog=2121 discusses an elementary school that has reduced the cost of hardware by virtualizing pc’s in the classroom. This school is literally turning 1 standard (or even low end) desktop with only 512MB of RAM into a system that 3 students can use simultaneously. This particular school is using nComputing, who claims that “The Average person uses less than 10% of the capacity of their pc.” They claim that their solution helps you get the most out of your pc’s by allowing multiple users to simultaneously use the same pc; running different applications with “their own files, settings and preferences”. (http://ncomputing.com/home.aspx) This sounds an awful lot like a dumb terminal, a thin client…haven’t we been here before? Are we headed back to where we have already been? Where will the technology go next?

Virtualization is still an emerging technology that has many directions it could go and a long way to go before it hits its peak. Virtualization can relate to a wide range of technologies from hardware to applications to management, engulfing servers and desktops with all of its uses. How you use virtualization and where you take it is largely up to each organization and user!

My holiday gifts to the IT department focused on books this year (last year was dorky computer geek t-shirts, you know things like “There’s no place like 127.0.0.1″). The list included: The Success of Open Source, Wisdom of Crowds, Agile Project Management, Virtual Learning Environments: Using, Choosing and Developing Your VLE and Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything.

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“Try-It-Youll-Like-It,” We love it at Delhi
“Workers across your company aren’t waiting for you to try these applications, they’re using them already. The incoming generation of Web natives—the young people who will replace the retiring baby boomers by the millions—expects a work environment that reflects their reality. That’s where they’ll be most productive, too.”

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Here are a few of my favorite FREE communication tools. These should be handy for anyone who does technical user support, faculty development, online teaching, etc:

Open University's OpenLearn LabSpace - Flashmeeting
Set up a free account and you can host Flashmeetings which use Flash to videoconference, audioconference, shared whiteboard, chat, etc.
http://labspace.open.ac.uk/

Skype (www.skype.com) - you just need broadband and a headset. Of course you know about Skype’s great audio (that saves money on phone calls) but it also includes video and is an excellent instant messenger.

Yugma (www.yugma.com) - free desktop sharing that works with Skype
Yugma will allow you to share your desktop with others, so that you can actually show them what you are talking about on your computer. Very handy for helpdesks and calls where you are working on bugs and issues and need to see each others' screens.

Put those 3 together and you've got some serious conference-ability. 

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I guess we must be really happy and really *busy* based on the lack of postings here! Something that has been on my mind lately is single sign-on (SSO), particularly in an environment where we are running at least 6-10 systems, many of which have completely different login/password configurations. Here is a short list of those I deal with regularly: Continue Reading »

7 Ways to Keep IT Staff Happy

By Deborah Perelman
November 30, 2007
CIO|InSight Magazine
[original article]

Most bosses don’t believe there is a magic pill for keeping their employees content, but their efforts are often off the mark.

Ken Hess, a technical analyst at a large global outsourcing company in Tulsa, says his bosses have “no clue.”

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In some parts of academe, professors hold on tightly to what they’ve created - lesson plans, content, lecture notes, a/v materials, and so on - for fear that someone will “steal” it, perhaps reuse it, remix it, or otherwise profit from it. Certainly that can happen, and it’s not right. But another idea that is growing in some areas of higher education is that of open educational resources - where lesson content and materials are available to the public free of charge - and the professors and institution benefit in other ways. For example, in 2002 the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) instituted OpenCourseWare which offers free lecture notes, problem sets, labs, lecture videos and demonstrations to the general public. Although these materials are freely available, people are not able to get degrees, interact with faculty, or have discussions that are the “value added” aspect for which people are willing to pay. A recent New York Times article highlights an MIT faculty member who has become quite an online star with his educational videos on physics. In this new age beyond traditional copyrights, in the realm of the Creative Commons license, there are many options when considering whether educational materials need to necessarily reside in a private space or not. SUNY Dehi’s motto is “Inspiring Minds, Changing Lives” and MIT’s OCW motto is “Unlocking Knowledge, Empowering Minds.” There seems to be some commonality.

Let me tell you, am I ever happy that winter is on its way. Over the summer my office was always so hot. While the large window offers a great view overlooking the valley, it also creates quite the greenhouse effect, raising the temperature and humidity. Fortunately I am sort of a do-it-yourselfer, so I figured out an easy solution: install my own office air conditioner. After all it’s my office and who better to know what I need? Although I wasn’t too familiar with all of the features and functionality available with the current models of air conditioning units, I was sure I could find the right technology for my needs.

Happily, with just a few questions to the helpful sales representative at my local home center, I was able to identify the perfect solution, and thanks to the Internet, I quickly found just the model I needed online and even had it shipped right to campus.

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Campus Information Systems (CIS), as most of you are probably aware, is a service provided to the campus community to meet the many and growing computing needs. To succeed it takes a dedicated and skilled staff. As the demands increase it takes even more – it takes the right attitude or, as some would say, the right heart. So what is the right heart? I’ve never seen it expressed better than what was related in a story about Chad, a story originally told by Dale Galloway in his book Dream A New Dream and recounted in Chuck Swindoll’s Improving Your Serve: Continue Reading »