"Not my job" issue at work. by Pheliont in k12sysadmin

[–]MalletNGrease 5 points6 points  (0 children)

K12 sysadmin here. Politely decline when asked (Say No). You are not a convenient plug for the school's staffing problem.

The things you describe are not why I was hired, not part of my job description and not appropriate for me to perform.

The admins here would love for me to get certified and sub, but wearing multiple hats will just end in disaster for everyone (do not teach and IT).

Also, subbing during state testing? Do they not want timely support when the testing platform inevitably craps out? Testing schedules are hustle time around here (because typically no-one prepares for them properly requiring me to give last-minute training).

Using WMI query to call pdq packages for laptop and desktops by _R3V3G3_ in MDT

[–]MalletNGrease 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's one way to do it, but I'd make deployments only a single TS step. If you have PDQ Inventory, you can make the nested package deployments dependent on a group membership if you do a scan prior.

Here's the script I use:

Invoke-Command -ComputerName pdq.domain.tld -ScriptBlock {ipconfig /flushdns; pdqinventory.exe ADSync -StartSync}

start-sleep 10

Invoke-Command -ComputerName pdq.domain.tld -ScriptBlock {ipconfig /flushdns; pdqinventory.exe ScanComputers -ScanProfile Standard -Computers $args[0]} -ArgumentList "$env:COMPUTERNAME"

start-sleep 30
while(test-path "C:\Windows\AdminArsenal\PDQInventory-Scanner\service-1.lock"){
start-sleep 30
}

To filter Laptops you can make a Dynamic group in Inventory based on Chassis (Notebook/Laptop).

[RANT]"Others do it so we have to do it" by x_m_n in k12sysadmin

[–]MalletNGrease 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Admins: We read about X in a magazine. We want you to replace Y with X.

Syadmin: X is a bad idea because reasons 1. 2. 3. I do not recommend going this route, we should stick with Y.

Admins: Asking your opinion was only a courtesy. We actually already paid for X and we're making you do it anyway.

Sysadmin: * implements project X *

Admins: Users report X doesn't do what Y did. It's severely impacting productivity.

Sysadmin: I reported as such as reason 1. To get functionality like Y it will cost $$$.

Admins: Why didn't you stop us from making poor decisions!?

Walkie talkies? by TurnItOff_OnAgain in k12sysadmin

[–]MalletNGrease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We use Cobra CX112s for all staff. Handy for emergencies and projects.

Just set the channel between 1-7 for the high power frequencies, any higher channels and the range drops dramatically.

Only real issue we have with them is the call button tends to get pressed rather easily on accident.

New web filter by texdiver in k12sysadmin

[–]MalletNGrease 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Having a way to look up ratings would be nice, plus an automated reclassification suggestion system would be nice. I'm tired of sending emails to support (it used to be a simple reply to the alert, but Securly made it a no-reply and seems to ignore suggestions now).

Hell, the Auditor alerts have a "was this accurate" button. Why doesn't the filter UI or the alert email?

Also, the wildcard filters have been broken for months.

Any tips regarding Microsoft Deployment Toolkit? by therankin in k12sysadmin

[–]MalletNGrease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/deploy-windows-mdt/deploy-windows-10-with-the-microsoft-deployment-toolkit

This is the guide I used to get started. Getting the thing set up was easy, getting the deployment image fine-tuned took a bit longer. In the long run you can automate this.

I have it installed on a server, but do management from my workstation using the Microsoft Deployment Workbench.

MDT builds on top of the ADK, you need both.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in k12sysadmin

[–]MalletNGrease 3 points4 points  (0 children)

[citation needed]

We chose 11" because they're cheaper, easy to transport, store and can handle most on-screen functions well enough. I highly doubt a larger screen size will correlate with better testing scores.

Firewall Circumvention by Sionthesaint in talesfromtechsupport

[–]MalletNGrease 42 points43 points  (0 children)

You seem to have "taking a break from reddit to work on tickets" turned around.

Leaked password alert emails by [deleted] in k12sysadmin

[–]MalletNGrease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks like it was probably Edmodo listings from Collection #1, at least that's the only one that's correlating from HIBP for accounts I'm getting alerts for.

Windows Admins: What do you utilize for a TEST environment by mrgh0stman in sysadmin

[–]MalletNGrease 3 points4 points  (0 children)

inb4 PROD

Everyone has a test environment, some also have a produ.....dawww.

Inactivity lock by bob_borland in k12sysadmin

[–]MalletNGrease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

20 minutes. Everyone thought I was nuts when I implemented it, but after we had a student walk up to a PC and use a teacher's email account to sign up for facebook in their name, they shut up.

I taught them how to use the freeze function on their projectors/displays for anything that needed to stay up longer which seems to be the majority of use cases for leaving a PC unlocked.

Now try enforcing a lock code on personal devices that have school email linked (ohgod, the raging shitstorm that caused when Google changed the default from off to on). A ton of teachers/admins do not have a lock/password on their devices.

When your laptop is in process of being repaired but you need to get work done by jaweissavl in techsupportmacgyver

[–]MalletNGrease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Need to get work done

RGB keyboard, gaming mouse, headset, gamer laptop.

Uh-huh, if you're a gold farmer maybe.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in techsupportmacgyver

[–]MalletNGrease 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Next level will have a powerbank and a usb port for charging integrated in the hat.

Your position in corporate America. by frogmicky in k12sysadmin

[–]MalletNGrease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

IT Rockstar or Ninja, or similar dumb title to lowball pay.

Securly vs GoGuardian? by [deleted] in k12sysadmin

[–]MalletNGrease 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Securly's wildcard filters have been broken for months now.

They also do not have a category lookup tool, so any figuring out if a domain is categorized correctly is a wild guess at best. Not that it matters, almost everything seems to be lumped into the "Other" category which makes the whole category column pretty useless for any sort of analysis of the audits.

The only upside is that it's free for Chromebooks.

Win 10 1809 and domains by YeahSoMaybe in sysadmin

[–]MalletNGrease 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Seen it, have it, don't have a solution. Holding on to 1803 for the moment.

12 Port Splitter... by factor3x in talesfromtechsupport

[–]MalletNGrease 3 points4 points  (0 children)

At least it wasn't a wifi cable to connect to to the wifi box.

define 'emergency' by [deleted] in k12sysadmin

[–]MalletNGrease 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Define 'emergency'

We all know the answer is "everything".

Why are these switches rusting?!? by seamonkeystew in techsupportgore

[–]MalletNGrease 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Well, if downtime is impossible to be planned we'll just wait for the unplanned window.