Test of your administration skills

[salsa086]

This was a scenario in a recent administration training I attended... what is the best solution:

Objective: Install PDA synchronization software for 300 network users
Facts:
You are a network adminstrator. 300 of your users will be receiving Palm Pilots in 1 month. They do not have administrative rights to their systems. Administrative rights are needed to install the synchronization software that will come with their palm pilots. The user's computers are all members of the same domain, but they are all connected behind a 128k fractional T1 network connection (making large file transfers an unavailable option).

 

[TallBill]

laugh at them

 

[OutHouse]

no idea, we dont use PDA's so no clue on what their OS is or how they manage permissions. We use nothing but blackberries

 

[Savij]

RMA. There can only be one. Mandozaaaaaa!

 

[MrDudeMan]

send back the palm pilots

 

[Jzero]

Sounds like a job for group policy.

 

[everman]

Delegate it to someone else.

 

[KLin]

hire 20 consultants, give them cd's with the software, give them admin rights. Nextel. Done.

 

[CrackaLackaZe]

Train 300 mice to do it for them

 

[DainBramaged]

Originally posted by: TallBill
laugh at them

Sounds good to me...

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: Citrix
no idea, we dont use PDA's so no clue on what their OS is or how they manage permissions. We use nothing but blackberries

:thumbsup:

 

[randal]

Originally posted by: everman
Delegate it to someone else.

 

[Drakkon]

Originally posted by: Jzero
Sounds like a job for group policy.

yes hopefully you are running a 2000/2003 windows server...creating a group policy to distribute the software wouldn't be too bad...

 

[EyeMWing]

Send someone with a spare box to go set up a backup domain controller in their local net, unplug the place for a moment, deploy the sync software from the backup domain controller, plug the place back in, remove backup domain controller.

I *THINK* that'd work. Group policy would be better, but I like thinking outside the box.

More than likely I'd have some lamer IT nub or intern go manually install the shit, 300 systems in 1 month is no big deal.

 

[tami]

set up a single computer exclusively for PDA synchronization. have each of the 300 employees sync their PDAs that way. line them up around the office upon their receipt of the PDAs, or schedule them for various times. but limit this to one computer only.

WINNAR!

or delegate some group policy

 

[salsa086]

btw these users are distributed across the country.. not in a single office

 

[EyeMWing]

Originally posted by: salsa086
btw these users are distributed across the country.. not in a single office

Okay, then my out of the box awesomeness wouldn't work. Either group policy or send an ISO to the local IT people and tell them to get off their lazy asses and do something other than post on AT and fap.

 

[imported_Phil]

Originally posted by: TallBill
laugh at them

:thumbsup:

 

[MartyMcFly3]

Hack the Gibson

 

[imported_Phil]

Originally posted by: salsa086
This was a scenario in a recent administration training I attended... what is the best solution:

Objective: Install PDA synchronization software for 300 network users
Facts:
You are a network adminstrator. 300 of your users will be receiving Palm Pilots in 1 month. They do not have administrative rights to their systems. Administrative rights are needed to install the synchronization software that will come with their palm pilots. The user's computers are all members of the same domain, but they are all connected behind a 128k fractional T1 network connection (making large file transfers an unavailable option).

Make an Administrator user that has a shortcut to the setup file (/quiet mode specified or similar) in the Startup folder (Start Menu). Have the user(s) log on with that user and then log off, at which point they can continue as normal.
Bosh, done.

 

[slycat]

OMG...its 1 fvcking month dude...just send them the software on 1 cd. Tell them to place the CD in one of their computers. Its ok if they don't have install rights. Go share out that CD drive, then use group policy to get everyone to install from that shared location. I'm assuming they have zero servers there if not its even easier.

DONE.

 

[cjgallen]

Uhg, Palm Software is awful, so bloated. I never could figure out how to get it to work without Admin rights.

Glad I got out of IT, I hate admin crap

 

[Yax]

Just switch over to Linux, then you won't have to worry about group policies, or Admin rights for PDAs and such.

 

[Phoenix86]

Group policies do not help with this issue: "they are all connected behind a 128k fractional T1 network connection (making large file transfers an unavailable option)."

I think that's there to make you use a different answer.

So if there are slow connections, but plenty of time, I'm thinking create a custom install with the windows installer service that uses an account with admin rights. Distribute via CD.

 

[EyeMWing]

Originally posted by: Dopefiend

Originally posted by: salsa086
This was a scenario in a recent administration training I attended... what is the best solution:

Objective: Install PDA synchronization software for 300 network users
Facts:
You are a network adminstrator. 300 of your users will be receiving Palm Pilots in 1 month. They do not have administrative rights to their systems. Administrative rights are needed to install the synchronization software that will come with their palm pilots. The user's computers are all members of the same domain, but they are all connected behind a 128k fractional T1 network connection (making large file transfers an unavailable option).

Make an Administrator user that has a shortcut to the setup file (/quiet mode specified or similar) in the Startup folder (Start Menu). Have the user(s) log on with that user and then log off, at which point they can continue as normal.
Bosh, done.

Hugely, stupidly dangerous, dude. HUGELY.