How Z for ClassRooms work
Z for ClassRooms (ZfCR) is a superstructure to the ZENworks for Desktops product, so let us look shortly at the basic features as related to the use of ZENworks in the school or university environment.
ZENworks version 4 and higher has many advantageous features as concerns computer administration in classrooms and can improve significantly both the stability and the possibility to adapt characteristics of individual workstations in a short period of time. Let us not forget that usually, all changes must be made within a short break of only five to ten minutes, in which even a simple manual restart of all computers in a classroom takes too much time. For more information on this Novell product, go to http://www.novell.com/products/zenworks. In this document, we can give you some important features:
Z for ClassRooms Introduces School Axis to 2-Dimension Functionality
- Possibility to renew installation of a workstation from the image using a Linux loader or PXE;
- Possibility to deliver policies to workstations according to the respective workstation and user;
- Possibility to deliver and install applications to workstations also according to the respective workstation and user;
- Inventory-listing of HW and SW stations thanks to the system of use pictures of workstations (considering frequent re-installation, HW inventory-listing is much more important in a school environment);
- Dynamic creation of user accounts only for the period of login based on an account in NDS. Thanks to this feature, administrators do not have to be troubled with the lack of space as in cases when disks become full of user profiles of tens or even hundreds of students. Also, the Windows operating system is more stable with only a few user profiles rather than with tens or hundreds of accounts, and the network safety and security is significantly improved if passwords of users are not saved on workstations.
User workstation setting is secured through Workstation Manager and available applications are displayed for users by Application Launcher. The setting in the ZENworks environment is basically static. It can be influenced by time or – for example – by determining whether the respective user logs in for the first time in the specified day, but those are still features allocated to a user (or – potentially – to a group, of which he or she is a member, or a container, in which his or her object is located) or a workstation (a group or a container like in the case of a user).
The entire procedure is indicated on the animated picture, where the user named Oskar logs in on the workstation no. 2, and the resulting setting is arranged during the login process after searching in the eDirectory.
The manner described above is fully suitable for a commercial environment in which users get system sources allocated based on their employment positions that do not change for a long period of time. However, in a school environment, users – i.e. teachers, other staff and students work in many roles, which are usually based on class schedules, or which result from the fact that no class is taught in the respective classroom at the moment. In some cases, even the public is allowed to access classrooms. Moreover, unlike reasonably extensive set of applications used in any commercial environment (e-mail, office SW, production applications, browsers, address books, etc.), there are hundreds of teaching applications available in schools imposing great demands at least on the size of disks, for which chaotic menus and desktops are typical in the case of parallel installation of required programs, if such installation of possible at all.
Can you imagine ordering your students to launch the Geography program, which they must first find among 100 items of the menu not being listed alphabetically? And that they would not want to try to launch something else they would be more interested in?
Using workstations, for example, to allow the public accessing the Internet or securing common training events forms a special case, in which it is not desirable or necessary to establish new accounts for users or to let them use their own accounts if they already have them.
Z for ClassRooms at ZENworks for Desktops®
Z for ClassRooms (ZfCR) is a superstructure to ZENworks for Desktops version 4 and higher, it is fully compatible with the system, and uses the original administrator tools and procedures as much as possible. The extensive addition is focused only on features necessary in a school or university environment to simplify the work of users and the classroom administration. Additional functions are secured by clients on the respective workstations (contextless login, generic login, logout, restart, switching off, blocking and unblocking), and by the server part with HTML interface (switching workstations on, full administration, classroom management). ZfCR cooperates with ZENworks by modifying the allocation of setting within eDirectory before launching the process of login of a user on the respective workstation, usually as configured by a teacher. As shown in the animated picture, during the login process, Workstation Manager and Application Launcher load the newly defined setting. The function is very similar to the work of ZENworks itself, with one more axis – "Z" added, indicating, for example, specific subjects, which means that there are more settings saved. Although the cooperation with ZENworks is only one of many features of ZfCR, the addition of the Z-axis to the two-dimension functionality of ZENworks gave a name to our product – Z for Class Rooms.
Important features include:
- Comfortable and clear HTML console (we support both Mozilla and iE 6.x), which can be used both to control and administer ZfCR;
- Introduction of the name and function of a generic user, which is intended for login such as "History Lesson" or "Typing Lesson";
- Mode of the workstation operation called "Kiosk", in which a workstation is automatically logged in for a generic user being the bearer of the kiosk characteristics (regardless who the person by the computer is) after each restart until the setting is changed;
- Possibility to find a vacant workstation, which prevents students going around and looking for a classroom, in which they could work, from disturbing other users;
- Static functions allowing the evaluation of the use of computers during lessons, training events and individual work. The output is formed by a clear graphic image in the HTML format;
- Ability of a workstation to switch on or off, to restart, to block, to unblock, to log in using generic login, to update ZfCR client automatically, or to register the workstation automatically in any selected classroom from the controlling console;
- Classroom can be controlled not only from any workstation, from which it is possible to connect to the server through a browser, but also, for example, from a wireless handheld, with which a teacher may walk around the classroom freely. The controlling station needs only a browser, and no other installation;
- Displaying computers in a classroom can be easily adjusted to reflect the actual positions (see the demo or pictures on the cover page), which makes the control over the classroom much easier;
- Installations are carried out from workstations and are fully automatic – no special or deeper knowledge is necessary. The installing application will also prepare installation of clients for workstations and launching batches, including configuration for the server part;
- The number of classrooms and computers in classrooms is unlimited, the system uses eDirectory Novell fully and is able to work with a number of objects highly exceeding the size of the largest schools and universities.
- Only classrooms are licensed, not the number of workstations or users. It makes the solution cheaper and easy to administer and register.
- Reservation functions allowing allocating time-limited credits to students for individual work, to transfer credits among users, to accumulate them over a longer period of time (to be released with version 2.1)
You can test the classroom control at: Live DEMO