By the time you read this, Microsoft XP (nerd-speak for experience) will be old news. In spite of that it’s likely that most schools won’t be driving their networks with XP just yet. If past experience is anything to go by, schools will need some help in implementing XP as a network operating system and, true to form, RM has put in considerable effort during the last year producing a new XP-based networking product - Community Connect 3 - that will be on show at BETT 2002.

It’s generally agreed that XP itself has an improved user interface even if there is some criticism of the look - did somebody say Teletubbies? The fact that XP provides improved security over previous products is also widely acknowledged. XP networks also allow you to embed your policies in the network to deliver exactly what you want. What RM has done with Community Connect 3 is make it straightforward for schools to do all these things and get the best out of XP on its network with as little effort as possible.

RM knows that schools are special environments when it comes to networking; they have large numbers of users that often all log on at the same time, that change annually en masse, that fiddle around with the desktop, and that try to use their own disk-based software. But they also know that the network is at the heart of the modern school and is mission critical to learning delivery. The network therefore needs to be secure but also flexible. Community Connect 3 has been tested in schools for the past year and the product has been developed to achieve the best possible levels of both security and flexibility.

For the student user, Community Connect 3 presents a simplified screen that differs little from XP as RM thinks it important that what you use in school looks like what you might be using at home. A good example of this is the use of Microsoft terminology rather than RM’s. What RM used to call “My Work” is now “My Documents”. In general, the rule in Community Connect 3, as in previous RM products, is if it’s not needed it’s not there - there’s no “CtrlAltDel” to log on for example. Access to control panels is limited but the ones that might be needed are there - for example students might need to change the key repeat rate but other keyboard configurations are not available.

There’s an RM status bar that shows the type of user (by colour), the disk quota of the user, and the connected devices. As we have come to expect from RM the routes to unauthorised program execution are blocked and the system has disk and folder management which can also be in place on machines that are disconnected from the network, eg a laptop machine that is taken home for the evening. On reconnection to the network, files are synchronised with the server. There is also an audit product in development for Community Connect 3 that will audit activity both on the network and that has occurred on previously disconnected machines.

As well as adding features to XP, RM has also taken away. XP provides instant access to live online chat with other network users through MSN messenger. RM has disabled this feature for students - imagine trying to keep a class on task while they have chat access to every other user in the school and wider! Chat can be enabled on the network - when it is allowed - through Cybercafe mode.

For the teacher there is access to more control panels - the fax function, MSN messenger for chat, and the “run” function. Staff also have limited access to the RM management console to manage users and groups within the parameters set by the school and network manager. Resources for each class can be provided in the start menu and these can include programs, documents, Web pages, or any other electronic resource such as CD-Rom.

In most schools it is the network manager who implements policies such as those on password changes, disk space, and user resources through the configuration of the network. RM has provided a lot of help with this through the 3,500 group policies it has added to the raw XP system to assist with the management task. In previous versions of Connect the Net manager had eight tools to work with to manage the network.

Community Connect 3 has a single management console making the management of the network simpler. The console uses native XP features such as MSI (Microsoft installer) but with a friendlier interface. Ease of management means the network can be less of an administrative burden for the school and more easily start to deliver access to a wide range of learning resources within a secure environment. Changing the set of resources available to students and teachers that I have described in the two paragraphs above is within the network manager’s gift through the single management console. The network can also be managed through a browser so network managers will be able to work evenings from home if they wish.

It’s also possible with Community Connect 3 to build network pyramids between groups of schools, say, one secondary and its feeder primarys. These can be configured to behave as a single network and reduce the management resource required in each school.

Moving from Connect 2 to Community Connect 3 is a major upgrade for schools. For example some software may not run as Community Connect 3 is a 32-bit system. Consequently some schools may wish to run a Community Connect 3 network in parallel with Connect 2 for a while. RM Explorer, versioned from Windows Explorer, can help schools bridge these two network generations by providing a common interface.

Community Connect 3 is RM’s best network operating system yet. It is a whole new product, based on a new operating system, with a new network management ethos that focuses on network flexibility and security. Ray Fleming of RM suggested to me that Community Connect 3 had limitless possibilities. This is in contrast to some previous turnkey offerings from RM - imaginative schools will be able to make their networks really deliver with Community Connect 3.

Community Connect 3 will be on show at BETT and ships in March 2002. Upgrading to it is likely to have some impact on the hardware required to run your network.

Les Watson is director of learning and information resources at Glasgow Caledonian University

Community Connect 3 from RM

Provisional price: under pound;2,000 for server licence and pound;99 for client licence

Bett stands: D50 amp; E50

www.rm.com

Community Connect 3

Suitibility for purpose *****

Ease of use ****

Value for money ****

Network managers should always:

* What should network managers always do?

* Listen to their users

* Document in detail what they do as they change the network (ie have change management procedures)

* Always parallel run new systems until stable

* Overspec the server(s)

* Manage the expectations of all users

Network managers should never:

* Share their password

* Do what others should be doing, eg write and edit all the intranet content

* Take risks with backup

* Teach full time

* Exploit their position of power