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EE Computer Resource Overview
This is a work in progress, please check often for updates
Prior to this point computing in the department has been based on a loose system of stand-alone systems, peripherals, and
software. Each system having its own set of software, various operating systems, and tools. Consequentially the usability of each machine varied
significantly across the department, creating a hodge-podge of resources with no central authority or purpose. Problems were common and one user
might have to move from machine to machine to try to get any work done.
With this plan a level of homogenuity is hoped to be achieved in order allow a more effiecent use and administration
of resources. At this point it is necessary to have such a system to allow the new software the department has aquired, and to provide for
the future.
It is important that such a plan be forward looking in its scope in order not to limit the uses of the system as
it evolves. The beauty of the plan is that even in its forward scope, it still provides legacy support for older systems in the department
so that all systems may be a part and utilized to its foremost ability.
The decision was made to implment the network using a Windows 2000/Active Directory based architecture.
Windows 2000 server comes out of the box supporting all major services (login/file/etc), it is expandable and will be able to handle
the semi-light load expected on it. Administration is all gui based and of the same level of complexitity of the rest of the alternatives.
It is a current system that still enables the legacy systems (Win98/NT) around the department to interact in atleast a minimal basis with it.
Table 1) Organizational Units
- Undergraduate - This group will contain users, computers, and peripherals (printers, etc) that have been designated for undergraduate use.
- Graduate - This group will contain users, computers, and peripherals (printers, etc) that have been designated for graduate use.
- Faculty/Staff - This group contains all objects that have been designated for Faculty/Staff use.
- Adminstrative/Support - This group is for all the objects such as network administrators, file/login servers, etc.. that have their own special resource/security needs.
By default each group has access only to objects contained in that group, for example users in the undergraduate group have access only to
computers in the undergraduate group and those computers can only access printers located in that group and so on. This is achieved by the
use of group policies that apply to every object in that particular OU (Organizational Unit). The exemption of course is to the departmental servers which provide
login authentication, file services, and so on.
However the different group policies that apply to each OU are much more flexible than this. Which has allowed for the creation of a
heirarchy of OU's. This heirarchy is illustrated below.
In this heirarchy it is illustrated that an object in group not only has access to other objects in its own group, but objects contained
in lower groups. For example Faculty/Staff users have access to their own machines and all graduate and undergraduate machines. Likewise
Graduate users can log on to undergraduate machines, but not Faculty/Staff machines. A common question in our case is what prevents
graduate students from monopolizing undergraduate machines. The simple answer is in the majority of cases, because they are undergraduate
machines, they simply do not have access to the resources graduate students need (High End Software, etc...), so the problem takes care of itself.
Matthew J. Inman BSEE
University of Mississippi
Department of Electrical Engineering
Network Operations Administrator
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Last Modified:Saturday, July 21, 2001 11:59:00 AM
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Department