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Welcome to CISD's Technology Department
Hello, I am Josh Hymer, the Director of Technology at Calvert ISD. Here in this portion of our website, I will share with you some technologies and projects we are currently working on at the district. Our goal is supplying the best possible technology (within our means) to our children, and using the technology to further enhance their learning experience. Currently here at Calvert ISD we provide our students with 2 monitored computer labs, a mobile lab, and an 8 station lab in the library.
Calvert ISD Network Core Components I know all of you want to know what runs the core of Calvert ISD's network. So here is a little break down, with pictures... AT&T provide internet access via 1 T1 line. The T1 then travels over a CAT5e Cable to the basement to a 2610 series router that converts the telco's T1 interface into the standard Ethernet connection.
The Ethernet cable from the router plugs directly into the untrusted (public) port on our Watchguard firewall. The Watchguard firewall is an application level firewall that can actually understand the millions of packets passing through it everyday. It can see a virus in an attachment and block it from an e-mail. It also uses a Cyberpatrol filtering to make sure any person on the district's connection cannot access bad material off the web.
The Firebox then connects to our core switch. It is a HP Procurve 4104. We have several modules installed in the switch. One handles 24 10/100 network connections. The other one we use is a fiber optic interface linking three other switches using a laser. This is transferring data at 1 GB per second. That is 10 times faster than the Ethernet connections.
From the switch the traffic is directed to a DHCP Server. It assigns MAC addresses (like a social security number of a network card) an IP address (which is like a telephone number). This allows the computers to talk in the same group (subnet) of all the other computers and servers in the district.
If the district receives an e-mail, it has one more stop before it proceeds. It must pass a series of tests before the district will allow it in. The appliance that filters the e-mail is a Cipafilter. It breaks the e-mail apart. It examines the content of the message. If it passes these aggressive tests, the the Cipafilter sends a rejection to the original e-mail server to test if the sender is really a server or if the message was spoofed. If the message was spoofed, it is likely SPAM. If the e-mail passes the tests, then it travels on.
Now here is the Primary domain controller of our network. It is a Dell PowerEdge 2600. It is a huge and heavy server. It has 2 Intel Xeon Processors running at 2.4GHz and is capable of 4 processors. This server checks the rights of every user on the network, and depending on their security level, allows them to access data. It also houses this website, along with e-mail, and many other applications used in this district. It uses a SCSI RAID to protect the data we have stored on the volumes.
Dell PowerEdge 2600 Server Along with the Dell PowerEdge 2600, a few Dell PowerEdge 2650s run a few other important functions on our network. Functions like RSCCC, Secondary domain controller, and applications are provided for users with permission to access them.
Management from our Amer.com KVM switch and 15" LCD control panel allow access to the servers from one interface. This saves a lot of cables, computer screens, keyboards and mice. This one interface allows us to switch between servers without unplugging a cord. And this one unit only takes up 1U in our rack.
All of our data here at Calvert ISD is backed up on LTO Tapes from our main server. The other servers link to the primary server and allow it to see their data. This allows all the districts critical data to be backed up. The Drive that uses the tapes is a Exabyte 1x7 LTO Autoloader. It has a robotic arm that loads the tapes each night for a backup.
Power monitoring is critical in the technology world. Calvert ISD uses APC power backup units to monitor and provide power for our servers and network equipment. We have 3 APC Smart Backup 1400 2U Rack mounted units. Each one of these is monitored by a different server to ensure the longest run time. The units also tell the servers when they are out of battery power and the server will shut down safely before the batteries are discharged 100%.
We also have one additional UPS. Its job is to protect the core network components from power failure. It is an APC Smart UPS 1400 3U (bigger in size, not power) UPS. It basically performs the same functions as the other units.
The climate for servers is extremely important. Servers can literally melt if temperatures get higher than 80 degrees Fahrenheit. A special unit is setup here at Calvert ISD to protect against this. Last year we lost a server because of high temperatures. Now we have a Watchdog WxGoos-1 Appliance. This unit monitors Temperature, Relative Humidity, Air Flow, Light, Sound, and Power. If any one of these are above or below the set values, it will e-mail and page the staff to check on the units.
Software is always changing and the installations are getting larger and larger. Soon, even our biggest servers will not be able to store all the data. We have Network accessible storage (NAS) available for this purpose. The unit is a Adaptec Snap Server. It provides 1,000GB or one Terabyte of storage.
Well, that is all for now. I will try to keep this updated as we upgrade. Have a great day! -JH
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Through
the generous support of our Superintendent, Mr. Robbins, and the
Calvert ISD School Board, we were able to purchase 60 new
computers to update our aging systems in the district. Two systems
will be in each occupied classroom for learning enhancement at both
campuses. Two of our computer labs will be upgraded with these new
systems to better prepare our students for the future. The new
systems are going to utilize Dell 19" Flat Panel Monitors to reduce eye
strain and fatigue. The new Dell Optiplex 745 Desktops are using
the New Intel Dual Core Duo processor that supports the upcoming
Windows Vista. Actually, they are already licensed to use Windows
Vista that will be released in January of 2007. Not only Windows
Vista, but also Microsoft Office 2007 which should be released Spring
2007. 
| 2005 - Calvert Independent School District - |