“Thanks to Mac OS X Server and NetBoot, we were able to unpack, inventory, and set up each additional lab in only four hours.”
— Jeff Kopmanis, IT Manager, University of Michigan, Department of Mathematics
University of Michigan, Department of Mathematics:
Macs Add Up to Math Department Success
Ann Arbor, MI — When Jeff Kopmanis had to set up Solaris computers, it was a cumbersome, time-consuming process. Kopmanis, who is the IT manager for the University of Michigan (UM)’s Department of Mathematics, typically spent a week or longer configuring and loading lab machines. Now, when he and his staff receive new iMac computers, they simply enter each machine into inventory, register the iMac with the department’s servers, then transport the machine to the lab and plug it in. By switching to iMac computers, Mac OS X, and Mac OS X Server, Kopmanis says UM has given lengthy configuration and loading processes the boot — NetBoot, that is.
Kopmanis and the IT team are responsible for supporting all of the systems in the math department’s six computer labs, undergrad kiosks, and advising rooms. To leverage the university’s infrastructure investments, they needed a platform that could support AFS (Andrew File System, a distributed file system that allows networked computers to use a common directory structure). Since AFS support worked well under Solaris, the math department mostly featured Sun workstations. But, says Kopmanis, the introduction of Mac OS X was enticing to the math department for several reasons.
“We saw the Mac as being able to offer current versions of all of the software we wanted to use, such as Microsoft Office, plus multimedia capabilities and web development,” Kopmanis says. “Obviously, we needed support for AFS, so we could continue to tie into the university’s infrastructure. We needed Kerberos authentication for our users, and a powerful, reliable platform that could stand up to constant use. Mac OS X and Mac OS X Server answered all of those requirements, and lowered our management costs.”
Streamlining Computer Configuration
Kopmanis took delivery of the first batch of iMac G4 computers at the end of May in 2003. Since then, the math department has converted all of its six computer labs to the Mac platform, and has added an Xserve G5 with dual 2.0 GHz processors running Mac OS X Server. While the idea of loading and configuring over 100 new computers was daunting, Kopmanis says that server-based NetBooting and Workgroup Manager in Mac OS X Server made quick work of the process.
“Our Apple team was true to their word,” recalls Kopmanis. “They booted the first lab of 24 iMac computers and had them ready for students’ login, in about two minutes — our jaws absolutely dropped. All of the machines were booted at the same time off of the shared disk image on the NetBoot server. And it turns out we didn’t even have the server hardware in yet — at the time we were using a Mac G4 desktop computer! These days, our NetBoot image has tripled in size and we have four times the number of workstations … but the iMac computers still boot up in about two minutes.
“Apple also showed us how Workgroup Manager could help us manage our workstations,” Kopmanis adds. “Workgroup Manager can control everything on the workstations, including login access, printer defaults, and even what applications can and cannot be run. Apple Remote Desktop (ARD) also allowed us to completely control and monitor our labs, installing software or rebooting entire collections of workstations. ARD really helps our instructors, as they can share screens from one workstation to all, copy files back and forth, and even lock the screens for the entire lab while lecturing.”
*The mention of third-party products is for informational purposes only and represents neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.
Photos credit: Esther Eppele, Psychology Department, University of Michigan
