The lab tech team's first assignment was updating the computer lab in room 129 T2. Our assignment objectives included taking a detailed inventory of the workstations, installing Ubuntu on them, and configuring them for student use.

Inventory
Taking inventory of the workstations in the computer lab involved identifying the current hardware and software configuration of each machine. All of the desktops had identical hardware specifications: Dell Optiplex 630, 3.0GHz processor, 80GB hard drive, and 2GB of RAM. The workstations were differentiated by its unique COT identification number, found on top of the machine, and its Dell service tag number, found on the back of the machine. Any machines missing either of these numbers were marked with a white "X" on top of the unit. When we checked for the software configurations we discovered that the workstations had either Ubuntu Server Edition or Windows Server 2003 installed. Also, we checked for which computers had the network analysis tool, Wire Shark, installed. The inventory process allowed us to identify malfunctioning machines. This consisted of two with defective optical drives, and one with a defective motherboard. These units were marked as defective.

All of the information we gathered was entered into an excel sheet for tracking purposes. This workstation list served as a frame of reference for team members to freely update the current status of the workstations in lab T2 129.Each team member's progress toward mission completion is detailed in the work order forms attached below.

Comments and Issues
Using the Dell service tag on the back of all of the machines, we were able to look up the specs and available upgrades for that line of Dell Desktops on Dell's support website. Found at Dell.com/support, there is a section for "parts & upgrades" which links to another page that allows to look up product information using either the Dell model number or service tag number. [7] According to the website, the Dell Optiplex machines used in the computer labs could be upgraded to 4GB of PC-5200 DDR2 RAM (Random Access Memory). Currently, all the machines have two-1GB RAM sticks installed with two slots open for additional memory. Increasing the computer's RAM to 4GB would effectively double the system memory. This would allow the machines to handle more memory intensive virtual and remote applications as well as improve speed performance. Two-1GB sticks of PC-5200 DDR2 RAM can be purchased online for an average price of $59.99. [8]