Desktop PC Replacement
Memo
Date: 10/05/01
To: CONNECTIONS Implementation Coordinators/LAN Administrators
From: CONNECTIONS Communications
RE: Desktop PC Replacement
Earlier this year (May 2001), we sent a letter from
Zachary Zambri, CONNECTIONS Project Director, regarding our plans for
replacing 75% of district and voluntary agency baseline desktops (PC's).
As you know, a preliminary award for the Desktop PC Replacement Project
was approved by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services and
was being reviewed by the New York State Office of the State Comptroller
for final approval. We are pleased to announce that the State Comptroller
has approved and signed this contract. In the next few weeks, we will
be notifying districts/agencies of the schedule for the delivery of the
new PC's. In the interim, attached are two reference documents that provide
important information regarding the specifications for the new desktop
PC's and the IBM delivery information. These reference documents are labeled,
Attachment A, "IBM PC Hardware Specifications"
and Attachment B, "IBM Hardware and Delivery
Installation Services". Please take some time to review the hardware
specifications and delivery information.
To prepare for the delivery of the new PC's, there are several tasks
and best practice guidelines that local district and voluntary agency
LAN Administrators and Information Technology Staff should follow to facilitate
the Desktop PC Replacement Process. These tasks and best practices are
outlined in the sections below (Best Practices
for Document Storage and Desktop PC
Replacement Process). In addition to the "Best Practices"
and "Desktop PC Replacement" sections of this memo, attached
are several companion reference documents, which provide either, helpful
information and recommended time frames for preparing to migrate to your
new CONNECTIONS workstation, or specific procedures for copying data from
your current CONNECTIONS workstations to your new CONNECTIONS workstations.
These procedures have been developed to assist a variety of staff with
different skill sets, however, depending on local practice, they may be
used primarily by LAN Administrators or IT Staff. The companion reference
documents are as follows:
- Attachment C, "Reviewing Available Space
on Server"
- Attachment D, "Changing File Location Defaults"
- Attachment E, "Preparing to Migrate to
your New Workstation"
- Attachment F, "Migrating your Data to
your New Workstation"
- Attachment G, "Migrating Exchange, Importing
your Schedule +, Calendar, Personal Address Book and Personal Folders"
- Attachment H, "Migrating Printers to
your New Workstation"
- Attachment I, "Miscellaneous, Migrating
Network Shares, Local Installed Software, and User Profiles"
Best Practices
for Document Storage
To reinforce good practice for long-term information storage, we recommend
that local LAN Administrators take the following steps:
- Review local procedures for proper information storage, and reinforce
good practice for short and long term document storage. The following
good practice principles should be applied:
- confidentiality of client related information must be ensured;
- only business related documents should be stored on desktop computers
and network drives;
- critical documents, such as case specific documents, should be
stored on the H: drive since access is controlled by userid and
password and the H: drive is backed up on a daily basis;
- Change File Location Defaults to H: drive. (Refer to Attachment
D, "Changing File Location Defaults"). To ensure that
critical documents are copied from your current CONNECTIONS workstations
to your new CONNECTIONS workstations, it is extremely important to change
the file location default to the H: drive.
Desktop PC
Replacement Process
To facilitate the PC replacement process, local district and voluntary
agency LAN Administrators should assure the following tasks are accomplished:
- Assess the space available on the H: drive and the files that have
been saved there by individual users. (Refer to
Attachment C, "Reviewing Available Space on Server");
- Delete all files that are outdated, extraneous or inappropriate;
- Review information stored on all PC's being replaced to identify files/documents
that are appropriate for retention. (Refer to
Attachments F & G, "Migrating
your Data and Migrating Exchange Information").
This review should include the following:
- MS Word documents
- Power Point files
- Excel spreadsheets
- Documents created from UCR Templates
- .pst files stored in the Exchange/Outlook Personal Folders;
- Move files from the C drive of those computers being replaced, to
the local network drive (the H: drive) or to floppy disk (the A: drive).
(Refer to Attachments F & G,
"Migrating your Data and Migrating
Exchange Information"). Please note: Documents should be moved
from individual computers to folders on the H: drive only if there is
adequate space on that drive. If you have question or concerns about
adequate space on the H: drive, please contact the CONNECTIONS Help
Desk 1-800-NYS-1323;
- Verify and list all printers that you are still going to use from
your current CONNECTIONS workstation. You will need to install those
printers on the new CONNECTIONS workstation. (Refer
to Attachment H, "Migrating Printers to your new Workstation").
- Identify and note Network Shares on your current CONNECTIONS workstation
so that you will be able to re-establish your mapped network drives
on your new CONNECTIONS workstation. (Refer to
Attachment I "Miscellaneous, Migrating Network Shares, Local Installed
Software, and User Profiles").
Note: the UCR Templates will be loaded on the new computers. No steps
are necessary locally to transfer them.
Please keep in mind that the 2001 75% Desktop PC Replacement Project
does not include CIAB's, supplemental equipment, laptops, printers or
servers. These requests, and all requests such as Network Integration
Studies, moves, cable drops, equipment and software reloads are to be
requested by your LAN Administrator through the current process.
If you have any questions about this correspondence, please feel free
to contact the CONNECTIONS Communications Team.