Client Overview
Client: Sir John Thursby School
Industry: Education
Location: Burnley, UK
Project Date: August 2024
Key Challenges
Sir John Thursby School in Burnley contacted Bandicoot IT with an urgent issue after their network upgrade didn’t go as planned. Their internal IT team had run into problems while upgrading to a UniFi Dream Machine, which caused delays and network failures just before the new school year. They needed a quick fix to get everything back up and running.
The specific challenges included:
- Network Failure: The network was incomplete, with several access points (APs) not working and critical services offline.
- VLAN & Routing Issues: Misconfigurations in VLANs and routing were causing authentication problems, impacting both staff and students.
- Firewall Problems: Incorrect firewall settings were blocking communication between the UniFi Dream Machine and the school’s Network Policy Server (NPS).
- Web Filtering Issues: NetSweeper, the school’s web filtering tool, was malfunctioning and causing network slowdowns.
Our Solution
Bandicoot IT swiftly addressed the school’s urgent network issues:
- Moving to UniFi Dream Machine: We transferred the UniFi controller to the Dream Machine for better management and set up a new DHCP server for stable IP address allocation.
- Fixing Access Points: After reconnecting all switches and access points, we found 8-10 APs were not responding. These were manually reset and added back to the network.
- Restoring NPS Communication: We found static routes on the core switch that were preventing the UniFi Dream Machine from talking to the NPS server. Once removed, everything worked smoothly.
- Resolving VLAN and Firewall Issues: We adjusted VLAN, routing, and firewall settings to allow proper network communication and user authentication.
- Fixing Web Filtering: By disabling NAT on the gateway, we resolved the NetSweeper filtering issue and restored normal network performance.
Results
Bandicoot’s rapid response and technical expertise enabled Sir John Thursby School to overcome their network challenges and start the new school year without disruption. The results included:
- Network Stability: All access points were reconnected, and the network was stable.
- Authentication Restored: The NPS server and UniFi Dream Machine were properly synced, allowing smooth logins.
- Web Filtering Fixed: NetSweeper was working as expected, allowing appropriate content filtering for students.
Client Feedback
Mark Oldham, IT Manager, praised Bandicoot IT’s efforts:
“If I could leave a 6-star review, I would! Bandicoot IT went above and beyond our expectations. Their team not only resolved our issues but also ensured we were up and running in time for the new school year. I highly recommend them and will definitely use their services again.”
Summary
Bandicoot IT’s swift problem-solving and technical expertise helped Sir John Thursby School recover from a critical network setback just in time for the new academic year. This case study demonstrates our team’s technical expertise and proactive approach, delivering the right solution when it mattered most.
