The department of TZN of the Samara region implements a complex of technological solutions for distance learning

The Webzavod company unrolled the system of distance learning by request of Public service of employment of the Samara region.

Objectives

The changes happening in recent years in economy set new standards in labor market. The Department of Labour and Employment of the population of the Samara region annually faces an unemployment scale-up problem. One of effective methods of decrease in its level is training of jobless citizens in new professions. Having analyzed current situation in labor market, the decision to develop an automated system of retraining of personnel with a possibility of remote training was made.

Project

Implementation and optimization of a system were carried out for 9 months. The modern solution allowing users to obtain information on training courses, to browse text, presentation and video records within the corresponding training courses, to listen to lectures, to take tests and to communicate with teachers in online the mode became result, being in any place, comfortable for listeners, including at home as a system provides access both from the protected network of the employment service, and from the Internet.

Creation of a mobile data processing center

Creation of an end-to-end failsafe system with a possibility of an audio-video conferencing, message exchange and joint work began in September, 2011. The equipment of IBM became a hardware basis of a system. For the purpose of decrease in number of hardware servers the architecture using technology of virtualization, based on Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 was selected. Thanks to such approach, the cluster from two hardware servers, one of which played a role of spare storage, was involved in the project. At an exit of one node out of operation, virtual machines automatically move to other hardware server, the fault tolerance of a resource thereby is provided.

For ensuring mobility of DPC the special sound-absorbing construction allowing to perform safe transfer of the equipment is prepared. For providing the high level of security during the work with a mobile data processing center the solution of Checkpoint company was used. The firewall of the enterprise level allowed to secure internal network of a data processing center against the attacks of malefactors and a malicious code, and also provided perimeter protection and adjustment of load of the main services of the company.

Creation of the platform for a video conferencing

As the platform for the joint communications Microsoft Lync Server 2010 was selected. This product integrates in itself all types of communications which were necessary as for communication between the staff of the employment service of the population of the Samara region, and for communication with the studying citizens: audio and video conferences, instant messaging and corporate telephone communication.

To give to users an opportunity to listen to lectures without the Microsoft Lync 2010 installation, Microsoft Lync Server External Connector was used. It provides communication between external users and the Lync server on which videocourses are stored. To be connected to training in real time or to take a course from archive, to the student the free client of conference communication of Microsoft Lync 2010 Attendee is enough to load.

Safety of the solution was ensured by the integrated boundary gateway Forefront Threat Management Gateway (TMG) 2010 thanks to which users can safely and quickly get access to the published resources, watch video, download documents and ask questions to the lecturer. The software package ViPNet Custom executed a role of cryptoprovider and provided protection of the entrusted information transmission medium and also access using public and allocate circuits.

With a growth of number of users as a result of which load of a system can lead to failure the administrator has an opportunity to detect signs of incorrect work before they are seen by listeners and to take all necessary measures. Interestingly solution performance was increased. We store videocourses which enjoy the smallest popularity at listeners on slower servers, and demanded – on fast. Users will not notice this difference since at the appeal to a rate to "rare" material it is taken from storage and moves to the fast server.

Implementation of the SharePoint 2010 portal

Implementation of the platform for joint work with materials of training courses based on Microsoft SharePoint 2010 became the final stage of creation of a system. The main function assigned to the portal – the organization of work of users with rates and tests for disciplines. For providing this task the product SharePoint Server 2010 for Internet Sites which allowed to make materials of training courses public was used.