Google Apps redirection at work problem

MarcLister · 22 Feb 2012 at 19:02

I've set up a Google Apps account for my school to use as an online learning portal. I've bought a domain name to point the Google Apps to for our students. Yesterday at work I set up the domain and CNAME records etc through 123-Reg so that going to the domain name would result in the login page for Google Apps loading up. I didn't want our students to have to type in the long google apps address.

I set everything up but I couldn't get any of my browsers on my work PC to load up the domain name properly; I kept getting a holding page for 123-Reg. OK, I thought, I'll leave it for a few hours and see what it's like at home. It's fine here and was like that last night. So when I go into work today I assumed it'd be fine there. Nope. Loading up the domain name results in the 123-Reg holding page again. I know it's all set up correctly as it works at home.

Can anyone explain to me why it might not be working on my work PC? I'd like to know if its a solvable problem so that I can get it fixed by the time we launch Google Apps.

hargi · 22 Feb 2012 at 19:31

cachepilot at work?

MarcLister · 22 Feb 2012 at 20:03

I don't think we have that but we may well have some cache between us and the Interweb. I was thinking I could find a computer I've not used and see if the domain loads up properly there. That'd confirm it as a cache issue for me. If it does work how can I clear it on my PC?

this_is_gav · 22 Feb 2012 at 20:05

Hey Marc - been a while.

Urgh, CachePilot *shudders*

It might just still be propagating. It can take a few days, and ISPs take varying lengths of time.

In my case, it was working at work a good 12 hours before it worked at home.

To force a browser refresh, when you're on the page in question, press Ctrl+F5 in any decent browser.

MarcLister · 22 Feb 2012 at 20:14

this_is_gav said:
Hey Marc - been a while.

Hi Gav. Long time, no see. How's things?

this_is_gav said:
Urgh, CachePilot *shudders*

Haha.

I don't think we have that. Well I know we don't, just not sure about what's between us and LGfL's ISP.

this_is_gav said:
It might just still be propagating. It can take a few days, and ISPs take varying lengths of time.

In my case, it was working at work a good 12 hours before it worked at home.

To force a browser refresh, when you're on the page in question, press Ctrl+F5 in any decent browser.

Cheers. I will check again tomorrow and see if I can things working.

MarcLister · 23 Feb 2012 at 10:37

Just checked the site now and it loaded up fine. No browser refreshed needed.

I suppose it just took a bit longer for the changes to propagate on this route.

this_is_gav · 23 Feb 2012 at 18:30

Good good.

By my reckoning, this is the 3rd forum we've bumped into each other now, spread across about 8 years.

MarcLister · 23 Feb 2012 at 19:14

this_is_gav said:
Good good.

Indeed. Just need Google to accept the application from a school and upgrade our Google Apps account to the Education version.

this_is_gav said:
By my reckoning, this is the 3rd forum we've bumped into each other now, spread across about 8 years.

Sounds about right.

Didn't I buy a copy of GPL off you on GPG a while back?

this_is_gav · 23 Feb 2012 at 20:40

Can't remember that one. I've still got the GPL box here at any rate!

Google Apps are brilliant, aren't they? We were using our webhost for email (teachers only - admin staff use the County-provided Exchange... and you're probably not surprised to hear that County are rubbish). It's much better to have a familiar-style and well-supported email system. It also means I've got everything school-related in my Android phone.

MarcLister · 23 Feb 2012 at 21:03

this_is_gav said:
Can't remember that one. I've still got the GPL box here at any rate!

Might not have been you then. I've long since abandoned GPG I'm afraid. Just not played GP4 in years.

this_is_gav said:
Google Apps are brilliant, aren't they? We were using our webhost for email (teachers only - admin staff use the County-provided Exchange... and you're probably not surprised to hear that County are rubbish). It's much better to have a familiar-style and well-supported email system. It also means I've got everything school-related in my Android phone.

Well we've, or I've, literally just started. But yes Google Apps is nice so far. We just got fed up with our 'current' VLE. Staff just weren't using it so it never got off the group. I'm hoping that having everything in Google's minimalist layout and modern colour scheme/interface, compared to what we use now, will attract staff to using Google Apps.

All our staff log in to their email through the browser - webmail, and I hate it. I did from the moment I arrived nearly 2 years ago (Easter). I was speaking to LGfL support a few months back and finished discussing the problem I needed fixing when I was asked if there was anything else I needed help with. I cheekily asked if I was able to use Outlook to connect to the email system and not bother with using the webmail interface. Was told that wasn't a problem and was given the settings. A colleague of mine in management now sends me emails he wants forwarded onto the rest of the school as its so much easier to do that kind of thing with Outlook than Outlook Web whatever it is.

I currently have my work email on my Android phone. You've given me the idea of getting everything else on my phone once Google Apps is launched. As you can probably imagine, a lot of our staff have iPhones, Android phones or Blackberry's. Only one person has his work email account set up on his phone; and only because he asked me to set it up! I wonder if people might like to have our Google Apps email address set up on their phones for them.

Our current VLE costs four figures a year. With Google Apps and a domain from 123-Reg we're looking at £2.99 a year, for just the domain costs.

Seeing as we keep bumping into each other, and you've got undoubtedly more experience with Google Apps, could we get in touch via email or MSN or something. I'd love to be able to pick your brains about Google Apps either to help me fix problems or for ideas on what else Google Apps can do for us.

this_is_gav · 23 Feb 2012 at 21:18

Feel free to email me, but I've not really done much with it.

I've changed our website calendar to display Google Calendar, and have a couple of different calendars set up, one for public display and one for staff. Staff can then have the staff calendars integrated into their own calendars (just as you can with standard Gmail).

I might look to see if there's a way of integrating Google Apps a bit more with the development website I'm playing with at the moment. I want the website to be more of a hub for staff than it is at the moment, thinking that if there is a genuine reason for visiting it frequently, then it might motivate them into providing more content.

MarcLister · 23 Feb 2012 at 21:31

this_is_gav said:
Feel free to email me, but I've not really done much with it.

Haha, OK. You've more experience of setting it all up though I reckon.

this_is_gav said:
I've changed our website calendar to display Google Calendar, and have a couple of different calendars set up, one for public display and one for staff. Staff can then have the staff calendars integrated into their own calendars (just as you can with standard Gmail).

That's what I'm also looking to work on. I used to enter the events for the next week from the school diary into our VLE's diary function. I don't think anyone ever used that feature.

I'd love it if I could get the diary converted into the Google Calendar. I'm thinking that it could be helpful to staff to be able to see the diaries for the head and two deputy heads - but to not actually see the events. So staff can see when so and so is busy or free but can't actually see the events already booked in. Not that they are secret seeing as they go on the wall in the staff room anyway.

this_is_gav said:
I might look to see if there's a way of integrating Google Apps a bit more with the development website I'm playing with at the moment. I want the website to be more of a hub for staff than it is at the moment, thinking that if there is a genuine reason for visiting it frequently, then it might motivate them into providing more content.

Well, funny you should say that! I'm kind of working on re-doing our school website. It's quite 'poor'. Considering the forum filters and punishments for swearing I think poor gets the idea across.

I will have the new site link to the Google Apps domain and vice-versa for ease of use by both staff and students.

Many colleagues tell me that it seems silly that we don't have a link to LGfL email's site on our own school site. That'll soon change!

The office staff send out a memo every Friday with notices, information, requests for data to be handed in and events for the current week. The memo has taken several formats. It's currently a Word document emailed out every Friday afternoon. I'm looking to set Google Docs up so that the memo is available through the domain I've registered for Google Apps. I reckon it'll be more efficient than an email.