MultiPoint Server Site Planning

The location where one or more MultiPoint Servers and associated stations will be deployed can have a significant impact on the quality of the users’ experience and the relative ease of configuring and managing your MultiPoint Server system.

The computer that is running MultiPoint Server should have convenient access to a power supply and to the peripheral devices that are connected directly to it.

Each computer that is running MultiPoint Server requires a unique station hub for each associated user station. And each computer supports only one level of intermediate hubs between itself and the station hubs. The maximum distance from the computer to a station hub is 10 meters.

The computer that is running MultiPoint Server should have convenient access to power as should all station devices that will be associated with it, and to any peripheral devices, such as a printer. Additionally, if the computer that is running MultiPoint Server must be connected to a LAN or to the Internet, it should have convenient access to a network connection.

Additional factors to consider include the following:

• How many stations will fit in the room?

• Will you need an additional display device, such as a projector?

• Where are the power outlets located?

• Is there a location to route cables so that they will not be in the way?

Suggested classroom layouts

Depending on the available cable-routing locations, furniture, the size of the classroom, the number of computers that are running MultiPoint Server, and the stations in the room, there are a variety of ways that the desks in a lab or classroom can be arranged. The following diagrams illustrate four possible classroom layouts.

Facing the walls. You may decide to deploy MultiPoint Server with each station facing the wall and the monitors facing the center of the room. In this scenario, students might be working on their homework, but each student can conveniently work on his or her individual assignments, regardless of what someone at another station might be working on. The following illustration shows a possible arrangement of three computers that are running MultiPoint Server supporting 11 stations in a computer-lab environment. In this setup, the stations are arranged around the walls of the room, with the students facing the walls. The cables would be routed along the base of the walls.

Groups. In this setup, there are three computers that are running MultiPoint Server, with stations clustered around each computer.

Lecture Room. When you deploy MultiPoint Server in a classroom setting, there are many ways to take advantage of the capabilities it provides. For example, you might decide to conduct a lesson using a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation, and then have students complete a quiz while sitting at their stations. The following illustration shows an example of a MultiPoint Server system set up in a classroom and connected to a projector. In this setup, the stations are set up in rows.

Activity Center. This setup consists of a traditional lecture-room layout for the desks and a single computer that is running MultiPoint Server and its associated stations.