[Tutor] Python on network problems

[Alan Gauld]

Thanks Diana,

> We are running Windows XP.  The students log in to a
> network server that allows them access to their user
> accounts as well as various group folders.
> We have 4 rooms full of computers - but Python is installed
> on each workstation in this room only .... It is not on the network
> and no other computer rooms have access to it.

That's much clearer.

> Two failures have occurred.
>
> The first has been intermittent and to individual students
> only at rare times.  A student will attempt to start IDLE
> - and nothing will happen.

That could be a local machine/user setup issue.
Given the various issues with IDLE and firewalls I might
look at the firewall settings on the Python PCs and make
sure IDLE is happy with them.

> The 2nd is more pervasive, and that is, whenever I have
> the class working with Python - the entire school network
> becomes inoperable,

That is bizarre. And very unlikely to be Python since
they are running it frpom their local machine!

The only slight possibility is if any of the students are
writing code that accesses a networked folder, to open
a file say, and is causing some high volume network traffic.
Can you check if any of the students are using network
paths for file access in their code? Even this shouldn't
crash the network, but it can occasionally give rise to
problems - although I've never seen it from Python...


> Now I am inclined to think it is not a Python problem at all.

Me too, but coincidences shouldn't be dismissed lightly.

> What I would like to know is if anyone else has had
> a similar problem

Not with python.

Alan G.