this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2024
546 points (92.8% liked)

Technology

59378 readers
4188 users here now

This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.


Our Rules


  1. Follow the lemmy.world rules.
  2. Only tech related content.
  3. Be excellent to each another!
  4. Mod approved content bots can post up to 10 articles per day.
  5. Threads asking for personal tech support may be deleted.
  6. Politics threads may be removed.
  7. No memes allowed as posts, OK to post as comments.
  8. Only approved bots from the list below, to ask if your bot can be added please contact us.
  9. Check for duplicates before posting, duplicates may be removed

Approved Bots


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

This is ridiclous

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You're a Windows shop? Why don't you deploy a policy that prevents users from shutting down computers?

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (2 children)

Mainly because our students are idiots and will complain if the computer doesn't turn off. Or worse, take independent action and hold the power button, or actually yank the power cable. Maybe I should just lean into it and convince them that the monitor is the computer.

Jokes aside, how could I implement such a policy? I've only found one that hides the power buttons from the start menu, but Windows still responds to ACPI.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Jokes aside, how could I implement such a policy?

The policy you’re looking for is in Computer Configuration->Policies->Windows Settings->Security Settings->Local Policies->User Rights Assignments->Shut down the system

This policy takes account or group names from your local or domain AD as its variable (like Domain Admins). After it’s successfully applied, only those users or groups will be able to shutdown the machine gracefully.

Create a new GPO or edit an existing one and apply it to the ADUC organizational unit containing the computer objects you need to target.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Thanks, but that's the same one that I found. It removes the power button from the start menu and disables the shutdown command, but the computer still responds to ACPI and even the keyboard's power-off button.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

You can handle those issues with power, setting group policies, and inhibiting action when the power button is pressed (that includes keyboard power buttons). Nothing will stop the user from killing power by holding the physical power button down, except for changing that setting (if available) in the BIOS.

Computer config->Preferences->Control panel settings->Power options

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

Why would they be idiots for wanting to turn these computers off?

If the computers aren’t running something important while not in use, I think they should turn them off as we’re already wasting far too much energy.

I might be missing something, but it sounds like leaving your car running or leaving lights on in your home the whole year.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

There are use-cases where a computer should not be turned off by its user for the purpose of remote management. I'm dealing with one just as I'm writing this comment.

There's an exam in a classroom. In 20 minutes I'll have to run an ansible script to remove this group's work, clean up the project directory, and rollback two VMs to the prepared snapshot to get ready for the next group. I've put a big-ass banner on the wallpaper telling the students not to shut down the computer, and already half of them are off.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago

Oh my. Good luck!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

Okay in such a case I understand why these machines shouldn’t be turned off.

But, for normal people using their computers for admin/gaming, I still think it’s one of the easy ways of saving a bit of energy.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

Most computers go into a deep power saving mode when they aren’t in use. Far less than a light bulb or power brick.