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Richard Brown wrote: > Hi All > > 2009/4/28 Richard Brown <rich@xxxxxxxxxxx>: > >>> So can we respond to this please? Firstly is it possible to create a >>> server that updates itself? Secondly, is there anyway we can encourage >>> her to look at different systems? Any thoughts would be welcome - >>> thanks. >>> >> I'm troubled by the ease at which a school simply accepts that rm is >> the way to go. No questions on what else. The support they get from >> other sources are appalling. Last year the heads computer died just >> before reports etc had to be out. Her support team said bad luck >> you've lost all your data. I teach IT at the school and happened to >> arrive at that point to see her in tears. To cut a short story long I >> popped home and grabbed a hard drive cable, connected it to my laptop >> via usb and dragged all her data off the hard drive and handed it over >> on a stick. Big smiles and huge relief. >> >> At the end of the day I'm wondering whether Linux is ready to tackle RM? >> > Looking at this subject I think I was asking at the start.... Is Linux > ready. Possibly and possibly not depending on whether the big boys > want to join the action! I will write to Ubuntu as I am already > speaking to someone at the support centre re Sage! > > But as the replies have come in and more particularly Gordon's email I > have started thinking that possibly tackling this subject might not be > so difficult. When Gordon broke it down as he did suddenly it does > seem reachable. > > Firstly we're not talking a big school here so a sensible approach to > the maintenance issue I believe could be tackled. If I look at > Gordon's approach it seems they will need (this is very rough): > > 3 x intranet > 1st intranet: > Head and admin staff > > 2nd intranet > Rest of teaching staff > > 3rd intranet > Probably wifi and reaching out to kids etc > Where you say Intranet, do you mean networks (say a network for admin staff and a network for students)? When I was at Exeter College as a techie (just as they were getting t'internet) they had two networks, one for the students and one for the staff. Both were separate until they installed a router for internet access and then they were connected together via the router. > Equipment needed: > File server and back-up. > Net nanny server > Firewall > Computer for each teacher in each classroom > 25 x laptops for an IT suite > > Technically the firewall could go on the same machine that does the content blocking. For instance IPCop has a firewall and squid proxy built in and can also be configured to run Dansguardian to filter internet access and block spam, viruses etc. Why exactly use laptops for an IT suite? Just seems pointless to me, they're easily broken and stolen. If they were going to be Linux machines I'd say they'd be better off with low power Atom machines such as the new Acer Revo or a custom built Atom machine (or maybe the Viglen MPC-1 machines or them low power AMD Geode thin clients). They could then be configured to run as LTSP clients which would take a whole lot out of the administration and keeping the machines up to date as the server is all that needs updating (as proven with the Exwick LTSP suite). > We're talking small school and simply needs. I'll need to find out > what software they use that is OS specific. That might need a doze box > just for that software alone but the rest almost certainly could run > on Linux. > > I wonder how much of the educational stuff these days is actually applications and how much of it is web based? Of course the admin stuff could be either done with a couple of Windows machines or a Windows terminal server (although don't get me started on the can of worms that is Windows Terminal Services licensing - you need a license to access the Windows Server and also a licence for the terminal server!). > They already use a load of netbooks all containing Linux anyway! > They could be, or they could also be running Windows. Rob -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/linux_adm/list-faq.html