Everything easy is hard

[Mauricio Hernandez]

i am sorry I have had no time to jump in and help responding.
in the meantime: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/EdubuntuSoftwareList

On 11/28/05, Jan Wilson <nospam at corozal.com> wrote:
> nigel.kennington at btinternet.com wrote:
> > I still have concerns about the system requirements
> > though, the cookbook states 2Gb RAM and an SCSI hard
> > drive for the server and 32Mb RAM for each client. Is
> > that really enough to run 20 Open Office programs
> > simultaneously? From what I've been reading about Open
> > Office, it's not the leanest suite on earth. Also, no
> > mention is made of the processor, but if it's in line
> > with having 32Mb of RAM, you'd be looking at a Pentium
> > I (if that) yes?
>
> I retired a year ago from a school that was using LTSP (not the Ubuntu
> variety, but very similar) for a high school/junior college lab with 36
> workstations.
>
> We had three servers made from consumer-grade computers.  One of them
> had SCSI drives, and it was used for the Home server ... all the users'
> home directories were there.  We learned the hard way that IDE just
> doesn't cut it for that many users working simultaneously.
>
> The other two servers had IDE drives, and they supplied the
> applications, including OpenOffice.org.  These were the servers that
> actually did the processing work for each student's computing power.
>
> Each server had 1.5 GB of RAM, and a processor somewhere in the 2 GHz range.
>
> The workstations were diskless, each having 128 MB of RAM and a 566 MHz
> Pentium-class processor.  This was overkill.  Since the workstations are
> really a kind of smart terminal, 32 MB and a 266 MHz Pentium-class
> processor are fine, though it might be better to have a little better
> just in case.
>
> Based on my experience and what I've heard from others, a single server
> with a fast (at least 2 GHz) CPU and 2 GB of RAM can probably support UP
> TO 20 workstations.  If possible, get more RAM ... unfortunately, it is
> still hard to get more than 2 GB of RAM unless you go to a server-grade
> computer, and that means a lot more money.  The school where I was the
> sysadmin just got Dell servers, some with 6 GB of RAM, but they were
> REALLY expensive for developing countries like Belize.
>
> What makes it a bit easier is that if all the students are using the
> same application, like OpenOffice.org, then a lot of the RAM is actually
> being shared.  Each user does not load a whole copy of OOo.  What will
> make it tighter is if you are running OOo AND Firefox AND a few other
> things.  So an LTSP lab will be more efficient if everyone is working at
> the same thing.
>
> Overall I am very pleased with LTSP and I am promoting Edubuntu in
> Belize.  I am using Edubuntu on our home server and my wife uses an
> Edubuntu LTSP workstation as we speak.
>
> I also understand about not having enough expertise in the school
> system.  There are only a handful of us in Belize who are really
> experienced enough to set up and run a lab properly.  That's why I'm
> excited about Edubuntu.  For many schools the only way they'll get going
> is if things can be mostly turnkey.  But the other side of it is that
> countries in that condition (including Belize) should be making a much
> greater effort to train their computer teachers and lab administrators.
> If we can attack the problem from both sides ... making lab
> administration easier AND training personnel better ... we can make some
> real strides.
>
> Welcome to the list!
>
> --
> Jan Wilson, Corozal Town, Belize
>
> --
> edubuntu-devel mailing list
> edubuntu-devel at lists.ubuntu.com
> http://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/edubuntu-devel
>


--
Cordialmente,

Mauricio Hernandez Z.

"Hell is repeating someone else's mistakes"
 (JPS)

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