New thin client Edubuntu lab

[uwe geercken]

I would go for fanless clients though, if you want to use real thin
clients to avoid too much noise.

we have a classroom where the switch makes such a noise, that it really
disturbs everybody.

you really want a quiet classroom when there is nobody working on the
computers. such as when a non-computer class uses the same room.
otherwise nobody will be able to concentrate.

for the server I would go the same direction. as described by charles:
fast ethernet, raid and dual or quad core. I built a quad core machine
becuase it was only little more expensive than a dual one.

I have also built in a seperate drive for the home directories. makes it
easy to backup that data only.

rgds,

uwe




Am Dienstag, den 04.03.2008, 11:53 -0500 schrieb Charles Austin:
> On Tue, Mar 4, 2008 at 8:10 AM, Barb Tabor <btabor at btownccs.k12.in.us> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Hello. We are going to be purchasing 30 new computers and a server for a new
> > Edubuntu thin client lab.
> > I am wondering if anyone can make suggestions on what the best equipment
> > would be to do this.
> > The lab will mostly be used by grades K-5 using the Internet for research,
> > educational activities, word processing/printing and Renaissance Place.
> > Any suggestions are welcome.
> > Thanks.
> 
> Here is what we did for a similar sized project.
> Server:
> Dual core CPU
> 8GB RAM
> 4 SATA Hard Drives, 250GB in a RAID 10 configuration
> Motherboard with dual on-board 10/100/1000 NICs
> Cheap video card
> Standard peripherals
> -I focused on RAM and Ethernet Speed as the two most important factors
> for the server
> 
> 
> Clients:
> Cheap CPU
> 1 GB RAM
> On-board 10/100 NIC, On-board Video card
> Standard peripherals (hard drive, keyboard, etc.)
> High-end power supply and CPU fan (if all these computers are in one
> room, fan noise is a big deal)
> 
> Switches:
> Cisco 2950T (the ones with two copper Gigabit ports)
> 
> We used the vanilla 7.10 Server and Thin Client set-up, even though
> the client PCs will handle Thick Client duty.  The thin client model
> is much easier to administer (one machine to keep updated, no need for
> LDAP, etc).
> 
> Why spend any money on the client?  For us, it was a hedge against the
> future.  From recent posts, it looks like the "low-fat" clients of
> recent posts will be perfect for our environment.  And who knows, we
> may decide to use LDAP and true thick clients someday soon.
> 
> I would echo the earlier post about getting help to put the machines
> together, my 5th Grader was more than capable of assisting with
> assembly.  Get a few parents to "help" their kids do it.  Most adults
> can put a machine together once you show them the proper procedure.
> 
> Hope that helps,
> Charles
>