[H-GEN] Linux in Schools.

[Robert Brockway]

On Fri, 24 Mar 2006, Rick Phillips wrote:

> Two of the nine servers have been converted to Mandriva 10.1 with a
> third to follow in a few months.  This will be running OpenFiler and
> will be our main file storage.  We could in fact, convert all bar 4
> server to Linux without missing a beat.  These remaining 4 run Windows
> specific stuff.  As we replace each server, Linux will go on if at all
> possible.

Depending on the load required for the MS-Win boxes, virtualisation may be 
an option.  Qemu runs MS-Windows under Linux like a dream with the kqemu 
kernel module loaded.

> The school is seeing the benefit of open source and Linux in particular
> to the point where it is actively promoting it.  It may not be very long
> before the school switches some desktops full time to Linux as, out of
> the box, it has some fine teaching tools such as the Gimp and Quanta
> Plus, OpenOffice, Audacity (we have a film and TV group) and so on.
> Students had no problems with OpenOffice during the "disturbance".

Have you considered Linux based thin clients for the desktop?  This keeps 
management overhead down and keeps costs down too.  If lots of people are 
running GIMP & Audacity at the same time you may want to run some apps 
locally.  LTSP handles this all very nicely of course.

Rob

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