Thursday, February 7, 2008

LTSP Information?

Following on from my first post, I just wanted to add something that has been bothering me for a while now.
It's incredibly difficult to find any solid information about the hardware requirements for an actual LTSP network.
Through my searches, I've located Joe Hartman's, and Stephen Walder's Blog. Add to those the Edubuntu Handbook (or more specifically, the Hardware Requirements page), and you'd think I should be satisfied.

Far from it.

I like to see figures, hard data, and actual working examples of how a particular setup works for someone. Its all very well and good being told that a server requires 256 Mb of RAM, plus an additional 128 Mb per thin client (256 + (128 * users) MB) - but what about those case studies, or user-feedback, or any form of information regarding what applications a server like this would support?
For example, will an Edubuntu server with 512 Mb of RAM support 2 thin clients (as the formula above says it should) if they're both playing a flash game? Or how about if they're both running Firefox (with multiple tabs open), using Open Office for word processing while simultaneously updating a spreadsheet with new figures?

Now, that's not to say that the figures provided are entirely useless. It really is helpful to even have this slight guideline - but my issue is that it provides no insight into normal day-to-day usage!

If anyone is or has been willing enough to take the time to document their network infrastructure, please, make it publically available. You can be sure that I'm not the first, and won't be the last to be looking for it!

Daniel

And so, it begins

I've never been one for blogging, and I'm unsure as to how long I'll keep this up, but for now, I may as well just chronicle the work I'm doing and things I'm thinking!

My aim for this blog, is to create (yet another) insight into the world of LTSP computing, specifically when using Edubuntu.
Before I get into the chunky information, some background:
My name, is Daniel Hunt.
I'm 24 years old at the time of writing, and I'm also the technical contact for my old secondary school. As a result of the relationship I've built up with the computers teacher there, I installed (and currently maintain) their Windows network.

Now, here's some information on the current setup in the school (which will remain unnamed for the time being) that may or may not end up running an Edubuntu LTSP network:

Server 1:
Windows 2003 Server (DHCP, Domain Controller, Login Server ... basically, everything)
Specs to follow.

Client 1:
30 machines
Windows 2000
P4 2Ghz CPU
1 Gig RAM

Client 2:
15-20 machines
Windows 98 / Windows 2000
P3 1Ghz CPU
512 Mb RAM

Client 3:
5-10 machines
Windows 98 / Windows 2000
P2/3 700Mhz CPU
256-512 Mb RAM

So, as you can see, there are 60-70 machines (give or take a few that work whenever they feel like it), and every one of them are running some form of the Windows OS.
Given that over half of the machines would be considered "low-spec", and that the cost of upgrading or replacing these machines (and the monitors that they're using) would be far too high for any normal public secondary school, I've been considering the move over to Linux.

LTSP is an absolutely fantastic technology, in theory. And I'm very interested in finding out how well it works in practice.

I've just managed to get my hands on Server 2, which outranks the Server 1 on the specifications level (but not by a whole lot) - I'll post them in an update in the coming week or so, and I'm hoping to install Edubuntu on it, and then (and here's the hard part) convince the computers teacher in the school I help out that its the right thing for them.

*edit*
Server 2:
No operating system installed
Dual Processor - 933Mhz
1 Gig RAM
4 x 9 Gig SCSI Disks