Re: [school-discuss] linux distributions for low resource computers,

[Dean Montgomery <dmonty@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On June 3, 2008, Daniel Howard wrote:
> Hi Dean,
>
> Which boxes did you use?  How much were they compared to thin clients
> ($400 vs. $150, e.g.)?  How many servers do you need for a given number
> of diskless nodes?  I'd like to do a cost comparison, something like the
> following:

Gregg Ferrie did the pricing out of the hardware.  You can see some of his 
discussion here...

http://groups.google.com/group/bcfosss/browse_thread/thread/869ab46c42a4c087

If you don't have the money, there is also the option of inheriting donated 
computers.  Large firms often give their old computers to schools.  In the 
last year or so we are now seeing P4s with 500MB RAM.

====
In regards to server load...

We can run around 100-150 diskless clients per server.  A LTSP server bogs 
down at 30 workstations.

There is a gig connection between the server and the first switch.

In our biggest school we have 200 diskless workstations - for this school we 
installed 2 servers:
1) application server serving out the / root file system for the clients.
2) data server serving out the /home file system for the clients.
The servers come with two gig nics The linux kernel and core switch allow us 
to bond the nics to share one IP.
We made sure there was a gig backbone between switches/labs back to the core 
switch; 100mbps to the client workstations.


The price of client hardware has dropped and the speed and RAM of donated 
hardware is getting better.  So instead of running all the apps on the 
server, have the workstations do the work.  LTSP is great when you are 
working with 32 megs of ram and a 486 computer.  As companies start donating 
faster computers to schools and/or you decide to purchase some 
now-inexpensive new hardware,  then you can move toward a diskless solution.



-- 
Dean Montgomery
Network Support Tech./Programmer
School District #73