[Cialug] Iowa Public Schools - Linux Terminal Server

[Josh More]

Interestingly enough, I have written a white paper on exactly this
issue.  I will be presenting it at Iowa Training Days, after which I can
give copies to people.

As far as your questions go:

1) This depends on how it is done.  I recommend hiring a company to
take care of this, as they can often get better deals for that various
aspects of such a migration.

2) It can certainly be cost effective.  Again, it depends on who is
doing the work.  There are *lots* of issues involved in migrating a
government infrastructure to Linux, so hiring a migration company is
a wiser choice than trying to do it yourself.

There are many ways to structure such an relationship.  If people
wish to come to Iowa training days, I can go into some specifics.

-- 
-Josh More, RHCE, CISSP
 morej@alliancetechnologies.net
 515-245-7701


On Fri, 2005-04-08 at 13:54 -0500, Alan Maupin wrote:
> A few of you may remember the article reposted below from March 13,
> 2005 Des Moines Register.  I have a couple of questions in reference
> to that article and the current budget crunch many of our school
> districts are experiencing.  
> 
>  
> 
> 1.  What would it cost approximately, to hire a person who could setup
> and administer Linux in a School District?   The person would need to
> know how to integrate Linux with existing Apple and Microsoft
> networks, and how to build a terminal server such as the one outlined
> in the article.
> 
>  
> 
> 2.  Does anyone believe it would be more cost effective to use Linux
> in place of Apple or Microsoft in the K12 environment?  Reasoning that
> the school district probably already has a staff trained to use and
> administer an existing infrastructure of previously licensed Apple or
> Microsoft products.  Also, would cost more to hire someone versed not
> only in Apple or Microsoft, or both, but now with the addition of
> Linux skills.  
> 
>  
> 
> All of my questions were generated from a discussion I overhead at a
> school board meeting about a current dilemma they were experiencing
> with IT in their district.  The main topic was developing a network
> administration environment that allowed one person to remotely
> administer the entire network from a central location, and of course
> saving money while attempting to meet the IT needs of the students.
> 
>  
> 
> ******************************************************************************************************************
> 
> http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050313/BUSINESS03/503130322/1032
> 
>  
> 
> Students learn from software in Keokuk
> 
>  
> 
> Not only is open source helpful, but it helps hold down costs for the
> lab.
> 
>  
> 
> By STEVE SIMPSON
> 
> REGISTER CORRESPONDENT
> 
> March 13, 2005
> 
>  
> 
> Eric Brown gets it. He understands the benefits of open source
> software. And he's providing a leading computer lab in an Iowa high
> school.
> 
>  
> 
> Eric Brown is a high school math and Web design teacher at Keokuk High
> School. Brown read a recent Tech Guy column on open source software
> and wrote to explain how open source is helping Keokuk students in a
> new computer lab. He is getting this achieved without spending a lot
> of money.
> 
>  
> 
> "I was given a lab with PCs that were purchased in 1996 and 1997.
> There were 20 233-megahertz Pentium machines with Windows 95," Brown
> said. "I spent four to five hours each week cleaning spyware off the
> machines."
> 
>  
> 
> Besides running slow machines, Brown had a limited number of copies of
> commercial software like Microsoft Office for his students. That meant
> that even to type a document, students had to use one of just two or
> three machines. Security and privacy were also lacking in the system.
> 
>  
> 
> "On most machines, a student can erase files or change the settings of
> other users."
> 
>  
> 
> He had an open source epiphany. "I saw an article on slashdot.com
> about a group turning old computers into usable computer labs using
> Linux Terminal Server." Linux is an open source computer operating
> system, similar to Microsoft Windows.
> 
>  
> 
> "Terminal server" refers to a way to run programs on a server and
> display them (or the screen images) on simplified computers. Terminal
> server lets people like Brown use cheaper, slower computers at other
> people's desks.
> 
>  
> 
> Brown's biggest expense in implementing Linux Terminal Server was his
> server. The server needed to have the power to run the bulk of
> software in his lab.
> 
>  
> 
> "I found a server with four 533 Mhz Pentium 3 processors and one
> gigabyte of memory on eBay for less than $500. Then, I found a free
> version of Linux Terminal Server just for school labs called K12LTSP,"
> Brown wrote. "I loaded the server, played with some of the settings at
> home, brought it into the classroom and made the switch."
> 
>  
> 
> Linux and terminal server allowed Brown to set up what was effectively
> a new computer lab for the price of one computer. It helps, too, that
> the free K12LTSP software also included educational programs like a
> typing tutor, a math tutor, function graphing and nonviolent games.
> 
>  
> 
> Benefits go beyond money saved. First, students have access to their
> own work, and only their work. "In my lab, students can change the
> settings to suit themselves, and their changes follow them no matter
> what computer they work on," added Brown. The increased security means
> the students' work is more private. Moreover, it helps protect data on
> the rest of the school's computers.
> 
>  
> 
> Second, kids have access to more software. By using free open source
> programs, students can use any computer in the lab for writing,
> graphics or any activity. Microsoft Office has been replaced with
> OpenOffice; Adobe Photoshop has been replaced by The Gimp.
> 
>  
> 
> Do kids notice the difference?
> 
>  
> 
> "I've had kids sit down and use OpenOffice word processor and
> presentation software without thinking twice," Brown wrote.
> 
>  
> 
> Brown is teaching more than computer skills. He's teaching kids that
> learning is not about brand names like Microsoft and Adobe. It's about
> the basic skills of writing and art and critical thinking. The
> computers are tools used to enhance skills. And, he's taught them
> that, in an age of the "new next," some amazing things can be done
> with what's at hand.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>