1. Thin Clients How To Created and displayed with open source software + Linux Presented by Brian Jamison Thin clients How To Content licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/

2. Brian Jamison -->

Co-Founder of OpenSourcery

President of POSSE

• Portland Open Source Software Entrepreneurs

Using open source software to solve business needs since 1995

• clients: Sony, Nissan, Energizer, Disney...

Personally using Linux on the desktop since 2001

3. About OpenSourcery

Founded 2004

PSU, Reed, CCC

Services:

• Plan

• Install

• Configure

• Maintain

4. Overview

What is thin?

Why thin?

Savings

Case study

Common pitfalls

Questions

5. What is thin?

Uses a single server for all heavy lifting

Clients boot, run applications, store data on server, not themselves

6. Why thin?

Savings at every stage

Peace of mind

Ease of maintenance

7. Hardware savings, client

Thin client: $106

17 flat screen LCD: $171

Keyboard, mouse: $20

• Total: $297

8. Hardware savings, server

• Server requires:

• • RAM: 512mb + 50mb per client

• • CPU: 100mhz/32 bit or 75mhz/64 bit

• • Bandwidth: gigabit NIC

• Server for 60 client setup:

• • • 2 AMD 64bit dual core Opterons

• • • 4gb RAM, 160gb HD, Gigabit ethernet

• • Total: $1741

• • • cut that approximately in half for 30 clients

9. Licensing costs $0

Server operating system: $0

Client operating system: $0

Applications: $0

• Educational programs, Office suite, Google Earth, Firefox, Video/audio editing, plus 20,000 others.

Updates cost $0

10. Installation savings

Server setup and configuration, about a day

Per client, about 15 minutes

11. Hardware maintenance savings

No moving parts on clients no hard drives, no fans.

Avoid service calls simply replace unit with an inexpensive spare!

12. OS maintenance savings

Client and server highly resistant to virii, spyware/malware

Nothing gained hacking client

Server extremely difficult to hack

Can be made to automatically start clean on each login

Updates delivered via the Internet for $0

13. Energy savings

Each thin client draws 20 watts

14. Other advantages

Centralized storage, backups

USB keys for each student for individual storage

• allows theming, customization, history to stay with the student

15. Case study

Charter high school with 160+ students

Edubuntu

Software requirements

• • Office, Web, Google Earth

• • Video/sound editing

• Fractions/algebra apps

• Terminal Server for Cognitive Tutor on w2k3 box

16. Planning

Get a specific list of necessary software from admins and instructors

• this avoids apps sneaking in after planning consider math tutoring software, video editing, multilingual support...

17. Content Filtering

User login defines content filtering

• all access or none

• • this can be made quite complex if desired

18. Configuration

LTSP on server

Thin clients PXE boot stock Edubuntu Feisty over the network

Bootsplash needed configuration to make LCD work during bootup

Password protected bios

On logout we auto wipe the home directory to avoid offensive leave-behinds

• (students use USB keys for storing their own work)

19. More Configuration

Lockdown of browser, office suite, desktop, etc

Trac to store documentation

20. Students cannot

Install new programs

Gain administrator access

Get to the Internet unless approved by Instructor

21. Windows Terminal Server

Must deploy due to decision to use a proprietary windows-based tutoring program

Ironically this was the way students were able to hack out to the Internet, install proggies, etc.

22. The Tale of the Office Suite

• OpenOffice billed as Microsoft Office replacement

• Writer/Word: lacking collab, macro compatibility

• Calc/Excel: lacks macro compatibility

• Base/Access: not ready yet

• Powerpoint: lacks read-write compatibility

• • Not for macro wizards

• • Not for extreme spreadsheet programmers

• • Not 100% perfect reading/writing MS formats

An excellent fit for students.

23. Students Experience

It just worked.

24. Common Pitfall #1

Asking a bunch of Windows folks to deploy mission-critical Linux server or services

25. Common Pitfall #2

Deploying open source applications before they are fully baked

Hoary Hedgehog

Jahshaka

26. Common Pitfall #3

Asking black-box gear to play nicely with open source

Windows Terminal Server + Tutoring App = Pain

27. Common Pitfall #5

Failing to demand as much from proprietary software as open source

What happens if...

28. Common Pitfall #6

The Accidental Tech supporting Linux

How do I turn it off?

The video card is broken

29. Common Pitfall #7

printers, Printers, PRINTERS

#1 issue (in our experience) with desktops

30. Summary

It just works.

31. Thank you

Try a thin client at our booth!

Brian Jamison

[email_address]

(503) 544-3558