Archive for April, 2007

The Ultimate Linux Terminal Server

Published by Robert Pogson April 23rd, 2007 in Linux in Education. 0 Comments

A Linux terminal server needs

  • enough storage for the OS
  • 50 megabytes per client
  • a NIC for the outside world
  • a gigabit/s NIC for each 50 clients
  • storage for local data (500 gB or more in RAID 1)
  • storage for /home directories
  • CPU power (100 MHz or so per client)

To be really useful, you want all the NICs, drives and the CPU to run all out simultaneously. That sounds a lot like some of the beautiful 64 bit motherboards out recently. Check out TYAN’s S3992 or S4985. Fully populated they can serve 100 to 200 clients simultaneously for a cost of about $50 per client. That is about the same as the maker of that other OS charges just for permission to connect to their servers ;-). With a Linux terminal server, a school actually gets some value for the money spent.

Typical school LANTypical school LAN

- Robert Pogson

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My Mission

My observations and opinions about IT are based on 40 years of use in science and technology and lately, in education. I like IT that is fast, cost-effective and reliable. I do not care whether my solution is the same as yours. I like to think for myself.

My first use of GNU/Linux in 2001 was so remarkably better than what I had been using, I feel it is important work to share GNU/Linux with the world. I have been blessed by working in schools where students and school systems have benefited by good, modular software easily installed in most systems.

I have shown GNU/Linux to thousands of students and hundreds of teachers over the years and will continue in some way doing that until I die in spite of the opposition.

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