[K12OSN] how about a live CD or live usb hard drive?

[Jim Kronebusch]

> >>show off K12LTSP to schools.  I'm thinking
> >>specifically of a school that is local to me which has
> >>a newish P4 in every classroom.  I'd like to show them
> >>that they can turn each of those desktop machines into
> >>a server and add 5 or so thin clients to each
> >>classroom.  I think if I could plug in a usb hard
> >>drive and boot their existing computer off of it (and
> >>provide my own thin clients), it would really drive
> >>the point home.


Our Solution to this has just been to buy a couple of the bottom of the
line Dell home machines as demo servers.  The last one we bought was a
2.8GHZ celeron with 512MB RAM and an 80GB HD with a 17" flat screen for
$500.  Then we just configure them as a single NIC server with K12LTSP.
This way we can just change the IP to match the new network, re-run the
k12ltsp-initialize scripts, slam it on their network, and start booting
clients from anywhere on their network.  Any more than 5 clients and
heavy use will about kill it, but it is enough to get the point across
and let them start playing with the software.

We of course tell them that this is not a real server and that a decent
one will cost them about $5000 and run 30-40 concurrent clients (with
standard applications, not 40 instances of Kstars while playing Chess
:-). 

After a few months we'll just wipe these machines and sell them for
about the same price then buy new ones if we need them.


-- 
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by the Cotter Technology 
Department, and is believed to be clean.