Re: [k12L-A] Servers as appliances

[John Sechrest <sechrest@peak.org>]

	No. It is not possible to set up a server that will meet
	all possible school needs.
	
	However, you might be able to define a server that 
	can meet 90% of the schools needs.
	
	Or you might be able to define a server that meets
	100% of the core needs of any school, within a certain
	population size and skill level.
	

	The first step to this would be trying to define the 
	service set.. Just like you are trying to do below.
	
	As soon as you start getting into content... then 
	you start diminishing the chances that you will have
	a broadly applicable server.
	
	And when you start getting into PC/MAC OS configurations,
	and desktop software,
	you start getting into copyright issues.
	
	I see this as a series of consentric circles.
	
	The center is more generic, the edges are specific to the
	school.
	
	Can you define a core set of applications that would 
	be valuable?
	
		email 
			Pop	
			Imap
		web server
		web proxy
		email lists
		Majordomo 
		samba
		tripwire/cops
		k12linux-admin
		
	Even with this set, you have policy difference between schools
	that will require some tweaking.
	
	Do students get home directories (yes/no). Do they get
	access to publish web pages from their home directories (yes/no)
	
	Not all schools/ESD's allow for all these services to exist
	on a system.
	
	I teach Unix system administration at OSU. I will be teaching
	it again this summer. I try to have my students work
	on real K12 projects with real schools so that they
	have real clients.
	
	If you can define the set of services, I will try to 
	craft a class project that defines the machine configuration.
	
	



Tonnesen Steve <tonnesen@cmsd.bc.ca> writes:

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 % you want to discuss this topic, let's do it on seul-edu.  Subscription
 % information at http://www.seul.org/edu/]
 % 
 % 
 % My goal is to have a server setup that can be used like an appliance.  The
 % box is popped into the school, and is all set up and ready to go.  No need
 % for the teachers in a school to start mucking around with setting up
 % shares for the administration software, library software, home
 % directories, etc.  Not to mention security auditing, status monitoring,
 % data backups and all that other important but oh-so-boring stuff.
 % 
 % Is this feasible?  Is it possible to come up with a single server setup
 % (or even a limited number of configurations, like elementary/secondary)
 % that could satisfy the needs of the teachers in all schools? 
 % 
 % 
 % My current setup consists of the following shares, which I currently
 % provide through netatalk and samba, but which could also be provided to
 % Linux workstations through nfs or coda:
 % 
 % Home Directory
 %   User's personal home directory.
 % 
 % Applications
 %   Word Processor, spreadsheet, educational games, etc.
 % 
 % Library
 %   Library database software.
 % 
 % Administration
 %   School Admin software.  Accessible only to schooladmins group.
 % 
 % CDROMS
 %   this share is where staff can copy the contents of a cdrom, and new
 %   shares are automatically generated for the contents of the cdrom so that
 %   it can be mapped to a drive or mounted on the desktop, depending on your
 %   desktop OS of choice in the school.
 % 
 % LocalGroups
 %   This share contains a folder for each group created by the school staff
 %   through k12admin.  The folder is accessible only to members of the group
 %   and contains a public read/write folder, a class folder where teachers
 %   can read/write, student are read-only, and a drop box where students can
 %   submit assignments.  Groups can be classes, extracurricular groups, etc.
 % 
 % HTML
 %   A link to the root web server directory.  Accessible only to members of
 %   the webadmins group.
 % 
 % DefaultHome
 %   Files in this share are used as skeleton files for creation of new home
 %   directories.
 % 
 % Rebuild
 %   Stores images of windows and mac workstations for rebuilding.
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-----
John Sechrest          .         Helping people use
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