[Aslug] Linux in Central Australia

[Ian Paul Cunningham]

Hi fellow penguins,

Mutitjulu school is using k12ltsp software on its school network for 
student use. The teacher in charge has been extremely happy with the 
system and the kids are advancing their computing skills in leaps and 
bounds. Papunya school also has a k12ltsp network within its school 
network. We  had success with the system in a remote homeland learning 
centre. However, the generator could not reliably support the computing 
network on top of running the school lights, fans and refrigerators. An 
alternate power source and  a system which only requires 12V is my goal.

Yuendumu school is running SME server in their publications production 
area. The school's linux server is used only as an Internet gateway and 
mail server, all other files are shared locally. In this way the 
production unit can run independent of the school server. At least one 
business in town is running SME server with XP workstations. The server 
is used for file, printing and Internet sharing. Another remote school 
was running SME server for dialup Internet, file and print serving, but 
the power fluctuations from the generator zapped the modem, switch and 
server. Prior to that is was working well.

As Michael mentioned, all NT schools have Redhat 7.2 servers. These 
units have been in the field for four years now and and are remotely 
managed from Darwin. They were initially designed for file, print and 
basic Internet sharing, using small hard drives. The teachers and 
students have embraced the system and now take it for granted. However, 
their computing needs and storage demands have far outstripped the 
present hardware. It would appear that the next generation of servers, 
due for roll-out in June 2006, are quite likely to be based on an 
enterprise version of Linux. Other options being too expensive.

Star Office 5.2 was part of the initial school roll-out. It was slow as 
a dog compared with MS Office and took people out of their comfort zone. 
Most teachers prefer MS Office and have been reluctant to visit Star 
Office 7. OpenOffice.org is part of the k12ltsp distribution and my 
colleague reports that the kids are getting stuck into it. 
OpenOffice.org 2 is now available and this will allow schools to use the 
database option in their lessons.

My next project is to integrate k12ltsp with wireless access points.

I hope this helps Adrian. Where is the meeting on Wednesday?

Cheers

Ian   :-)