In search of The Perfect Computer Lab Low-cost

In search of The Perfect Computer Lab Low-cost and low-maintenance: An impossible dream?

What’s it for? • Typing/Keyboarding skills • Office Applications (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) • Internet/Email • Educational Courseware • Paint programs (Kid. Pix, etc. . ) • Web Editing/development • Video Editing

Case Studies • Colville Valley Junior Academy • Milton-Stateline School

Colville Valley Junior Academy • Small, private, rural K-10 school • First computer lab • Have donor funding • Lab must last for several years • Keyboard / Office Applications • Multimedia (Macromedia Director) • Wants higher end systems

Milton-Stateline School • Small K-10 school • Existing lab • Low budget • Keyboarding • Office Applications • Courseware / Internet • Promotional Video Editing

Choosing Hardware • Thick Clients vs. • Thin Clients

Thick Client • Fast processor • Lots of storage space • State of the Art • Good for multimedia • Nice, but expensive!! • Lots of workstation maintenance often required.

Thin client • Usually slower processor • Often has no hard drive • Easy management since there is little to go wrong • Good for Internet/word processing • Speed limited by network and server • Cheap!

The fit client • Small hard drive (< 5 gigs) • Most commonly used applications are installed locally • No data is stored locally • Very little management required • Utilize the workstation processor and resources

Buy cheap, but not too cheap • Buy good mice (Logitech/Optical) • Buy good headphones (I like the Califone ones) • Buy good keyboards (or replace them regularly) • Keep your monitors in good order • Aim for identical hardware

Colville Mars 1000 Workstation 1000 mhz AMD Thunderbird Athlon Processor with 266 mhz front side bus Thermaltake Chrome Orb DUO 462 -2 heat-sink fan Gigabyte GA-7 ZMMH KM 133 A Based Motherboard includes video and Creative Labs sound onboard Micron 256 mb PC-133 DIMM memory Teac 3. 5” 1. 44 mb floppy disk drive Seagate 20 GB ATA/100 7200 RPM Hard Drive Afreey 12 X IDE DVD-ROM Drive Iomega Zip 100 mb Internal IDE Drive KDS 15” Monitor Antec KS 388 Mid-Tower case with 250 W ATX power supply Antec 80 mm case fan Logitech Deluxe Access 104 keyboard with 3 launch buttons Logitech Optical Wheel Mouse w/Belkin premium blue mouse pad Lab. Tec Elite-820 Headphones with 9’ cord Netgear FA 311 10/100 PCI Network card Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional w/free XP upgrade option Deep Freeze Pro for NTFS security software Grisoft’s AVG Anti-Viral software free edition (upgrades available) Thick Clients 20 Workstations Cost: $18, 000 Total bid: ………………………. . $899. 99 + tax

Fit Client Cost checkup 25 Computer Lab 25 Workstation 200 1 Memory lot 5000 200 25 Logitech Mice 10 250 25 Monitors 35 875 25 Keyboards 10 Then cost is only $1, 950 375 25 Headphones 15 Goal: Get these workstations donated. Look for college or business hand-me-downs. 250 Workstation Hardware Total: $6, 950 Running Total: $6, 950

Server & Networking • Save your $$ for the server not the workstations • Buy a midrange server ($1200$2500) and build a solid network • Consider a managed switch for your backbone if you can afford it. • Install a good backup solution (consider Nova. Backup) www. novastor. com

Fit Client Cost checkup Server 1 Server system 1800 1 Backup system 1 24+5 port switch 500 1 Windows 2003 Server 350 150 Server Hardware Total: $2, 80 0 Running Total: $9, 750

Don’t forget the software • Software should be a big piece in your overall budget • Choose software to match your hardware

Operating Systems • Microsoft vs. Linux? • Either way: older hardware means use lighter software • Open vs. School Licensing • Consider downgrading your license

Secrets of the “fit” client • Deep Freeze (Faronics) www. deepfreezeusa. com

Secrets of the “fit” client • CD-ROM emulator http: //www. cdrom-emulator. com/

Secrets of the “fit” client • Norton Ghost 2003 http: //www. symantec. com/

Secrets of the “fit” client • Consider Net. Op or Lan. School http: //www. lanschool. com/

Office Applications • Fit to hardware • Consider Office 97 • Consider Open. Office • Make a uniform installation (same hardware / same software)

Courseware • Look for managed, network software even if it costs more – Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing – Class. Works – Accelerated Reader • Remember no data is stored on a fit client locally — avoid software that cannot store data on network drive

Courseware • Consider classic educational products like: LOGO that are freely available and have an active community for support. • Consider inexpensive older product versions available online or shareware to complement your courseware.

Cost checkup Software 25 Deep. Freeze WS License 15 375 25 CD-Rom Emulator 12 300 25 Norton Ghost 15 375 FREE 70 1750 25 Open. Office 25 Microsoft Windows (Open Licenses) Software Total: $2, 800 Running Total: $12, 550 w/donated workstations: $5, 800

Summing it up There may not be a “perfect” lab. But with the right expertise and planning it is possible to set-up a lowcost, low-maintenance computer lab. Using “fit” clients rather than high end systems saves both money and time and reduces the total cost of ownership.