Hello All!!!
I was wondering if you can help me little bit....
I am trying to help (voluntary service) a country side school (Aboriginal community) in Northern Queensland Australia setup lab infrastructure, it's a very remote school and they don't have enough funds to go commercial
The school has only till grade 6
They have 25 machines that was bought out of the government grant but none of the machines come with windows
I was asked by the school president to setup lab infrastructure currently they have Internet (Dynamic) with only two machines connected
I have asked them to change the plan to Static IP address which I presume will be done some time this week
I have decided to go Linux on all the machines including the server
Could some one please cast some light on how I can carry on with this project, I am not sure where to start and I am fairly new to Linux and system administration world
Currently what's in my mind is to setup fedora on all desktop and CentOS5 as my server with following services configured
Proxy-squid (all the traffic to pass through)
Firewall
Apache
Squirrel mail
DNS
DHCP
I am not sure where to start with this project
Your help will be highly appreciated by the little kids who have never even touched a computer before in there life!!!
--
Many Thanks
Harry
Hi,
For your setup i i will suggest you to follow the implementation in below manner.
Desktop: Fedora is a good move but check out the stable version and install.I recommend u either fedora6 or fedora 8.Keep in mind if you want to run kde desktop then u need at least 512MB ram.GNOME is the alternative desktop comes with fedora.
Server: Go with centos 5
Configure proxy and dhcp and dns first.
Test it from all clients for the internet access.
Once it is fine then go with apache and squirrel mail.sendmail comes along with centos so tha u can tweak certain parameters in sendmail to get your things done for mailingg with squirrel mail.
After you tested all of the above then setup iptables for security.
I will suggest you to go thru the below links for basic linux configuration.
http://www.linuxhomenetworking.com/
Regards lingu subramanian
On Tue, Jun 10, 2008 at 10:33 AM, Harry Sukumar hsukumar@bond.edu.au wrote:
Hello All!!!
I was wondering if you can help me little bit….
I am trying to help (voluntary service) a country side school (Aboriginal community) in Northern Queensland Australia setup lab infrastructure, it's a very remote school and they don't have enough funds to go commercial
The school has only till grade 6
They have 25 machines that was bought out of the government grant but none of the machines come with windows
I was asked by the school president to setup lab infrastructure currently they have Internet (Dynamic) with only two machines connected
I have asked them to change the plan to Static IP address which I presume will be done some time this week
I have decided to go Linux on all the machines including the server
Could some one please cast some light on how I can carry on with this project, I am not sure where to start and I am fairly new to Linux and system administration world
Currently what's in my mind is to setup fedora on all desktop and CentOS5 as my server with following services configured
Proxy-squid (all the traffic to pass through)
Firewall
Apache
Squirrel mail
DNS
DHCP
I am not sure where to start with this project
Your help will be highly appreciated by the little kids who have never even touched a computer before in there life!!!
--
Many Thanks
Harry
CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
On Tue, Jun 10, 2008 at 7:20 AM, lingu hicheerup@gmail.com wrote:
install.I recommend u either fedora6 or fedora 8.
6 ?!?! Why in the name of the holy penguin would anybody want to install FC6 today?
Bent Terp wrote:
On Tue, Jun 10, 2008 at 7:20 AM, lingu hicheerup@gmail.com wrote:
install.I recommend u either fedora6 or fedora 8.
6 ?!?! Why in the name of the holy penguin would anybody want to install FC6 today?
FC6 no longer gets security updates, and CentOS-5 was based on FC6 anyway ... so if you are thinking of using FC6 on the desktop, just use CentOS-5.
lingu wrote:
Desktop: Fedora is a good move but check out the stable version and install.I recommend u either fedora6 or fedora 8.Keep in mind if you
I think it worth to use CentOS on desktops too or, may be it would be even better, Scientific Linux - it's like CentOS is a rebuild of RHEL. You got binary compatible packages for all purposes.
I make school-alike server with many features you are requested, but now it lacks of internationalization, all interface on russian. It now has DHCP+DNS with dynamic updates, central LDAP authentication for Samba, Apache, Squid, Sendmail and Dovecot, virus filtering with ClamAV on Squid and Sendmail (through c-icap and milter), spam protection with black and greylisting, internet usage accounting and managing and more.
You can see source on our site: http://www.abbris.ru/officemaster
May be it's not so pretty code yet, but it written by administrator for non-it-aware people and those who use it like it.
You can see some screenshots on our site (http://www.abbris.ru), but, sorry all in russian.
You can help us to make it better and localize it to other languages if you want.
All code is GPL licensed and will be available on sf.net soon.
With best regards, Sergey.
Harry Sukumar wrote:
I was wondering if you can help me little bit....
I am trying to help (voluntary service) a country side school (Aboriginal community) in Northern Queensland Australia setup lab infrastructure, it's a very remote school and they don't have enough funds to go commercial
The school has only till grade 6
They have 25 machines that was bought out of the government grant but none of the machines come with windows
I was asked by the school president to setup lab infrastructure currently they have Internet (Dynamic) with only two machines connected
I have asked them to change the plan to Static IP address which I presume will be done some time this week
I have decided to go Linux on all the machines including the server
Could some one please cast some light on how I can carry on with this project, I am not sure where to start and I am fairly new to Linux and system administration world
Currently what's in my mind is to setup fedora on all desktop and CentOS5 as my server with following services configured
If you have one machine that could reasonably act as a server, you could load k12ltsp (a CentOS based distribution that adds the ability to network-boot thin clients and some educational programs) on it and be done. In any case you might find the information here useful: http://k12ltsp.org/mediawiki/index.php/Main_Page along with their mail list.
Please check the attachment ----- Original Message ----- From: "Les Mikesell" lesmikesell@gmail.com To: "CentOS mailing list" centos@centos.org Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 10:56 AM Subject: Re: [CentOS] School Server Setup
Harry Sukumar wrote:
I was wondering if you can help me little bit....
I am trying to help (voluntary service) a country side school (Aboriginal community) in Northern Queensland Australia setup lab infrastructure, it's a very remote school and they don't have enough funds to go commercial
The school has only till grade 6
They have 25 machines that was bought out of the government grant but none of the machines come with windows
I was asked by the school president to setup lab infrastructure currently they have Internet (Dynamic) with only two machines connected
I have asked them to change the plan to Static IP address which I presume will be done some time this week
I have decided to go Linux on all the machines including the server
Could some one please cast some light on how I can carry on with this project, I am not sure where to start and I am fairly new to Linux and system administration world
Currently what's in my mind is to setup fedora on all desktop and CentOS5 as my server with following services configured
If you have one machine that could reasonably act as a server, you could load k12ltsp (a CentOS based distribution that adds the ability to network-boot thin clients and some educational programs) on it and be done. In any case you might find the information here useful: http://k12ltsp.org/mediawiki/index.php/Main_Page along with their mail
list.
-- Les Mikesell lesmikesell@gmail.com
CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
gopinath wrote:
Please check the attachment
Yes, you can enable diskless booting on a stock Centos if you work at it, but if you install the k12ltsp distro it will come up working out of the box and with 2 NICs it will be configured to run one interface connected to your normal internet-facing LAN and boot clients connected to the other using a private address range - and it will NAT for other machines on the private side. It also comes with squidguard and the other things you are likely to need for a classroom/lab setup - and a mail list with a lot of people with experience in that environment. Just be sure to get the 5EL version which is Centos based - the others are currently outdated.
On Tue, 10 Jun 2008 15:03:50 +1000 Harry Sukumar hsukumar@bond.edu.au wrote:
I am not sure where to start with this project
Could you possibly be a bit more vague with regard to your requirements?
What tasks, exactly, do you wish to accomplish?
Since you mention Apache and Squirrelmail, I assume you want to set up a web server and email server. For what purpose? Internal use only? Public access? Do you really need a webserver to accomplish your purpose, or is Apache just a handy buzzword that you've heard about in the past? If, for example, the school has only dial-up Internet access, or if they pay by the megabyte for data transfer, then you might want to restrict external traffic in some way and setting up a public webserver isn't the way.
Is the webserver for student projects? Of what nature? Teacher use? Online test administration? Student records? Posting report cards or attendance records? Something else completely?
What else do you want to do? What are the specifications of the 25 computers that you have to do this job with? If they are low-powered machines, you may want to look at ltsp -- there is even a special "for schools" version of ltsp called k12-ltsp that may meet your needs right out-of-the-box.
Are all of these computers intended to go into one or two rooms, i.e. a "computer lab"? Or is it one or two per classroom? What are the teachers going to do with the computers once they are in place? Is someone available to show them how to use them? (Don't just tell the teachers "here's a computer, have a nice day".)
Please try to provide more specific information about your exact requirements, what you wish to accomplish, what tasks are going to be automated, and what hardware and connectivity you have available. Have you thought about the actual hardware outside of the computers themselves? Do you have routers and ethernet switches available? Can you get them if you require them? What about wiring between classrooms or desks? Can you run your own ethernet cable? Do you know where to get some connectors and a roll or two or three of cat 5? Got a crimper? Know where to buy or borrow one?
That should give you some things to consider and look into -- it's the product of two minutes of thought on my part and I'm sure you can come up with a lot more than this if you give it some consideration of your own.
Simply stated, don't start a journey until you know what your destination is.
Frank Cox <> scribbled on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 7:32 AM:
If, for example, the school has only dial-up Internet access, or if they pay by the megabyte for data transfer, then you might want to restrict external traffic in some way and setting up a public webserver isn't the way.
Smoothwall can help with that too. Time-restricted access that is.
Hi Harry,
Some good suggestions so far, and I would add these:- 1. Use postfix for your email, not sendmail. Postfix is much easier to configure and use. 2. Install Webmin - a web based server config tool. This will make package customization easier if you're new to Linux. 3. Look into LDAP for centralized user authentication. You don't want to have to create users on 24 machines if you don't need to.
If you're keen to host your own email and web site, then you'll need a domain name that is linked to your IP address - e.g. somewhereinFNQ.qld.edu.au I guess you'll need to liaise with the Qld Edu department on making those DNS changes.
Anyway, if you get stuck with anything, please don't hesitate to contact me off-line if you prefer. I'm in the Adelaide Hills, so in global terms that's just next door really.
Cheers,
Ian
Ian Blackwell wrote:
Hi Harry,
Some good suggestions so far, and I would add these:-
- Use postfix for your email, not sendmail. Postfix is much easier
to configure and use. 2. Install Webmin - a web based server config tool. This will make package customization easier if you're new to Linux. 3. Look into LDAP for centralized user authentication. You don't want to have to create users on 24 machines if you don't need to.
If you're keen to host your own email and web site, then you'll need a domain name that is linked to your IP address - e.g. somewhereinFNQ.qld.edu.au I guess you'll need to liaise with the Qld Edu department on making those DNS changes.
Anyway, if you get stuck with anything, please don't hesitate to contact me off-line if you prefer. I'm in the Adelaide Hills, so in global terms that's just next door really.
Cheers,
Ian
PS: Don't forget about a backup strategy. If you're going to host all this data (emails, docs, etc.) on a server, then you need to make sure you put a good backup policy in place.
On Tue, Jun 10, 2008 15:03:50 PM +1000, Harry Sukumar wrote:
I am trying to help (voluntary service) a country side school (Aboriginal community) in Northern Queensland Australia
Harry,
does/will this school have a website, or at least one web page somewhere, where it presents itself and mentions that it uses Free Software? If yes, please let me know, I'd like to add a link to it on this page:
http://digifreedom.net/node/55
Of course, the same offer applies for any other school which does the same!
Ciao, Marco Fioretti
Go with CentOS on all machines, not only the servers. The turnaround time for Fedora is a tad bit high IMO. I assume your time is not without limits, and with CentOS you'll be supported till like 2014 with patches and stuff IIRC. Fedora is 1,5yrs/release I think.
If you can afford it, use RHEL on the server (I think you'll be fine with the most basic entitlement). Remember, if nobody buys RHEL there won't be any CentOS.
Install one client and set it up like you want it and create a kickstart-file. Use that file when installing the other clients.
For proxy, why not use a separate old machine together with Smoothwall Express 3.0? It's a firewall appliance that includes a transparant proxy which requires no setup on the client-side. Plenty of mods too, like content-filtering to filter out pron and other filth. See here for info on Smoothwall http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=smoothwall. Smoothwall can fix your dhcp-thing too. Installation in general of SW is a laugh, it's that simple. Just keep track of the red (ext) and green (int) networks. 8-)
I suggest you start with installing the server and then the proxy/Smoothwall.
HTH.
_____
From: centos-bounces@centos.org [mailto:centos-bounces@centos.org] On Behalf Of Harry Sukumar Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2008 7:04 AM To: centos@centos.org Subject: [CentOS] School Server Setup
Hello All!!!
I was wondering if you can help me little bit..
I am trying to help (voluntary service) a country side school (Aboriginal community) in Northern Queensland Australia setup lab infrastructure, it's a very remote school and they don't have enough funds to go commercial
The school has only till grade 6
They have 25 machines that was bought out of the government grant but none of the machines come with windows
I was asked by the school president to setup lab infrastructure currently they have Internet (Dynamic) with only two machines connected
I have asked them to change the plan to Static IP address which I presume will be done some time this week
I have decided to go Linux on all the machines including the server
Could some one please cast some light on how I can carry on with this project, I am not sure where to start and I am fairly new to Linux and system administration world
Currently what's in my mind is to setup fedora on all desktop and CentOS5 as my server with following services configured
Proxy-squid (all the traffic to pass through)
Firewall
Apache
Squirrel mail
DNS
DHCP
I am not sure where to start with this project
Your help will be highly appreciated by the little kids who have never even touched a computer before in there life!!!
--
Many Thanks
Harry
-
Bent Terp -
Frank Cox -
gopinath -
Harry Sukumar -
Ian Blackwell -
Johnny Hughes -
Les Mikesell -
lingu -
M. Fioretti -
Sergey Podushkin -
Sorin＠Gmail