I'm Back!

I have decided to come back to blogging and actually try to make something of this.  I do think there is a place like this to actually do some translation of "Geek Speak" for those that need it.  I plan on explaining new things, old things and anything in between.

So for this first new entry I thought I might tell you about a new toy I have - a Chromebook.  A Chromebook is not your normal PC.  It does not use your regular Microsoft Windows Operating system nor an Apple OS, it runs on Chrome OS.  Google has done a great job of explaining Chrome OS here.

Telling the story of Google Chrome and how it inspired an operating system. Produced by Epipheo Studios. Sign up to get updates about Google Chrome OS: https...

What is Google Chrome OS? [www.youtube.com]

There is really only one problem I have come upon and that is that you must be online for your Chromebook to work.  There are some offline applications that can be used but these will be discussed in a new post.  


Until next time - Safer Surfing!

LTSP: The Final Candidates 2.0

I know I have neglected this blog but I have been very busy installing, testing, uninstalling, reinstalling, changing, more testing, researching and updating my knowledge of Linux distros and their usefulness as an LTS. 

I don’t like quoting myself but here is one.

I plan on setting up two servers, one of each flavor, and doing some side-by-side testing and evaluation as to:

• ease of installation
• availability of drivers
• security
• installation of additional software packages
• ease of administration

That has been done.  I thought I had found the right classroom server software and thought it was going to be okay.  The last two points of my above quote is what eventually made me change plans.

I have changed the OS to EdUbuntu 10.4!  I actually started with 8.10, supposedly the best version, but ended up working my way through all versions up to the current one.  It has pretty much all I want.  An easy to use GUI for administering the server, an easy to use package search and installation process and plenty of documentation.  With this version I was even notified that non-OSS drivers were available for the box I am using as my server.

I plan on moving my research and testing to the Special Projects Lab on campus tomorrow.  I hope to get the network up and running by the end of the week and start testing the security side to see what additional software I will need to install.

With that Info,

Safer Surfing!

LTSP: The Final Candidates

After one week of reading reviews and researching options, I have cut down the choices to the final two candidates that I will be testing.  They are Ubuntu 8.04 LTSP and openSuse KIWI-LTSP.

I will admit that I am not a big Ubuntu fan and lean more towards openSuse but it looks like Ubuntu has the more stable version available. 

I plan on setting up two servers, one of each flavor, and doing some side-by-side testing and evaluation as to:

• ease of installation
• availability of drivers
• security
• installation of additional software packages
• ease of administration

In addition to the above I am in the process of acquiring 3 or 4 boxes to use as workstations in my test network.  If you have a computer you would like to donate, please say so in the comments.

With that Info,

Safer Surfing!

A Summer Job: Using LTSP to Save Money

Graduation is this morning so I guess this semester has come to an end.  The new one begins on Monday.  I was looking at what it costs to go to school and noticed something – Technology Fee.

The Technology Fee funds enhance and increase the instructional and informational technology literacy and access for UNK students. This fee is charged to all enrolled students.

That fee is $9.00 per hour.  That means I spent $144.00 to buy “Technology” this past semester and will pay at least that much next semester.  Being somewhat of a tightwad nerd caused me to look at possibilities of saving some of that money.  I know I have to pay it but how could the University stretch that dollar as far as possible. 

There are computer labs all over campus that get new machines on a rotating basis.  What if there was a way to utilize those computers for a longer time and yet stay up with the current “technology”?  There is possibly a way and my summer job for the Computer Science Department is to figure out how best to do that(well at least attempt it).

With the help of my Department Chair and one other Professor, I will be looking into LTSP – Linux Terminal Server Project.  By using an available server and older desktops now on hand we will investigate different “flavors” of LTSP available and test which one is best “out of the box”.  As soon as possible we plan to implement a test network with hopes of being able to deploy this implementation in a live lab before the Fall semester begins.

Bookmark this as I plan to post about my work and findings on a weekly basis.  I might be posting more frequently when things go really right – or really wrong.

With that Info,

Safer Surfing!