| Linux thin clients revitalize student desktops |
by Steve Hargadon (Oct. 7, 2005)
This summer, I attended the 2005 National Educational Computing Convention (NECC) in Philadelphia, where I was invited by the show's organizers to set up an LTSP demonstration lab for the show's attendees.
Why was I invited to demonstrate LTSP to the NECC? First, I'll briefly describe LTSP, and then I'll explain why schools are interested in it.
What's LTSP all about?
LTSP stands for Linux Terminal Server Project, a cost-effective computing approach that combines low-end diskless "thin client" systems with a more powerful central server. They communicate with each other over a local area network (LAN), or on the Internet. In the case of an LTSP-based setup, the central server runs Linux plus an add-on software package that's freely downloadable from LTSP.org.
Thin clients vary in capabilities. The "thinnest" ones act as keyboard/mouse/display terminals only (hence the "T" in "LTSP"), and all computing takes place remotely on the central server. The "thickest" ones, sometimes called diskless workstations, can do their own computing but must depend on the central server for program and data storage. The latter can also use the central server as a computing resource.
Client/server computing -- thin clients communicate with an LTSP terminal server via a LAN
(Drawing courtesy of Mark Rais)
In an LTSP-based setup, the thin clients will often be running Linux, although thin-client computers can also run "embedded" versions of Windows or other operating systems.
Because the thin clients are low-powered, diskless, and generally fanless, they don't cost as much as PCs and are very reliable. They require minimal configuration and maintenance, which reduces support costs, too. Also, older PCs can easily be converted into Linux thin clients, further reducing equipment costs. Plus, since all the LTSP software and Linux itself are open source, the costs of operating system licenses and upgrades are also reduced or even eliminated.
All this contributes to an extremely low total cost of ownership (TCO) for an LTSP setup with a given number of thin clients, in comparison to an equivalent number of ordinary PC systems.
Why LTSP is gaining momentum in schools
There is some real excitement about what this technology can do for schools. This is largely the result of two emerging trends in the computer world: advances in computing power that make high-powered servers available at reasonable prices; and the open source movement.
Not only can you now purchase a computer that will function as a server for 50 or 60 workstations at what I remember paying for a single-user PC, but you can put the Firefox web browser, or the OpenOffice.org productivity suite on that server -- for use by all of the students -- without any purchase or licensing costs. In fact, an LTSP server comes loaded with dozens of free educational and productivity software packages, all of which are part of the open source software community.
Because of Linux's inherent stability and virus protection, an LTSP installation in a school or lab typically runs with extremely low maintenance or upkeep. I've installed LTSP in schools from Hawaii to Indiana, and I almost never hear from them. It's kind-of spooky! Their computers just run without any problems.
Another important benefit of the LTSP approach, is that because all work is actually done on the server, a student can log in at any machine and gain access to their saved work and preferences. It doesn't matter where they are -- in the classroom, in the library, or anywhere else in the school where there is a thin-client on the network. What's more, thin-client Linux can even be extended to allow students and teachers to log in from outside of the school.
Open source software is not of any lower quality than commercial software. eWEEK recently reviewed OpenOffice.org and recommended that organizations with fewer than 500 computers use it as their primary office suite. The Firefox browser itself is extremely popular because of its safety features. Students are not in any way getting anything less with open source software. In fact, I would argue, they are actually getting more.
Students working with Linux and open source software right now are finding that they are way ahead of their fellow students in college and the workplace. Because open source software allows a greater amount of flexibility and the actual viewing of the code, those students interested in a computer career can have a significantly richer educational experience working in Linux.
The bottom line: school budgets, student skills
Schools can save up to 75 percent of their technology expenses by using thin-client Linux technology with open source software for basic productivity computers. The savings may actually be greater when the costs associated with maintenance, licensing, and technical support are considered as well. Additionally, teacher and student satisfaction with computing resources will also likely increase.
The second aspect is academic. More than ever, colleges and businesses are indicating that fewer and fewer students are coming out of school with adequate computer technical skills -- at the very time that computers have become more widely available in schools. This is because the focus on Windows and commercial (or "proprietary") software that has dominated school teaching environments does not easily allow for the teaching of computer and programming skills.
Not only is there an expense to the commercial software, but most of the code of that software is protected, or hidden, thereby eliminating some of the most significant aspects of learning that might take place. The students are then trained in what appear to be complex programs, but are actually learning skills that the business world would classify as "clerical." Open source programming software -- which is (1) free, (2) as highly regarded as any commercial software, and (3) able to run on older computer hardware -- becomes the logical choice for the teaching environment, but does not have the marketing dollars behind it which drive the adoption of commercial software by schools.
OK, enough theory. Here's a real-life example...
An LTSP case study: Grace Lutheran School
Old computers going idle
Like many schools, Grace Lutheran School in Sandy, Utah, has struggled to keep up with the cost of computer technology. With 250 students, and an annual technology budget of $15,000, Principal Dennis Fangmann has had to be creative to keep his 60 classroom Pentium 1 and Pentium 2 computers running. Most of that $15,000 budget was being used instead to keep the 16 staff computers and Windows network server and software current, leaving little for student computer upgrades.
What Fangmann didn't know was that many of the school's student computers weren't even running well enough for the students to use them. As he has since said: "The teachers didn't want to tell me, but as you can imagine, the Pentium I computers running Windows 95 were seen as dinosaurs by our older students."
Fangmann is not alone in feeling the burden of technology expenses. Detailed studies indicate that most schools spend on average $2,400 per computer per year -- once you take into account the purchase price, upkeep and maintenance costs, software licenses and upgrade fees, virus and spyware protection measures, staff time, and more. Many schools will spend a substantial amount to modernize their computer technology, only to find that three or four years later they have to spend an equivalent amount again.
And, if the principal has to take the role of computer technician, as has been the case with Fangmann, valuable time needed for other projects is often spent diagnosing and repairing computers.
LTSP to the rescue
Fortunately, there is an alternative solution. Taking advantage of the Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP -- described in the article above), it is relatively easy and inexpensive to place a high-speed Linux server in a school or a lab, and convert existing older or previously unusable computers into high-speed workstations.
This past February, I installed an LTSP server at Grace Lutheran in Sandy. This is such a great technology that I often tell people that it feels like magic. Imagine converting dozens or hundreds of old computers -- that would otherwise be thrown away -- into fast and reliable desktop workstations at about a fourth of the price you would pay for new computers.
Students at Grace Lutheran School now have computers that work -- and work well
A happy principal
"As the teachers have gotten more and more accustomed to LTSP, they have their students using the computers more and more. They can't believe they can browse the Internet so fast on computers that used to be so slow," Fangmann said.
Fangmann estimates that Grace Lutheran is saving $29,000 a year using LTSP, when staff time and annual maintenance costs are included (see summary below).
The school's new Linux desktops all run off one server
Grace Lutheran's installation stats:- 60 Pentium 1 and Pentium II computers for 250 total students
- One computer lab of 25 computers
- 9 classrooms with an average of four computers in each classroom
- Actual cost of Linux thin client conversion for all 60 computers: under $15,000
- Estimated annual maintenance cost: $3,600
- Comparable cost of PC/Windows installation: $50,000
- Estimated annual maintenance cost of a PC/Windows solution: $24,000
- Net yearly savings, based on four-year replacement cycle: $29,150
About the Author
Portions of this article were originally written for the Lutheran Educators Association magazine. Hargadon and several of his friends were the architects behind the recent public "web station" project to assist Hurricane Katrina victims. He can be reached at steve@hargadon.com. Information on LTSP, open source software, and more is available on Hargadon's website.
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