Written by tromboneman the 27 Mar 08 at 13:25.

Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #5834 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!

<i>Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #5834 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution.</i><br /> Thanks!

Written by hdhfm the 19 Mar 09 at 01:11.

Installing and maintaining Edubuntu for a whole class room or school must be easy - at least compared to setting up Windows.

Procedure should be like
Connect all computers in a classroom to a network.
Set them up (BIOS) so that they would boot on LAN (PXE or Bootp protocol).
Boot teacher PC from live CD. After start up PC offers to set up school network, if selected than a terminal server like the Knoppix-Terminal-server is started which distributes the software to the network.
Install routine suggests to switch on the PCs which should become server. All machines will be booted and evaluated which machines should do which tasks.
(Fileserver (Harddisk space needed) Backupserver (Harddisk space needed), DNS, Server, Firewall (two network cards needed), Webserver and Mailserver, further terminal server) Depending on available HW a default configuration, which can be changed, is offered. As soon as the configuration is accepted the server installation starts. Now the student PCs can be switched on. They will boot, an install script will evaluate them and decide whether they get a thin client (old PCs) installation or a full installation (modern PCs), which will be executed automatically.
The data for all PCs will be entered in a report website. In this website single PCs can be addressed for a webbased configuration or reset to a defined state (after students messed it or them up accidentially).
Further SW can be installed anytime by just installing it on the teacher PC (by Synaptic) and then distributing it to the student PCs.

Installing and maintaining Edubuntu for a whole class room or school must be easy - at least compared to setting up Windows. Procedure should be like Connect all computers in a classroom to a network. Set them up (BIOS) so that they would boot on LAN (PXE or Bootp protocol). Boot teacher PC from live CD. After start up PC offers to set up school network, if selected than a terminal server like the Knoppix-Terminal-server is started which distributes the software to the network. Install routine suggests to switch on the PCs which should become server. All machines will be booted and evaluated which machines should do which tasks. (Fileserver (Harddisk space needed) Backupserver (Harddisk space needed), DNS, Server, Firewall (two network cards needed), Webserver and Mailserver, further terminal server) Depending on available HW a default configuration, which can be changed, is offered. As soon as the configuration is accepted the server installation starts. Now the student PCs can be switched on. They will boot, an install script will evaluate them and decide whether they get a thin client (old PCs) installation or a full installation (modern PCs), which will be executed automatically. The data for all PCs will be entered in a report website. In this website single PCs can be addressed for a webbased configuration or reset to a defined state (after students messed it or them up accidentially). Further SW can be installed anytime by just installing it on the teacher PC (by Synaptic) and then distributing it to the student PCs.