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 (KidPix, 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 for 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 1000mhz AMD Thunderbird Athlon Processor with 266mhz front side bus Thermaltake Chrome Orb DUO462-2 heat-sink fan Gigabyte GA-7ZMMH KM133A Based Motherboard Motherboard includes video and Creative Labs sound onboard Micron 256mb PC-133 DIMM memory Teac 3.5” 1.44mb floppy disk drive Seagate 20GB ATA/100 7200 RPM Hard Drive Afreey 12X IDE DVD-ROM Drive Iomega Zip 100mb Internal IDE Drive KDS 15” Monitor Antec KS388 Mid-Tower case with 250W ATX power supply Antec 80mm case fan Logitech Deluxe Access 104 key keyboard with 3 launch buttons Logitech Optical Wheel Mouse w/Belkin premium blue mouse pad LabTec Elite-820 Headphones with 9’ cord Netgear FA311 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) Total bid: ……………………………………………….. Thick Clients 20 Workstations Cost: $18,000 $899.99 + tax Fit Client Cost checkup 25 Computer Lab 25 Workstation 200 5000 1 Memory lot 200 200 25 Logitech Mice 15 375 25 Headphones 10 250 25 Monitors 35 875 25 Keyboards 10 250 Workstation Hardware Total: $6,950 Goal: Get these workstations donated. Look for college or business hand-me-downs. Then cost is only $1,950 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 NovaBackup) www.novastor.com Fit Client Cost checkup Server 1 Server system 1800 1 Backup system 350 1 24+5 port switch 500 1 Windows 2003 Server 150 Server Hardware Total: $2,800 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 OperatingSystems 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 NetOp or LanSchool http://www.lanschool.com/ Office Applications • Fit to hardware • Consider Office 97 • Consider OpenOffice • Make a uniform installation (same hardware / same software) Courseware • Look for managed, network software even if it costs more – Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing – ClassWorks – 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 DeepFreeze WS License 15 375 25 CD-Rom Emulator 12 300 25 Norton Ghost 15 375 FREE FREE 70 1750 25 OpenOffice 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. Questions? Download this presentation at: www.buypct.com Copyright (C) 2003 Pacific Computer Technologies. All rights reserved.