VMware

[Eric Dunbar]

On 22/02/07, Patton Echols <p.echols at comcast.net> wrote:
> On 02/22/2007 05:50 AM, Eric Dunbar wrote:
> > On 21/02/07, Patton Echols <p.echols at comcast.net> wrote:
> >
> >> This is not really a Ubuntu specific question, but a pointer in the
> >> right direction would be great.  I've looked around the web about VMware
> >> but I think my questions are so basic that the answers are assumed . . .
> >> or I could be looking in the wrong places.
> >>
> >> I read an article recently about maintaining a network of windows
> >> desktops by running linux on each desktop and then using Vmware to load
> >> windows on each one from a single windows XP image maintained on a server.
> >>
> >> I volunteer with an educational non profit that maintains a computer
> >> lab.  The lab computers are quite old (and have been "ridden hard") and
> >> need replacement.  Because of the need to reimage the drives when
> >> students break the windows install, our computer guy says it is
> >> important to keep a number of identical boxes, rather than replace them
> >> as needed the way non profit organizations are likely to do.
> >>
> >
> > Why don't you lock down the Windows XP images? It's quite possible to
> > lock Windows XP Pro down tighter than fort Knox.
>
> Well the desktops are running Win2000.  AFAIK that was chosen over
> Win-ME (at the time the other "up to date" option) due to more stability
> and the ability to lock it down.  The problem is that when software
> updates are needed, each machine requires an update.  New programs, same
> thing.  Since we don't have anyone in-house with the skill set, we end
> up paying about $10 to $12k per year for support services.
>
> Back tracking a bit from my previous post: I suppose I really don't know
> how much time goes to server maint, how much to updates, and how much to
> fixing boxes with "broken" software.  But I'm told there are significant
> amounts of each.

The advantage in your situation is that Linux software is free ($$$).
You can install whatever you want, however many times without worrying
about those pesky legalities that trip honest, law abiding people up
if they want to install multiple copies (or share with others).

However, Linux requires expertise and that expertise generally doesn't
come cheap. If you have the know-how to manage a Linux _network_ (not
just one box), you also have the expertise needed to manage a Windows
network (or, at the very least you have the ability to learn quickly).

You'll have to evaluate what those computers need to do and run and
what your org can afford to pay for support!

If you're not doing major stuff, you can quite easily switch to Linux
with a minimum of technical prowess.

>From a practical POV, Ubuntu has OpenOffice.org and Abiword, both
competent word processors and good for learning "the basics".
OpenOffice.org also offers a PowerPoint-like module and an Excel-like
spread sheet (which, for simple teaching-style spread sheet operations
is actually fairly good). GIMP, though convoluted and VERY slow on
slow computers, is functional and will get students ready to shift to
Photoshop when they're ready.

If you're using ArcView GIS or MapInfo, you can check out some of the
FL/OSS GIS packages. Apple won a contract with the US state Maine
(http://www.maine.gov/mlti/) to provide their students with Apple
laptops running GRASS. I have a legal licence to ArcView so I don't
need to run GRASS, but if MapInfo or ArcView are out of reach then
GRASS is now a viable and VERY cost-effective alternative (and, it's
getting better).

Obviously, web browsing is a cake-walk with FireFox ;-).

That said, ALL THESE APPS ARE AVAILABLE FOR WINDOWS AS WELL!

What is your major cost? Hardware? Application software? Operating
system software? Support?

What other apps do you have that are proprietary Windows-only that
you'll need to run? Can you replace them with FULLY FUNCTIONAL (not
half-assed) open source analogues or do you have to stick with them.

You're going to have to think long and hard about whether you can
*afford* Linux on the support side. Set up is going to take a lot and
the Windows apps will not work perfectly (or at all). In the long run,
you'll have more control over the machines, so, unless you keep adding
software, you'll be able to "lock" them down and ignore them.

In the meantime, why don't you grab three or four computers and try
creating your own network (or, have your tech guy/gal do that)! Since
Ubuntu is free ($$) and Free (speech) you can do whatever you want and
see if it's viable.

PS VMware is a good virtual machine environment to use for
experimentation. In the past few weeks I've tried a number of OSes and
configurations in VMware and I've now settled on Ubuntu 6.06 LTS
running VHCS and Webmin to manage my server. I was able to completely
destroy OSes by adding repositories that I normally wouldn't and, even
if I made a mistake in configuring something, I could just select
"Restore Snapshot", undo what I'd done and start over. (plus,
important for me since I need ArcView which is Windows-only, I can
dual-boot the machine, and, when in Windows, my VMware Ubuntu server
just fires up in the back ground using up only 128 MB of RAM :-)

Eric.