-----Original Message----- From: Christopher Dawkins [SMTP:cchd@felsted.essex.sch.uk] Sent: Friday, October 13, 2000 2:49 PM To: suse-linux-uk-schools@suse.com Subject: RE: [suse-linux-uk-schools] New systems
As 100Mbit NICS are now cheap, I'd highly recommend going for them.
Yes, but you don't need the speed for most purposes.
For the server, as usual, you should go for as much as you can get. Bear in mind that it is going to be the filesystem for every terminal that it is going to serve. It will also need approx. 8MB of RAM per terminal, plus RAM for applications.
Yes, you need powerful servers. We have two 500MHX 256MB systems at present being shared by over 70 diskless X stations, and we are ordering a few 750MHz machines now because the current ones are rather slow. We think load-sharing between a number of single-processor machines is more cost-effective than using one multi-processor setup.
We have calculated that workstations can be as cheap as £245 each.
Yes, but if based on old 486's can be as cheap as 50 pounds each, although we find we need to buy 17-inch monitors at over 100 pounds each and you need to allow fifty pounds each for network infrastructure. Including VAT you might allocate
The price I was quoting was based on brand new equipment. If you are looking at installing a network of this size, you need the confidence of warranty/maintenance. However, for price/performance, I agree that second hand kit has it's place.
25 pounds for old 486 with network card, keyboard & mouse 10 pounds for boot ROMs & spare KB, mice. 120 pounds for the monitor 50 pounds for the network infrastructure (cables, hubs, sockets etc) 40 pounds for the server
that's your 245 pounds, of which only 35 is for the "computer". Many of our machines have 30-pound s/h monitors, so cost us 155 each, and that's allowing ninety for infrastructure. Marginal cost of extra workstations is fifty pounds each!
-- Christopher Dawkins, Felsted School, Dunmow, Essex CM6 3JG 01371-820527 or 07798 636725 cchd@felsted.essex.sch.uk
----------------------------------------- Gary Stainburn. Work: http://www.ringways.co.uk mailto:gary.stainburn@ringways.co.uk REVCOM: http://www.revcom.org.uk mailto:gary.stainburn@revcom.org.uk ----------------------------------------- Murphy's Laws: (327) Build a system that even a fool can use, and only a fool will use it. -----------------------------------------