In May of 2009, after introducing the Google Apps for Education Team to our Department of Education to provide a deficit-reducing replacement for Lotus Notes, I wrote this summary for Vice-Superintendent Rod Moriyama. It may be considered a SWOT analysis, of sorts, for the ways that Free and Open Source Software can benefit our DOE through secure, remotely-managed desktops that are supported locally. Knowing our DOE and how it prefers doing things on its own, my intent was to present a supportable, do-it-yourself future with managed desktops.
Above the monitor upon which I type this DOE Open Source Overview, the framed Honolulu Advertiser article from September, 2004 still reminds me of the potential, and the lost opportunities, from responsibly implementing Open Source solutions in the DOE. Knowing how busy you are, I think that I might best be of service to you if I present an overview of certain Free and Open Source solutions that are either in use in or are available to our schools. My intent is to present proven solutions supported not only by competing vendors but also by nearly any hardware vendor's platform.
It's interesting to look back at what has happened in the last 5 years when the Honolulu Advertiser did the story. The Enchanted Lake Elementary lab is still going due largely in part to the work Ted put in to initial training, managing expectations, and, most importantly, choosing the right software. Some education-based Linux Desktops had support cycles of 2 years, but Ted chose to install the one with 7 years of support that is based on Red Hat's enterprise version of linux. The fruits of his wisdom are still being harvested.
On the commercial side, more and more devices, appliances, and solutions have become nothing more than embedded linux devices with a web-based interface for administration. I look at a school like BYUH and see a data and student management infrastructure that is based largely on branded and vendor-supported open source software stacks. Often times the software is simply a Red Hat variant; this is the version of linux that PCATT offers certification for.
With this said, the following summary will hopefully provide a concise overview of certain Open Source solutions, pros and cons, and a brief case study or hypothesis. Over the next several months, my intent is to implement many of these solutions at an Elementary, an Intermediate, and a High School across the island. Analyzing the success, considering the various levels of skills and confidence amongst these schools' tech coordinators, will be very revealing.
Content Caching
Using commodity hardware, schools can conserve bandwidth and improve the performance of their web-based curricula by caching content on campus. Using PFSense, a stack of open source applications easily configured and managed with a web browser, we can ubiquitously keep recurring loaded content on campus. Support can be provided remotely either from campus, a vendor, or a central administration office. Logs are kept and graphs are generated that track what computer on campus has connected to what site on the Internet.
The pros seem pretty overwhelming of late. It's accepted that web-based curricula vendors provide valuable content, but the bandwidth is limited. This device can be a simple P4 with an 80gb HD, something every campus already has, that sits between each computer lab and the network. This device can also be a bit heftier, maybe a 1U server with redundant drives, that sits at the head of each campus and caches data.
The con is that if not properly implemented or supported, it is another source of failure.
The case study is that I have used one at SchoolX to manage updates. Suddenly all the updates for a lab come from one computer instead of the Internet. Lately, as you might know, many schools' web-based curricula became completely unusable due to heavy demand.
Network Security
Using commodity hardware, schools can install a simple computer or server that will identify every device on the network, its MAC and IP address, the network protocols it is using, and its bandwidth utilization. Complemented with the Content Caching on campus, no rogue computers can ever again go untracked. With this information in hand, campus-wide DHCP services can be turned off thus making it impossible to add rogue devices any longer.
The first pro, most importantly, is that these tools are administrated and supported through the PFSense project. They can be run on the same piece of hardware being used in the lab or at the campus gateway for Content Caching. By not assigning IP addresses to the network, or by only doing so with registered computers, much of the horror I see TC's facing would be eliminated.
The cons are that it is one more piece of software for someone to watch. Some coordinators would never use it. No one would like having to register their personal equipment's MAC address in order to use the network.
The case study is more one of potential. Over the next few months this will find its way into some schools, so we'll have a sense of the use and the value. I have my theories.
Central Storage
Still using commodity hardware, some really great projects have emerged such as FreeNAS. As you can tell from the acronym, it is a network attached storage project that puts a great Web GUI to all the protocols and features a campus would need. As recently as today, on the Tech Cadre mailing list, I suggested that schools go this route with a computer they are about to recycle and two new hard drives.
The pros are that administration is easy enough for any tech coordinator, but, support can always come remotely just as easily. We also create and instill the concept with teachers and coordinators that preserving the portfolio of a student's work is too important to trust to usb thumb drives and single, external hard drives. Critically speaking - we can automate the scanning of viruses.
The con is that for some it might seem less easy than a thumb drive or a single firewire drive. Simplicity is the key, we know. For that matter, Google Docs' education edition solves all but large file storage problems.
The case study is that in schools where I see students having access to their work throughout the year or years, both they and the teachers become more engaged in building on their progress and collaborating in a more modern way.
Central Backups
Schools can use an application called BackupPC to automate the backup of key computers to a central location. Files are preserved at multiple intervals, and they can be restored by the user herself with a web browser.
The pros are that it runs on nearly any version of linux, and it can back up any mac, windows, sun, or linux computer or server. Files are preserved at the intervals set by the administrator, and recovery and management are as easy as using one's web browser.
The con is that for some it might be less intuitive than using their own external hard drive or flash drive. If the network goes down, then access to the files is gone.
I have not implemented BackupPC anywhere, yet, but it is about to go into my sample schools. For the SASA, the Principal, and the Vice-Principals, this makes backups one less thing to worry about.
Disaster Recovery
Every computer variation on campus can be properly profiled and imaged to a server so that in the instance of catastrophe, the re-installation from "bare metal" to a functioning computer becomes a matter of minutes. Deploying new workstations, updating computer labs, re-purposing donated machines - all of this can be done with a software project called Clonezilla.
The pros are overwhelming simply because of the time saved and the ability to re-deploy "broken" workstations that really just need a software re-install. As donations come in, what used to be the burden of testing and installing the machine becomes a matter of minutes.
The cons are that the administration is through a dos-like screen. You don't use your mouse. It's easy to use, but, many people freeze if they cannot move the cursor.
The case study is that it works everywhere I've tried it very, very well. Many tech coordinators have picked it up on their own. There is a student in our DOE, or at UH, or HPU, etc, who could and would easily help create the web-based GUI so that this can become easier.
Asset Management
Using a web server and a small application installed on all workstations, complete hardware and software profiles can be generated for reporting, including licensing information. New installations and software updates can be scripted and performed automatically. This is a project called OCS Inventory
The pros are that this works on any software platform. It also monitors all network devices. It overlaps with a few projects previously mentioned, but it ultimately provides a TC with the ability to manage updates on every computer without leaving his or her desk.
The cons are that implementation requires visiting each computer once. While it is more efficient, the process can be less familiar for some.
This is going to be installed this Summer at a High School I'll be helping. It has two tech coordinators who are ambitious with the unfamiliar. It is a critical component, as are each of the previously mentioned services, in the software used in most Norwegian schools.
Resource Reservations
Using a web browser, teachers and administrators can reserve equipment and rooms that are in high demand. This is one of 4 fundamental features in a software project called SchoolTool. It performs many SIS features which I know are redundant. However, its resource module is elegant and easy to use.
Pros are that it is easy and the schedule can be imported into your mac/lotus/google calendar. Rooms, projectors, laptop carts, and anything else can be reserved and tracked with a web browser.
The cons are that people have to commit to using it, including learning the few steps required to do so.
I am yet to see a school manage its resources and rooms in an organized way. It's easier said than done, but we'll be testing this feature over the next few months at a few school.s
Virtualization
Using commodity hardware and Free virtualization software, nearly everything I have mentioned so far can be run on one single server. The electrical savings alone creates a break even point that never before existed on infrastructure improvements like this. There are a mind-numbing array of virtualization options, but using Red Hat and its free derivative, CentOS, schools can run Xen or KVM using an easy to administrate control panel. PCATT certified graduates can provide the support backbone, as needed.
The pros are seen through power savings, redundancy, and fail-over infrastructure. Once virtualized, services can be moved to a central support system, for instance, or to another school, for from one virtual machine to another. Mistakes are much easier to manage with virtualization.
The cons start with the fact that this takes a higher level of comprehension, and many tech coordinators, even with some orientation, will be hesitant to do this. The services may be useful, but managing the virtualization part may require some central support. Also, some things don't virtualize well, as I recently learned after botching a service I tried at SchoolX.
My best case study has been at Elementary SchoolX where I have virtualized 3 of the above services. We reduced several servers into one, and the administration and potential for experimentation and "sandboxing" are improved exponentially. After realizing that one service, mentioned next, did not virtualize well enough, it has laid the foundation for what I intend to do at my Summer projects.
Student Portfolio and Roaming Profile
Logging in to any computer, be it windows, mac, or linux, a students desktop, files, and settings can be loaded. This permits one's work to "follow" them across campus, across grades, and even across schools. If desired, anti-virus scanning can be implemented at this level. Novell's OpenSuse, Fedora's Directory Server, and other projects provide a manageable interface for this feature.
The pros to this are that any computer installed on the network can have access to limited files depending on the username and password. The need to backup individual files is eliminated because everything is accessed through network shares. In the instance that a student or teacher cannot be on campus, these files can be accessible through an encrypted, password protected login.
The cons are that this is the strong hand for Windows and for Apple. Their tools are a bit more friendly. This alone may not make it possible for the average tech coordinator to use them any more than an open source version, but, like Lotus Notes, they are well proven.
SchoolX has used this setup for 3 years. Until the earthquake, the server had been running without interruption for 500 days. Virtualizing this service was a mistake, and this last year has not been as good for this setup as next year will be.
Desktop
The free education applications that address math, physics, chemistry, astronomy, grammar, programming, writing, and reading continue to be overwhelming and constantly improving. Companies such as Canonical have packaged distributions of linux that are education friendly, they cut OEM deals with the likes of Dell, and they even sell support for great rates. Of the listed Open Source solutions, the linux desktop is what most schools have adopted.
The pros have improved over the last few years, especially with the rise of web standards, Firefox, and web-based curricula. Between the pre-installed applications and things like KidBiz, teachers are armed with a multitude of tools that build skills in surprisingly engaging ways. The Desktop can be implemented on hard drives, on flash drives, as a dumb terminal, or as a fat client that uses its own cpu and ram while network booting the OS. Everything from an office suite to education applications to graphics and video programs is available in the over 20,000 free and supported programs for the linux desktop.
The cons continue to be that OSX is beautiful and Windows is ubiquitous. Although both require substantially more time to configure and refine with all the applications needed, their familiarity is a matter of impetus.
The most compelling case study I can provide on this is one from Maili Elementary. Last year UH's College of Education sought my assistance for a student-faculty project. They wanted to donate a computer lab to a school in need, and they wanted to use re-purposed thin clients. Over a few meetings they learned how to build a computer, how to install an education version of linux, and how to make a network cable. On a Saturday they installed 25 older laptops and new network cables so that they could boot and load their software from the server. Just 3 weeks ago I went to check on things, and, while there was room for improvement on the implementation, the teachers and students were enthralled by all the applications they finally had access to, for free.
VNC/FreeNX
Any computer can be accessed and controlled from anywhere at any time. No tech coordinator has to leave his or her chair to provide personal support. No student or teacher has to be without access to his or her Desktop if they are sick or traveling. VNC and FreeNX make this possible. Both create a bandwidth friendly, encrypted tunnel through which one can load and remotely access their entire, personal Desktop.
The pros are that sick students, traveling students, at-home students, teachers, and administrators can remotely access their own files no matter where they are. Missing work or not being able to catch up are no longer obstacles. Parents can see exactly what their kids are working on.
The cons are the time involved in setting up the services across campus. To the extent that remote access is permitted, calculating bandwidth and utilization become factors.
Several schools have used VNC to control computers across campus. Apple integrates this software into a few of its projects. I have had remarkable, and potentially groundbreaking success, using the very netbook that schools are buying and that I offer in a DIY kit, to remotely access student desktops across the Internet from my home in Ewa to networks across Oahu. Using FreeNX, the performance felt nearly real time.
In summary, so many of our schools' benefits from Open Source solutions are outside of the Desktop. What's important to teachers is that they have comfortable tools. As much as I want them to use a free linux desktop, sometimes the Apple and Windows desktops are best paid for by saving money with solid, supportable, but Free Open Source "cloud" solutions. This makes it easier for central administration and distributed support from tech coordinators.
I hope that you find some of this insightful and revealing. I have seen enough that I am pretty certain I could find millions of dollars in savings while improving the classroom experience. I say this only to you.
Where we find deficiencies in the software, we can forge relationships with the developers responsible for improving them. Our own students, after some collegiate training, can handle this task. Given that we are in Hawaii, an annual conference to which we bring some of the key project developers suddenly gives us as much sway with features and improvements as knowing Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. Not many states have the allure and the potential of Hawaii for such events.
Next year the Army will move my wife and I to Washington, D.C. I do believe that you and Hawaii's DOE continue to be best positioned for the evolutionary and revolutionary "change" that we all seek in education. Between now and my departure, I am at your service, and that of the DOE, in tirelessly assessing and implementing as many of these solutions as needed.
R. Scott Belford
May 13, 2009
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.
No comments:
Post a Comment