Hello, I'm new in linux world (my only approach was a couple of instalation on laptops and running some live CD's) and don't know even if this thread goes here, but I decided put it here because Ubuntu is the distro that I pretend to use.

Let me be more specific:
After study a lot of options (including the use of WXP) I decide to mount a small cibercafe using Ubuntu as OS in all the PC's (because this OS have a good relation in hardware requeriments, hardware support, flexibility, interfase similiar to WXP/Vista, costs, licencies, comunity support, and other issues), and wonder if can I use a USB flash of 4Gb (or even less) attached to each PC for run the OS and a NAS disk or a PC server dedicated to save customers files and downloads for decrease costs...

OPTION 1 (if there where more PC's on this network could be the best option)
USB 2.0 4Gb Flash drive USD$13.00 seven needed (one per client PC)
NAS enclosure USD$181.00 one needed
SATA II disk 500Gb USD$81.00 one needed
TOTAL USD$353.00

OPTION 2 (the "ussual" option)
SATA II disk 80Gb USD$45.00 seven needed (one per client PC)
TOTAL USD$315.00

OPTION 3 (more cost appeal option)
USB 2.0 4Gb Flash drive USD$13.00 seven needed (one per client PC)
SATA II disk 500Gb USD$81.00 one needed (aditional to OS server disk)
TOTAL USD$172.00

My real question is about how reliable, easy to install and operate are the options described above and if these does not interfere/slow down the internet traffic or the clients PC's or the network... or all at the same time

In plain numbers the 780Mbps of a SATA II HD is faster than the 480Mbps of the USB 2.0 Flash drive, but I want to use PC's based on Intel's Atom embebed CPU (the mobo are a Intel D945GCLF) and of course the PC are slow as the slower of it's components, so the SATA II disk are a overkill or the USB 2.0 are too slow even for these small CPU's? the server haven´t to be too big to manage all the Internet/network traffic and the clients files? (I figure if it's not a too heavy workload could be a dual core or a low end quadcore).

Maybe I extend too much in this post, but wanted to be as clear as I can, thanks for your answers (hope nobody falls asleep reading this )

the "ussual" option - the best ), because Ubuntu in USB flash ( as Live-CD disk ) is very slowly. Firefox consumes a lot of memory, especially for big images.
Unite client's disks in NFS network.

USB flash can not be used as HDD.

Thanks Bdfy, I supposed that, but I had to ask... after all linux is for the braves that want to experiment
Anyway I wonder if...

Don't use any local storage. Network boot your machines, mount your root fs read only from your NAS (common for all machines), an individual /etc per machine from NAS as well, use a RAM disk for /var and /home can go on NAS or RAM depending on whether you want user persistence or not.

Reboot each machine between users.

Updates would merely mean a change of the one root structure and an ssh-agent triggered mass reboot.

You might want to look at something like cfengine to assist in config maintenance.

It's either that or re-image each local disk between users.
You can't trust your users at all.

You MUST talk to a local Linux guru. Network boot is the only reasonable option and it is missing from the list.

A USB storage at each PC is not an option since your users will need access to USB ports to copy data they downloaded, so this option is actually an offering of a free USB disk.

It looks reasonable to reboot after each user, but if all the users use the same guest account, then what extra security does it provide to you? Reboot helps to protect data accidentally left by a careless user from the next malicious one, but erasing user files on logout does the same.

If you want to protect users from each other, it si very likely you need to configure automatic logout after 5 minutes of inactivity. Some users will be guests and some will have their own login (so that their data persist on the server), so you will have to allow for easy creation of new accounts, automatically set the disk quota and detect inactivity.

These things are not hard, but require a guru.

Please read up on the Linux Terminal Server Project!.

The idea of re-image between users sounds a little complicated and time consuming, but the idea of network boot sounds good enought fo me... the hard part of it is to understand how to achieve that, I'm a too ambiciuos newbee??? be gentle with me, it's my first time to attempt to mount something that is "not on the disk" or on a tutorial with "click OK and it's ready" lol

[QUOTE=AGer;3343547]You MUST talk to a local Linux guru. Network boot is the only reasonable option and it is missing from the list./QUOTE]
completly agree with you, I tought that knew a little, now I know nothing...

Not realy, I thinked about to plug the USB flash drive in a inaccesible port... or glue to it :P

Thas what I'm talking about... I'm in need of true professional advice?? (reads hire somebody to install my cibercafe) :S

I'll dig it, thanks.
I read a few from the wiki, and looks good enoght for the use, but have a lot of things to learn about before I can start with the project

Googling I found a control program for Linux called "cafe con leche" and think it's a good place to start in the caibercafe managing or what do you think?
http://ccl.sourceforge.net/
http://tecnicoslinux.com.ar/web/foro/viewtopic.php?t=12

Also have a look at the Zencafe distribution.

There's nothing about that distro in spanish, I forgot to mention that my customers speak spanish, anyway thanks