Hello,

I am currently exploring Linux upgrades to a Medium-large institutions network. The institution currently has 582 faculty members and is serving in excess of 5,100 general users. The Institutions current system is running Novell 4.11, the goal is to upgrade to something else, that is allot easer to use (which is anything), cost effective, and requires little user management or knowledge of Linux system. (Let me elaborate on this, Two Contracted IT Staff, and my self would be running the whole thing, the IT staff has a very basic understanding of *nix systems. And I have a pretty good understanding, I can manage a web server 400,000 miles away using SSH, and can setup and install RPM's, samba on my home servers Running Red Hat Enterpise and Fendora.)

The Institution currently has 2,000 Desktop and laptops with internet access, (comprised of 1,700 IBM-Compatible Intel/AMD based machines running Windows 95/98/XP and 300 Apple based machines running OSX and previous versions of Macintosh (Mac PC are not a priority when it comes to setting up stuff on the network so they are expendable if need be) In 9 Different buildings located within 3 miles of each other.). Each workstation has a word-processing program and the majority of workstations have an office suite (either Microsoft Office or Claris Works). What we need is, for all 5,682 users to have personal storage folders on a server or server cluster that they can access from any computer in any of the 9 buildings. All the buildings are connected by dedicated fiber optic lines, but if possible we would like to move away from this, if it will not impact our speed dramatically. The connections to the internet is a T1 line.

Now I need some help, the 1,700 IBM/AMD computers are used by 3 to 4 users each. So we need some way for the users to change there folder between each other. Please note that the users know extremely LITTLE about computers so this would have to be as easy as possible. We where hoping to have some sort of login prompt that would change to there personal folder when they logged in. The folders would be housed in 1 building on a server or multiple servers. The users would connect from the other 8 buildings to there personal folder in the server building. The folders would be used for storing documents, power points, and databases (Access). Capabilities also desired are for students outside the 9 buildings be able to access there folder from home.

So can anyone in detail tell me how we could accomplish this?


Thanks so much

You already have a working model, why not implement that as the network and look at installing something like Xandros or Linspire on the user machines. As administrator, you can control whether they can share or not.

It's not in the detail you want, just my way of looking at things.

For the size of environment you are talking about, it would be wise to higher some professionals to help you with this if you don't have the knowledge to do it yourself. You're talking about 5100 users using multiple OS's in a distributed environment... DO you think it is wise to have your solution architected by some guys (even knowledgeable LQ.org guys) on an Internet forum?

I won't recommend a specific company to help you with this because I am biased towards which company might be suitable but if you start with the big names, you might be surprised what can be done. If you are buying hardware, then IBM/HP/Dell have these services, I suspect RedHat or SuSE (if you choose those) will also provide these services. Heck, if you go with a Microsoft solution Microsoft will be able to provide services.

Sorry man, I know this wasn't what you wanted to hear, but there's no simple way to setup a 5100 user, mixed & distributed environment with only 3 admin's that do not have a "guru grasp" of *nix architecture.

Hello, thank you for your input.

JordanH

Yes, I do, I think it is wiser then hiring professionals right away. Linux can be use in many aspects, by posting on a online forum you get to hear many people opinions and views on such aspects. Many of whom have worked with Linux for a number of years, and have in your words "guru grasp".

I'm sorry , if I said I wanted a simple way I apologize.

{BBI}Nexus{BBI}

LOL, Thanks I never thought of the working model analogy, I would think if I could cluster a group of servers at my main facility. And set everything up like my home network I could do just what I wanted to do! WOW THANKS MAN!!!!

As for Xandros or Linspire, I thought of the same thing, and it would be perfect if all of the users were like me. But as it stands my hands are tied, most of the users can barely turn on the computers. So trying to teach them how to use a *nix base system would be like...... Teaching a 4 year old to light fireworks. Its possible, but there will be a boatload of problems..... Ending in big trubble for me...


Ok so if I have say.... 3 servers running (White Box Enterprise or Red Hat Enterprise or CentOS or some other distro base off RHEL) with 512mb ram, 2 80gig RAID Hard Drives EACH. Are clustered together, all the users accounts are mounted. All the client computers are setup to prompt for reconnection to the servers upon startup. When the windows clients boots to windows they will get a prompt asking to enter the file name and password, right?


Thanks