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Date:      Sat, 16 Feb 2002 14:09:55 -0800
From:      "Freddie Cash" <fcash@bigfoot.com>
To:        advocacy@freebsd.org
Cc:        root@pukruppa.de
Subject:   Re: FreeBSD in school networks
Message-ID:  <3C6E6833.29917.97BBA0B@localhost>
In-Reply-To: <20020216140409.A42951@xor.obsecurity.org>

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> Hi!
[snip background info]
> I only teach maths and physics - so I don't know too much about
> computers. Thus I would like to find some people "out there" who
> are interested in this topic. Students, too, of course would be
> welcome.

> Perhaps - in a year or so - we could found a FreeBSD-schools
> project.
 
> So, if you have got any ideas, I would be happy to hear from you.

Our local school district uses Unix quite heavily now.  In fact, in just 
two years, we've managed to eliminate all but one NT server, added 
FreeBSD-based firewall boxes into every high school, added Linux-based 
proxy servers that also provide content/URL/download filtering and 
webmail services to the high schools, and have successfully converted 6 
elementary school labs to X Terminal labs using software from the Linux 
Terminal Server Project.

The proxy servers were originally slated to be FreeBSD boxes, but the 
filtering software I wanted to use only worked on Linux at the time.  :( 
 It has since been ported to FreeBSD, but too late for our purposes.  
Maybe in the summer when I upgrade them I'll be able to move them to 
FreeBSD.  :)

However, it can be done.  :)  The students even appear to like their 
Linux labs more than they liked their Windows labs.  :)  Even the 
teachers have taken a liking to the new setups.  Of course, when you 
compare a lab that works all the time to one that rarely works, it's no 
wonder.  :)

Our eventual goal is to replace all the Novell servers with either 
FreeBSD or Linux Samba servers (depends on who spearheads the effort), 
and to replace all the Windows desktops with X Terminal systems.  If 
everything goes as planned (hah, good luck) and we get our fibre-based 
WAN hookups, all Novell servers will be gone within 3 years, all Windows 
desktops will be gone within 5 years, and we'll be able to move all the 
servers into a nice Unix-based server farm at the board office with just 
mini-servers on-site as backups (store-and-forward kind of thing) in 
case the network connection dies for some reason.

Sure, this might be wishful thinking and dreaming on our part, but the 
foundation has been laid, and things are happening.  :)

Cheers,
Freddie			PhoenixTek Consulting
fcash@bigfoot.com	Unix / Networking Services
			(250) 314-4029


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