Recently in Linux Migration Project Category
Mike Lovell of tintedgreen.net has posted a new update on the Lake Echo IT Greening Project.
This article is syndicated from http://tintedgreen.net/?page=article&id=16
Now that the pilot C@P site in Lake Echo has been running for a few months, I thought I would share some pictures of the results.
Computers old and really old running the latest version of Ubuntu.
The server has been running perfectly since it was first booted up. The virtual machine running the terminal services hasn't had any problems.
The server in its cabinet at the C@P site.
How easy is it to add a computer to this setup? All it requires is to turn on the computer, enter the bios setting, and changing the boot order so the computer boots from the network first.
Changing the boot order so boot to network is first.
Now the computer will automatically boot into Linux from the server.
That's it. It could not be easier. A person with enough knowledge to hook up the wiring could setup a new computer on this network. Also, no changes are made to the computer, so if you wanted to leave the computer's old operating system in place (just in case) you can. The user can always set it to boot from the hard drive again, if needed. This setup also allows the C@P program to take donations of computers that do no even have hard drives.
Now that we have this setup, we can maintain, backup, and fix the virtual machines running these computers remotely. From my office, in Halifax, I can see exactly what is happening on these machines.
Here are a couple more pictures. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
Running a Monty Python video flawlessly with sound.
Booted and ready to login.
Halifax -
Months of research has gone into how to reduce the environmental impact of Halifax`s public internet access network. Today, the Halifax Regional C@P Association releases the results of this study
Green IT Analysis
Introduction
What is C@P?
The Nova Scotia Community Access Program (CAP) is a joint initiative of the Federal Government, through Industry Canada and the Province of Nova Scotia, managed by the Office of Economic Development. The Community Access Program is designed to assist communities to establish public Internet access sites and to train local citizens to make use of information technologies for social and economic benefit to the individual and to the community
.
Issues for C@P
tintedGreen’s Role
We want to develop a system that utilizes virtualization to allow an easier to maintain and less expensive network. This will allows the site the run the latest in operating systems and software. The idea would be to allow each site to use a virtualized desktop setup where all individual computers are running virtually from one server. All of the current computers (and new thin clients) will connect to the virtual machines on the server.
This means that all the real work for these computers would be on the servers and the desktops themselves would just be windows to these virtual machines. This allows the sites to continue to use old hardware as well as buy very inexpensive thin client style computers that use much less energy. Due to the consolidation of these virtualized computers, they would also be easier to maintain and update. It would also allow for remote maintenance and repairs.
Environmental Impact
The sites will reduce its waste by being able to reuse all of their current hardware. Current and future hardware will also last a great deal longer. The sites will also be able to utilize low energy thin client computers for each desktop that use a lot less energy than a typical computer.
Pilot site
Lake Echo has been selected as a pilot for this project. If this site was to work well, we hope to propagate this type of virtualized desktop network throughout Nova Scotia C@P sites.
Technologies and software
Summary
One of the major goals of the C@P Desktop Virtualization project is to reduce the environment impact of the C@P program. We hope to reduce the amount of energy used by the computers and the amount of e-waste created. This document takes a look at the setup of the Lake Echo site before and after the pilot project. Also, it takes an extended look on how this site and others can take advantage of the new system to become much more sustainable in the future.
Lake Echo C@P Site Energy Use (Before Pilot)
Prior to the pilot project, the Lake Echo C@P site consisted of five computers running outdated hardware (between four to eight years old) running software and operating systems that had not been properly updated. Software applications like Deepfreeze keep users from updating some of these computers. The user experience on these computers is poor due to this outdated software, pop-ups, and general slow operation of the computers.
Here is a short summary of each computer’s hardware, energy use, and user experience.
Computer 1
CPU Intel Pentium 4 – 2.8Ghz
RAM 224 MB Chipset SiS 661FX
Graphics Integrated – SiS Mirage Operating System Windows 98SE
Monitor 17” CRT (80 Watts)
Estimated Power usage at Idle 55 Watts (135 with monitor)
Estimated Power usage at Full Load 88 Watts (168 with monitor)
User Experience Poor – Decade old operating system with slow performance. Non-productive applications installed on desktop (games, etc). Outdated software.
Computer 2
CPU Intel Pentium 4 – 2.8Ghz
RAM 480 MB Chipset SiS 661FX
Graphics Integrated – SiS Mirage Operating System Windows 98SE
Monitor 17” CRT (80 Watts)
Estimated Power usage at Idle 54 Watts (134 with monitor)
Estimated Power usage at Full Load 89 Watts (169 with monitor)
User Experience Poor – Decade old operating system with slow performance. Outdated software.
Computer 3
CPU AMD AthlonXP 1700+
RAM 261 MB Chipset nForce2
Graphics Discrete – Nvidia Vanta
Operating System Windows 2000 SP4
Monitor 17” CRT (80 Watts)
Estimated Power usage at Idle 80 Watts (160 with monitor)
Estimated Power usage at Full Load 95 Watts (175 with monitor)
User Experience Poor – Old operating system with slow performance. Non-productive apps installed. Outdated software.
Computer 4
CPU AMD AthlonXP 1800+
RAM 261 MB Chipset nForce2
Graphics Discrete – Nvidia Geforce4 MX440 Operating System Windows 2000 SP4
Monitor 17” CRT (80 Watts)
Estimated Power usage at Idle 90 Watts (170 with monitor)
Estimated Power usage at Full Load 105 Watts (185 with monitor)
User Experience Poor – Old operating system. Non-productive apps installed. Outdated software.
Computer 5
CPU Intel Celeron – 2.4Ghz
RAM 512 MB Chipset Intel 865G
Graphics Integrated – Intel 865G Operating System Windows XP SP2
Monitor 17” LCD (40 Watts)
Estimated Power usage at Idle 81 Watts (121 with monitor)
Estimated Power usage at Full Load 111 Watts (151 with monitor)
User Experience Poor/Unusable – Operating system not updated. Outdated software constantly causing pop-ups and slowing down machine. Deepfreeze makes it impossible to solve software update problems.
The next part includes some estimation that may not fully reflect the energy use of the computer setup at Lake Echo. However, it is important to the comparative analysis that certain liberties be taken to properly see changes in energy use as the new virtualization system is implemented.
For this analysis, we are going to assume that all of the computers are turned on and in operation for eight hours a day every weekday of the year. The computers are turned off on weekends and holidays. This works out to 2000 operating hours per year. It is also estimated that the computers run at 20% utilization, on average.
Computer Yearly Energy Use (KWh) Annual KWh Cost CO2 Equiv (KG)
Computer 1 384.24 $45.32 328.53
Computer 2 383.04 $45.18 327.50
Computer 3 427.04 $50.37 365.12
Computer 4 447.04 $52.73 382.22
Computer 5 355.04 $41.88 303.56
TOTAL 1996.40 $235.50 1706.92
Lake Echo C@P Site Energy Use (After Pilot)
After the pilot project, the physical hardware of the C@P site did not significantly change. The main changes revolve around the addition of a server capable of deploying virtualized desktops. Another change is the replacement of three CRT monitors with three new LCD monitors.
As you can see by the following chart, the most significant changes in the computer’s energy use savings comes from computer that have had CRT monitors replaced by LCD monitors. All computers also receive a lower utilization percentage. They are now estimated at using only 10% of their computational power, as most of the heavy work is being done on the virtualization server.
Computer Yearly Energy Use (KWh) Annual KWh Cost CO2 Equiv (KG)
Computer 1 297.64 $35.11 254.48
Computer 2 296.04 $34.92 253.11
Computer 3 344.04 $40.58 294.15
Computer 4 444.04 $52.38 379.65
Computer 5 349.04 $41.17 298.43
VM Server 385.04 $45.42 329.21
TOTAL 2115.84 $249.58 1809.04
While the server does add to the energy use, most of the energy increase is offset by the lower energy use LCD monitors. The most important part of the changes to the C@P site is not in energy use, but in the user experience and the potential for energy savings for the entire C@P program in the future.
The user experience is now very much improved. Under this virtualized system, all of the computers at the Lake Echo C@P site are running the latest version of Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu is considered to be one of the most user friendly and best supported Linux distributions available. Users at the C@P site now can enjoy using the most up-to-date version of Ubuntu with all of its software completely updated
.
The key to keeping this setup updated is the remote nature of the virtualization server. Administrators can now log into the virtualization server from anywhere to update software and fix problems. Adding new virtual machines and deploying new computers on this system is also much easier. Nothing needs to be installed on a computer to include it in this system. It is even possible for computers without hard drives to connect to this setup.
This allows the Lake Echo C@P site to do two things to reduce its impact on the environment. First, it allows the site to continue using all of its old computer hardware for years to come. The site can also take advantage of donated computers like never before. A donated computer needs absolutely no refurbishing to connect to this system and be operational. In under a minute, a computer can be hooked up, set to boot off the network, and be running all the same software as the other computers. The savings on e-waste and computer maintenance is huge.
The other environmental savings is the reduction of the need for IT staff to have to visit the site. Because almost everything can be maintained remotely, there is a saving of the emissions of travel to all C@P sites using this system.
Lake Echo C@P Site Energy Use (Future)
Now that this virtualization system is in place, it allows for massive energy savings and benefits for the environment for the Lake Echo C@P site in the future.
Since the virtualization server is running all of the machines, the client computers connected to it can be very low powered. This allows the site to employ thinclient and low energy computers. These computers use fewer resources to manufacture and ship (due to their small size and reduced parts), use a lot less energy in operation, and are significantly cheaper to buy
.
Here is a comparison between the average computer at the Lake Echo C@P site now and a typical thinclient computer:
Average C@P Computer Thinclient
Energy Use Idle (Watts) 72 18
Energy Use Full Load 98 25
Size Large metal box Book-sized
Type of Monitor CRT LCD
Monitor Energy Use 80 40
Total Energy Use Full Load 178 65
Therefore, if we were to eventually replace all of the computers at the Lake Echo C@P Site with these types of machines, the energy use would look like this:
Computer Yearly Energy Use (KWh) Annual KWh Cost CO2 Equiv (KG)
Computer 1 218.44 $25.77 186.77
Computer 2 218.44 $25.77 186.77
Computer 3 218.44 $25.77 186.77
Computer 4 218.44 $25.77 186.77
Computer 5 218.44 $25.77 186.77
VM Server 385.04 $45.42 329.21
TOTAL 1477.24 $174.26 1263.04
Comparing this potential energy use to the energy use of the site before virtualization, this would create a 26% reduction in yearly energy use cost and reduce annual CO2 emissions by almost 450KG.
Remote C@P Computers
So far, we have been looking at how the virtualized desktop setup benefits the Lake Echo C@P Site. However, this system is designed to operate well beyond that scope. The system is designed with a remote component as well. This means that computers do not need to be located at the Lake Echo C@P Site to connect to a virtual machine on the server. Any computer with an internet connection can be coupled with a bootable usb drive that automatically boots up connection software and connects to this system.
This can give even more the energy savings and further reduce the environmental impact of other C@P sites. Other whole C@P sites can connect to this system, allowing them to get all the benefits of this setup without the need to install a virtualization server. Also, these remotely connected computers can also use thinclient and low energy computers
.
If we were to assume that the average computer at the Lake Echo C@P site is the same as the typical C@P computer, we can really see the potential for savings for this project. It is estimated that the virtualization server at Lake Echo should allow for, at least, 50 virtual client computers.
An official press release will follow.
Months of research has gone into how to reduce the environmental impact of Halifax`s public internet access network. Today, the Halifax Regional C@P Association releases the results of this study
Green IT Analysis
Introduction
What is C@P?
The Nova Scotia Community Access Program (CAP) is a joint initiative of the Federal Government, through Industry Canada and the Province of Nova Scotia, managed by the Office of Economic Development. The Community Access Program is designed to assist communities to establish public Internet access sites and to train local citizens to make use of information technologies for social and economic benefit to the individual and to the community
.
Issues for C@P
- Costs
- Computer Maintenance
- Updating computers and software
- Energy use and environmental impact
- Increasing Community use
tintedGreen’s Role
We want to develop a system that utilizes virtualization to allow an easier to maintain and less expensive network. This will allows the site the run the latest in operating systems and software. The idea would be to allow each site to use a virtualized desktop setup where all individual computers are running virtually from one server. All of the current computers (and new thin clients) will connect to the virtual machines on the server.
This means that all the real work for these computers would be on the servers and the desktops themselves would just be windows to these virtual machines. This allows the sites to continue to use old hardware as well as buy very inexpensive thin client style computers that use much less energy. Due to the consolidation of these virtualized computers, they would also be easier to maintain and update. It would also allow for remote maintenance and repairs.
Environmental Impact
The sites will reduce its waste by being able to reuse all of their current hardware. Current and future hardware will also last a great deal longer. The sites will also be able to utilize low energy thin client computers for each desktop that use a lot less energy than a typical computer.
Pilot site
Lake Echo has been selected as a pilot for this project. If this site was to work well, we hope to propagate this type of virtualized desktop network throughout Nova Scotia C@P sites.
Technologies and software
- VMware ESXi bare-metal hypervisor
- Linux Terminal Server Project running Ubunutu
- No Machine NX (for offsite computers)
- Thinstation Linux client
- PXE to boot from LAN
Summary
One of the major goals of the C@P Desktop Virtualization project is to reduce the environment impact of the C@P program. We hope to reduce the amount of energy used by the computers and the amount of e-waste created. This document takes a look at the setup of the Lake Echo site before and after the pilot project. Also, it takes an extended look on how this site and others can take advantage of the new system to become much more sustainable in the future.
Lake Echo C@P Site Energy Use (Before Pilot)
Prior to the pilot project, the Lake Echo C@P site consisted of five computers running outdated hardware (between four to eight years old) running software and operating systems that had not been properly updated. Software applications like Deepfreeze keep users from updating some of these computers. The user experience on these computers is poor due to this outdated software, pop-ups, and general slow operation of the computers.
Here is a short summary of each computer’s hardware, energy use, and user experience.
Computer 1
CPU Intel Pentium 4 – 2.8Ghz
RAM 224 MB Chipset SiS 661FX
Graphics Integrated – SiS Mirage Operating System Windows 98SE
Monitor 17” CRT (80 Watts)
Estimated Power usage at Idle 55 Watts (135 with monitor)
Estimated Power usage at Full Load 88 Watts (168 with monitor)
User Experience Poor – Decade old operating system with slow performance. Non-productive applications installed on desktop (games, etc). Outdated software.
Computer 2
CPU Intel Pentium 4 – 2.8Ghz
RAM 480 MB Chipset SiS 661FX
Graphics Integrated – SiS Mirage Operating System Windows 98SE
Monitor 17” CRT (80 Watts)
Estimated Power usage at Idle 54 Watts (134 with monitor)
Estimated Power usage at Full Load 89 Watts (169 with monitor)
User Experience Poor – Decade old operating system with slow performance. Outdated software.
Computer 3
CPU AMD AthlonXP 1700+
RAM 261 MB Chipset nForce2
Graphics Discrete – Nvidia Vanta
Operating System Windows 2000 SP4
Monitor 17” CRT (80 Watts)
Estimated Power usage at Idle 80 Watts (160 with monitor)
Estimated Power usage at Full Load 95 Watts (175 with monitor)
User Experience Poor – Old operating system with slow performance. Non-productive apps installed. Outdated software.
Computer 4
CPU AMD AthlonXP 1800+
RAM 261 MB Chipset nForce2
Graphics Discrete – Nvidia Geforce4 MX440 Operating System Windows 2000 SP4
Monitor 17” CRT (80 Watts)
Estimated Power usage at Idle 90 Watts (170 with monitor)
Estimated Power usage at Full Load 105 Watts (185 with monitor)
User Experience Poor – Old operating system. Non-productive apps installed. Outdated software.
Computer 5
CPU Intel Celeron – 2.4Ghz
RAM 512 MB Chipset Intel 865G
Graphics Integrated – Intel 865G Operating System Windows XP SP2
Monitor 17” LCD (40 Watts)
Estimated Power usage at Idle 81 Watts (121 with monitor)
Estimated Power usage at Full Load 111 Watts (151 with monitor)
User Experience Poor/Unusable – Operating system not updated. Outdated software constantly causing pop-ups and slowing down machine. Deepfreeze makes it impossible to solve software update problems.
The next part includes some estimation that may not fully reflect the energy use of the computer setup at Lake Echo. However, it is important to the comparative analysis that certain liberties be taken to properly see changes in energy use as the new virtualization system is implemented.
For this analysis, we are going to assume that all of the computers are turned on and in operation for eight hours a day every weekday of the year. The computers are turned off on weekends and holidays. This works out to 2000 operating hours per year. It is also estimated that the computers run at 20% utilization, on average.
Computer Yearly Energy Use (KWh) Annual KWh Cost CO2 Equiv (KG)
Computer 1 384.24 $45.32 328.53
Computer 2 383.04 $45.18 327.50
Computer 3 427.04 $50.37 365.12
Computer 4 447.04 $52.73 382.22
Computer 5 355.04 $41.88 303.56
TOTAL 1996.40 $235.50 1706.92
Lake Echo C@P Site Energy Use (After Pilot)
After the pilot project, the physical hardware of the C@P site did not significantly change. The main changes revolve around the addition of a server capable of deploying virtualized desktops. Another change is the replacement of three CRT monitors with three new LCD monitors.
As you can see by the following chart, the most significant changes in the computer’s energy use savings comes from computer that have had CRT monitors replaced by LCD monitors. All computers also receive a lower utilization percentage. They are now estimated at using only 10% of their computational power, as most of the heavy work is being done on the virtualization server.
Computer Yearly Energy Use (KWh) Annual KWh Cost CO2 Equiv (KG)
Computer 1 297.64 $35.11 254.48
Computer 2 296.04 $34.92 253.11
Computer 3 344.04 $40.58 294.15
Computer 4 444.04 $52.38 379.65
Computer 5 349.04 $41.17 298.43
VM Server 385.04 $45.42 329.21
TOTAL 2115.84 $249.58 1809.04
While the server does add to the energy use, most of the energy increase is offset by the lower energy use LCD monitors. The most important part of the changes to the C@P site is not in energy use, but in the user experience and the potential for energy savings for the entire C@P program in the future.
The user experience is now very much improved. Under this virtualized system, all of the computers at the Lake Echo C@P site are running the latest version of Ubuntu Linux. Ubuntu is considered to be one of the most user friendly and best supported Linux distributions available. Users at the C@P site now can enjoy using the most up-to-date version of Ubuntu with all of its software completely updated
.
The key to keeping this setup updated is the remote nature of the virtualization server. Administrators can now log into the virtualization server from anywhere to update software and fix problems. Adding new virtual machines and deploying new computers on this system is also much easier. Nothing needs to be installed on a computer to include it in this system. It is even possible for computers without hard drives to connect to this setup.
This allows the Lake Echo C@P site to do two things to reduce its impact on the environment. First, it allows the site to continue using all of its old computer hardware for years to come. The site can also take advantage of donated computers like never before. A donated computer needs absolutely no refurbishing to connect to this system and be operational. In under a minute, a computer can be hooked up, set to boot off the network, and be running all the same software as the other computers. The savings on e-waste and computer maintenance is huge.
The other environmental savings is the reduction of the need for IT staff to have to visit the site. Because almost everything can be maintained remotely, there is a saving of the emissions of travel to all C@P sites using this system.
Lake Echo C@P Site Energy Use (Future)
Now that this virtualization system is in place, it allows for massive energy savings and benefits for the environment for the Lake Echo C@P site in the future.
Since the virtualization server is running all of the machines, the client computers connected to it can be very low powered. This allows the site to employ thinclient and low energy computers. These computers use fewer resources to manufacture and ship (due to their small size and reduced parts), use a lot less energy in operation, and are significantly cheaper to buy
.
Here is a comparison between the average computer at the Lake Echo C@P site now and a typical thinclient computer:
Average C@P Computer Thinclient
Energy Use Idle (Watts) 72 18
Energy Use Full Load 98 25
Size Large metal box Book-sized
Type of Monitor CRT LCD
Monitor Energy Use 80 40
Total Energy Use Full Load 178 65
Therefore, if we were to eventually replace all of the computers at the Lake Echo C@P Site with these types of machines, the energy use would look like this:
Computer Yearly Energy Use (KWh) Annual KWh Cost CO2 Equiv (KG)
Computer 1 218.44 $25.77 186.77
Computer 2 218.44 $25.77 186.77
Computer 3 218.44 $25.77 186.77
Computer 4 218.44 $25.77 186.77
Computer 5 218.44 $25.77 186.77
VM Server 385.04 $45.42 329.21
TOTAL 1477.24 $174.26 1263.04
Comparing this potential energy use to the energy use of the site before virtualization, this would create a 26% reduction in yearly energy use cost and reduce annual CO2 emissions by almost 450KG.
Remote C@P Computers
So far, we have been looking at how the virtualized desktop setup benefits the Lake Echo C@P Site. However, this system is designed to operate well beyond that scope. The system is designed with a remote component as well. This means that computers do not need to be located at the Lake Echo C@P Site to connect to a virtual machine on the server. Any computer with an internet connection can be coupled with a bootable usb drive that automatically boots up connection software and connects to this system.
This can give even more the energy savings and further reduce the environmental impact of other C@P sites. Other whole C@P sites can connect to this system, allowing them to get all the benefits of this setup without the need to install a virtualization server. Also, these remotely connected computers can also use thinclient and low energy computers
.
If we were to assume that the average computer at the Lake Echo C@P site is the same as the typical C@P computer, we can really see the potential for savings for this project. It is estimated that the virtualization server at Lake Echo should allow for, at least, 50 virtual client computers.
An official press release will follow.
C@P Project Update: September 25th, 2009
Syndicated from http://www.tintedgreen.net/?page=article&id=16
Mike Lovell is the owner of tintedGreen Technologies and is retained as a consultant with the Halifax Regional C@P Association with funding from the Community Access Program. This is his report.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
As this project is starting to wind down, I thought I would give a quick update.
If you would like to know more about the thinclients and the C@P perspective of the project, take a look at Dan's write-up on the C@P site.
For the last couple of months, I have been working on the software and server side of the project. Utilizing the same kind of virtualization software that will be used in the system, I have built a full working version in my home office.
Here are some features:
- The Ubuntu version of Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) is now fully operational on a virtual machine.
- The ability to boot any computer off my network and turn it into a thinclient. Computers are set to PXE boot in the bios and they automatically boot into a Linux desktop environment off the LTSP server.
- A usb key version of Thinstation Linux that boots to linux and then connects automatically to a Ubuntu Virtual Machine using No Machine NX.
Essentially, all this means is that I can take any computer, connect it to the network, and have it running off our virtual machine with a full linux desktop environment in seconds. The usb key setup means that any computer in the world with a wired internet connection (barring any network setup restrictions) can also connect to a virtual machine on our server.
I have been doing extensive hardware and software compatibility testing with the system with any computer that comes through my office (which is a lot) and I have run into very few problems. The computers and operating system are responsive. Mice, keyboards, monitors, speakers, and other peripherals work great. Programs like web browsers, word processors, and educational software work perfectly. Other fun stuff like games, music, and video also run exceptionally well.
The front of the server.
The Dell R710 Server just arrived yesterday (after a few delays). It is a beast with two Intel Xeon E5520 CPUs and 16GB of ram. For this pilot project, we know that these specs are a little overkill. However, we really want to stress test the early parts of this setup and have lots of room for expansion if/when we move this setup to more C@P sites.
Here are some pictures of the current testing setup of the system:
Virtual machine running LTSP on my computer.
The
server running as a thinclient. Pretty soon it will be running the
whole system. See also the fitpc thinclient we plan to use in the
system (it is not connected at the moment).
An
old laptop without a hard drive running as a thinclient alongside the
server. We should be able to run dozens of computers on this system at
the same time (once it is completed). Note that I am playing "Midnight
Cowboy" on the laptop at the same time. Picture quality and sound are
great, even in full screen.
This
is showing that both of the thinclients are running separate user
accounts. Each computer can log into individual user accounts, allowing
the user to have their own desktop setup and change their desktop
appearance and background.
A shot of the server internals.
The next step is to move the system onto the server and setup everything at Lake Echo. When that is done, I want to invite people to come and try it out.
At this time, I'd really like to say how impressed I am with the Linux Terminal Server Project, Thinstation, and VMware. The companies and contributors working on these products and projects are awesome and the amount of information online is amazing. The fact that anyone can build something so cool and functional on a shoestring budget says a lot about the power of the open source movement and virtual machine software.
Stay Tuned...
Insight into low-energy, low-cost public access solutions for the Halifax Regional C@P Site networkIt was over a year ago when discussions began over low-cost, innovative, low-energy solutions began. The issue : the rising number of old, obsolete computers currently in use in our network.
The goal: to find a low-cost solution for C@P sites which covers a range of target areas.
First, the ambition is to educate the public about open-source operating systems and software option, secondly the ambition is to replace aging computers while reducing, significantly, the carbon footprint of our network overall.
Our research began in November of 2008 with Linux consultant Stephen Kelly. He is the former broadcast technician of CKDU RAdio (8yrs), as well as the author of OpenRadio, a website dedicated to open source resources for non-for-profit radios in Canada.
The first system we looked at is the Linutop.
The Linutop is essentially a mini-pc (thin client) made by First International Computer with a modified version of Xubuntu pre-installed. The hardware is based on AMD's Geode processor.
We disassembled the Linutop and took some pictures:
The modifications that the folks at Linutop made to Xubuntu can be summed up as:
-video optimization. They tweaked the graphics driver in order to get the most out of the Geode processor. This is important for video playback, especially Flash video such as that found on YouTube.
-they added a nice custom interface for certain administrative tasks
-they tweaked the OS in order to minimize the number of file system writes, thus prolonging the life of the flash memory.
We've been testing the Linutop very thoroughly, making use of all the pre-installed software such as Firefox, Open Office, and VLC. We also installed some other software such as Audacity, Skype, and the Gimp.
From both a user and administrator point of view, the Linutop operating system is great. It is stable, full-featured, and user friendly. However, the hardware is simply too slow for these devices to operate as stand-alone public access computers. Everything works fine, it just feels clunky to use. Its frustrating to have to sit and wait for web pages to load or programs to open. This is mostly due to the relatively slow speed of the Geode processor. The system is optimized for low-power consumption (only 8 watts!) but the trade off is low overall system responsiveness.
Here is a Linutop installed at ROC Terence Bay, The computer is the black box behind the monitor. Here they are using a PS2 Legacy dongle which lets them use an older, non-usb keyboard.
We are still researching these small computers as an option for C@P sites. Many partners around the table have brought valuable insight.
When polled about the reception among patrons in Terence Bay, here's what they had to say.
< Linutop has had mixed reaction at our site. The size and "all in one" package seems to impress people the most. What I hear the most, and I agree, is that it's sluggish - especially with video. The children that use our site usually jump on Youtube to listen to music while they chat on MSN and Facebook - and maybe even play a game online at the same time. And they quickly figure out when a computer is slow and switch to another.
I did have one user who jumped on the Linutop to send email and for basic surfing and didn't even notice that she wasn't on a Windows machine. >
Next up is a fanless system from Diskless Workstations, the LTSP Term 1500 series( TK-3880). The TK-3880 is manufactured by Termtek. As the name suggests, this is another thin client (intended to be used with LTSP). However, we are investigating the use of this device as a stand alone desktop computer.
Here are some images with a CD for scale:
The TK-3880's power supply is nicely integrated into the chassis. There are plenty of I/O options on the back, including, audio, dual video output, and a full-height PCIex slot.
The system RAM and Compact Flash card are installed on the underside of the chassis.
The TK-3880 is based on the Intel Atom N270 QS processor, clocked at 1.6GHz with 533MHz FSB. Unlike the Linutop, the TK-3880 comes with no operating system. We prepared versions of Fedora and Xubuntu for testing. Again, slight modifications of the default Linux distributions were necessary to maximize video performance and prolong the life of the compact flash card. The operating system was tweaked to be essentially read-only, returning to our pre-determined state on every reboot.
The TK-3880 runs the standard software (Firefox, Flash, Open Office, Gimp, VLC, etc) fairly well. There is a significant performance improvement over AMD Geode-based systems such as the Linutop. The power consumption of the TK-3880 is also a bit higher at 20 watts, which we confirmed with an energy meter. Unfortunately, energy tests revealed that this device uses 4 watts even when it is turned off.
Overall, the TK-3880 performs well for basic Internet browsing, playling audio and video, and word processing. However, performance and price is still not quite at the level necessary for multi-purpose public access computers.
This EEEpc runs on the factory installed Ubuntu, however in order to obtain maximum performance, we have broken out of the <user friendly> GUI and now run a normal version of Ubuntu. The processor is overclocked and many features have been tweaked for performance.
Despite having gathered the attention of the manufacturer directly through our Facebook Group, it seems that support for this generation of EEEpc is limited, and the manufacturer has already moved on to differant projects.
For the purposes of testing the EEEpc netbook, we used it with the solid state 3M MmPro 110 LED Projector, seen in the photo. Both the EEEpc and the LED projector have stellar performance - but the limited support removes it as a contender.
The
next two systems that we tested was the WIN Enterprises PL-1030 with
the AMD Geode LX 500Mhz Processor and the FitPC 2. Photo: (smallest)
FitPC2, (middle) Linutop 2, (largest) PL-1030. The Win Enterprises PL-1030 is by far the most robust thinclient we tested. Performance is great, fast system.
This system is by far the best fanless/diskless thinclient we have seen but the price makes it prohibitive, landed here it is over 800$.
Nonetheless, we dissembled the 1030 to show you it's innards. Everything about this computer is designed to make it last, from a sealed case and heavy metal chassis, this one is made for though commercial applications.
Here are some images of the PL-1030 chassis.
Finally we received the FitPC 2 for testing.
Manufactered by CompuLab, FitPC 2 is the ultimate Green computer. Our test model was the FitPC2 Linux which comes standard (as a MiniPC) with a Intel Atom Z530 1.6GHz processor and 160 GB hard drive.
At idle this thinclient is rated at 1 watts, and a staggering 8 watts at peak performance. The energy savings alone will soon pay for itself. In addition, fit-PC2 has no hazardous substances and at 313cc / 370g is so small that electronic waste is negligible.
The Fit-PC2 body is industrial-grade, die-cast aluminum with no venting holes. The body itself is used for heat dissipation. fit-PC2 ability to withstand a high level of shock, vibration and extreme temperatures - depending only on the type of disk used - with an SSD, fit-PC2 is one of the most rugged PCs for industrial and automotive applications. As a thinclient, the unit is noiseless and heatless, and truly solid-state.
In terms of price, FitPC as tested was under 400$, and as a stand-alone thinclient, would be under 200$ per unit. This is the first in our research that fits our goal for price.
Drawbacks include no VGA output (DVI only), and as a PC is is not solid state (it uses a spinning drive), and the lack of a standard SD card reader (though any USB card reader will circumnavigate this drawback).
After speaking with Stephen Kelly, the projects retained consultant, it appears that FitPC 2 is "the one" that best meets our original targets of low energy consumption, low price, and no moving parts.
FitPC 2 is only four inches by four inches, less than one inch thick. It is easily mounted to the back of any LCD Monitor, completely eliminating those bulky PC's and tangled cords. Our test unit is currently installed at theHub Halifax for further testing by patrons in the IT community. The photos shows the installation of the thinclient.
The Greening of Lake Echo C@P begins here. The critical part of the process was to first identify a thinclient that suited our needs. The next episode now involves careful deployment, optimization and testing in a real-life C@P Site.
Enter our second consultant, IT Greening expert and owner of tintedGreen Technologies, Mike Lovell - a proven leader in Green IT Solutions.
We can save energy by replacing old generation PC's with thinclients - but we can eliminate many more ongoing costs with virtualization of the software through a dedicated server. Green computing is not just about becoming more environmentally friendly. It is also about using Green Computing technologies that can benefit an organization's Information Technology (IT) and solve real problems. Using virtualized workstations can save on hardware, software, and energy.
Virtualization removes the computing power from the end-terminal, which gives us a rare opportunity to recylce ailing PC's as "terminals" - which will communicate with the mega-powerful server. Even the operating system is on the server! This changeover to terminal can be done as simply as inserting a pre-formatted USB key, and restarting the computer. Instantly, the old againg PC will come to life as a powerful, open source public access kiosk.
This eliminates all the need to software license renewals, amd on-site technical support.
Our
guinea-pig for this new concept of virtualized kiosks rather than
stand-alone PC's is the Lake Echo C@P Site located in the Lake Echo
Community Center. The greening of Lake Echo C@P will begin with a comprehensive energy audit. In order to properly measure the success of this new system, we need to be able to know precisely the energy consumption of the C@P site both before the refit, and after. This IT Greening Study will provide concrete data on the kilowatts hours economised. Extensive further savings will be noticed when usng the USB reformat for old computers (rather than purchasing new ones) as well as in the low cost of the thinclient, under 200$ per unit.
Once
installed and fully tested in Lake Echo, we will begin to migrate other
sites onto the new virtualized environment. What this means is that
although the server will be located in Lake Echo, any site in our
network can log into it - as easy as inserting a USB stick and turning
the power on. Instantly, an operating system will provide you with all
the basic functions of public access to the World Wide Web.The greening of Lake Echo C@P will include thr retrofit of it's current public access PCs to all-new energy saving LCD monitors and FitPC clients.
Linux Migration Project
