networking scenarios

Sat Apr 12 02:22:37 EDT 2008

http://x.mepemepe.com/wiki/Digital_School_in_the_Box is the project that SJ
referenced, and they are indeed going forth with XOs for the first prototype
(last I heard - supposedly they will deploy the prototype next week, based
on the conversation that I had with the folks there last week). They welcome
comments on their wiki talk page.

I bring this up because the UNICEF tech crew working on this has plenty of
in-the-field network infrastructure deployment experience in a whole range
of remote and difficult secnarios (and probably contact with people who have
much more). If there are questions on what use-cases would be good/vital to
plan for, or how setup X would actually look to the folks who'll be
deploying it in the field, they might be great people to talk to.

It doesn't address how to solve things technically (although they have some
pretty talented hackers - who knows, they might have suggestions) but could
help in "backing up" the priority list of which problems should be solved
most urgently. Not sure if this is helpful right now.

Also, to answer Daf's original question, I took a stab and put up
http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Networking_scenarios (with some discussion from
this thread on the talk page) - move/edit/delete and all the usual if I've
duplicated something. This page is currently an orphan, so if someone could
link to it from some other relevant pages, I'd be most grateful.

-Mel

2008/4/12 Samuel Klein <meta.sj at gmail.com>:

> Javier,
>
> The humble towns are most important.
>
> An aside : when I was last in New York (for the story jam a couple
> weekends ago) I saw a UNICEF poster display of a disaster-area "school in a
> box" -- two suitcase-sized containers with all of the materials and
> power-generators needed to run a single server creating its own sat or radio
> internet connection, and a few attached terminals.  The design was for
> regions with no infrastructure at all.  A poster mockup listed XOs as ideal
> terminals...
>
> SJ
>
> 2008/4/11 info at olpc-peru.info <info at olpc-peru.info>:
>
> >  Hello Dafydd and all...
> > *Question:*
> > I think that you mean that the "school server" has "internet access".
> > Is it possible to have a "school server" without "internet access" ? (just to do... what? bigger "collaboration" between the XOs? software repository? documents & books repository?.  Many scenarios are possible.
> >
> > So I think you can add to the fourth scenarios: "Internet access" or "No internet access" and what kind: ADSL, phone line, Satelital, or other ways.
> > *Idea:*Add to your scenarios:
> >
> > "Kind of energy available for the XOs:"
> >
> > Then we will face the "forgotten" problem: the humble towns, the ones that are over the
> > 3,500 meters altitude, the ones that are in the "worst" scenarios... they don't have any
> > kind of electricity.  So the "cranck", the "solar panels", air or human generated energy
> > is part of the equation IF we are going to reach those "worst scenarios".
> >
> > Helping first the ones that will survive? That is for first aid in disasters. In this
> > case we must try to help the "forgotten" worst scenarios and I hope that MOST of the
> > XOs that come to Peru will go to the poorest towns.
> > *Comment:*
> > You say: "...
> >  - school WiFi
> >    - access points
> >    - school server with Jabber server
> >      - only one server at a time
> >    - this is what is deployed in Peru ...
> >
> > ... this is the situation most of our existing laptops are
> > deployed in, and it's likely that upcoming deployments will be similar."
> >
> > I think that this scenario is good for a test, not as the intended "niche" were
> > the XOs must be deployed.  I think the XO computers in Peru
> > will get better use in the WORST scenarios.  A kid that lives in a town with a school that have
> > 5 standard PCs with dialup Internet is in better condition that a kid that lives in a
> > town with a school with no PCs and no Internet.  Who need us more? The second one.  Who will
> > benefit more? The second one.
> >
> > Yes, yes, yes.  It is harder to put the XOs in the WORST scenario. And maybe 20% of the kids
> > that are now 6 years old will not reach the 12 years old in those "forgotten villages" in my
> > country (Peru).  But... we must try.
> > *Better scenario (for developing best help with poorest children):*There is no need to travel to the high andes to find the kids that need us more.
> > There are schools in the surroundings of Lima with "no light", "no tables", "no desks", "no chairs".
> > Every kid is sit down in a brick.  The teacher
> > uses the wall as board.  I don't know how many of this schools exists in Lima.
> > But for sure that they exist, dozens? Yes, no doubt.
> >
> > Ah... the last earthquake gave us another opportunity: just 3 hours away
> > from Lima, in the coast, no mountains,
> > 90% of the schools have been destroyed.  In this "Ica" region Children
> > are studying (if they are studying) in any kind of
> > temporal "school" ... in the worst conditions.  There must be more than
> > 200 schools (all sizes) destroyed there.
> > Those kids deserve the opportunity to get a XO that can improve their
> > educational conditions? Yes. No doubt.
> >
> > I hope that upcoming XO deployments will get not the poor children but
> > the POOREST children in Peru.
> >
> > Let's keep moving.
> >
> > Best regards,
> >
> > Javier Rodriguez
> > Lima, Peru
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Dafydd Harries wrote:
> >
> > This is something which was not completely clear to me until I talked to Wad
> > about it the other day, and I think other people might find it useful. It
> > should probably go on the wiki (assuming it isn't already there somewhere). I'd
> > like some feedback about where it belongs. The closest thing I've found is this
> > page:
> >
> >   http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Scenario_taxonomy
> >
> > Any errors are my own.
> >
> > There are four networking scenarios:
> >
> >  - simple mesh
> >    - no access point
> >    - no school server
> >    - we are currently aiming to support up to 15 laptops in this case
> >  - simple WiFi
> >    - access points
> >      - which tend not to handle multicast very well (1Mbit/s peak)
> >    - no school server
> >    - this is what G1G1 laptops will tend to encounter
> >    - typically in the developed world
> >  - school mesh
> >    - no access point
> >    - school server with Jabber server
> >  - school WiFi
> >    - access points
> >    - school server with Jabber server
> >      - only one server at a time
> >    - this is what is deployed in Peru
> >
> > Our current priority in terms of collaboration is to improve supprt for the
> > fourth case, as this is the situation most of our existing laptops are
> > deployed in, and it's likely that upcoming deployments will be similar. Our
> > secondary priority is improving support for the second case, as this is what
> > will tend happen when laptops are taken home from school.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> >
>
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