[Server-devel] Server Hardware.

[David Farning]

Over the past few months, a number of hardware vendors have expressed
interest in providing server hardware for the XSCE project.

After working with several deployments, talking to several of you
personally, and reviewing the information on the lists I have a set a
couple of priorities:

General --
0. POTS -- To keep development cost low, the hardware should be
available Plain Off The Shelf.
1. Self contained -- The most important requirement is that the server
is self contained in a single box. No dongles or external USB devices.
2. Rugged -- No fans or moving part. Metal case which serves as a heat
sink is preferable.
3. Low power -- Power consumption is critical in many deployment situations.
4. 2-3X price of laptop -- This seems to be a generally accepted price
for a school server.
5. ?

Specifics --
1. Internal harddrive -- Offline content, caching, and backup space is needed.
2. Expandable memory -- In many situations the server memory is the
constraint for handling more users 1GB to 4GB?
3. Dual ethernet connectors -- In many situations the school server
acts as a gateway between classroom LAN and the internet WAN.
4. USB ports -- The ability to connect USB devices is critical.
5. ?

Would be cool --
1. Internal battery -- ...
2. Any other thoughts?

--
David Farning
Activity Central: http://www.activitycentral.com