hi, I'm setting up a free software / open source training center in Trichy, Tamil nadu. I'm looking for suitable hardware that is perfectly a thin-client. I expect to purchase about 15 such thin clients.
My requirements / problem-statements are: 1. No fans, no excessive cooling requirements - overall be low on power consumption 2. super small form factor (preferably the ITX line); should be portable in bulk. (should be able to transport 15 of these in a car) 3. gigabit network support 4. no local storage (ie., no HDD / CD-ROM / etc., bulky/noisy/power-hungry stuff) 5. USB / SD / CF types external storage support 6. preferably works out-of-the-box with edubuntu / LTSP (ie., i'd rather be doing business than flashing ROMs or hand-configuring PXE) >From what I've looked around, there are cheap second-hand real-PCs (not thin-clients) that come for about Rs.4k (with hard-disk). Sun's Sunray, HP's and even LTSP's thin clients are way above my budget (works out to Rs.8K or more for the most basic model without considering import duties). Although, they are the only ones that do not need a fan and come with an intel atom / Via C7 like minimal CPU. I see a couple of local sellers, but that is exactly the reason I write to you :) If given no choice, I'd choose the older PCs at 4K which would run at a higher operating cost (higher power bills, higher cooling bills). But that's atleast a safer bet, unless you have recommendations on local thin-client sellers/assemblers. narrating your edubuntu experience will also be very useful here. Your suggestions? -Suraj _______________________________________________ ILUGC Mailing List: http://www.ae.iitm.ac.in/mailman/listinfo/ilugc
