hi erwin,
this is a cool project! i've seen a similar setup used by a fried chicken food
chain, also using linux.
On Fri, 19 Jan 2001, you wrote:
> I am actually looking for a affordable and effective way of distributing
> real-time data to our small branches within in Metro Manila. I am thinking
> of a WAN-based intranet using all-linux software - 'coz we dont have the
> budget for high-end systems or software/hardware and I got the time and
> skills(?) to do it. What I don't know is how to start it off. I'm very new
> to linux but I consider myself as a power-user for wintel platform.
>
> The information we wish to distribute will be on a database from our main
> office, we want to share these data to our brances. No fancy stuff, all they
> really need is the data. This is the reason I'm looking into intranets
> because publishing the information in HTML won't be too difficult (But since
> some of the data will be from a database and we need some interactivity, i
> need to learn some scripting, right? I'm now checking out Python). With
> these in mind, I am considering old PCs (486DX and P100+ with 32Mb+ of RAM)
> as client-terminals, I don't know about the server yet. Initially we plan to
> connect 10 branches. My actual questions are:
> 1) What kind of skill would I need to implement this on Linux?
linux o/s installation and configuration
zope, php, perl, or python scripting (heck, even c if that's your forte)
[... there's an article in the november 2000 issue of linux magazine which
reviews interactive website development tools, it recommends zope for beginners]
apache installation and configuration
postgresql/mysql installation and configuration
setup of ppp clients and server (you can use portslave + radius)
if you want a mailserver: postfix, qmail, or sendmail inst & config
x windows installation and configuration
> 2) Will the specs for the client-terminals be good enough? What else
> should I keep in mind?
your client terminals can be win terminals. you may also use the old pc's you
mentioned, but X (linux' graphical interface) won't run as fast, you may need
to add ram; you also need to check if their video cards are supported; or you
can use lynx as the clients' browser.
> 3) What kind of specs for my server will suffice for the
> 10-clients and with provisions for more in the future?
a p-ii with 64MB will suffice, if you're planning for the long run,
at least a p-iii, then just add ram as needed. the disk space will depend on
how much data you're planning to store/serve.
> 4) The network will be online for about 10-12 hours daily, how should I
> connect these branches?
if the amount of data that's going to pass through the connection is not that
much, dialup connections will suffice.
> 5) What are the Linux components for this type of project?
s/w
apache
zope, php, perl, or python
postgresql or mysql
portslave
radius
postfix, qmail, or sendmail
x windows
h/w
if your clients are going to connect simultaneously, better get a multi-port
serial card (cyclades or stallion) and a bunch of modems and phone lines.
> 6) How much would be the projected cost of the project:
> a) start-up/initial costs
> b) maintence cost
> c) others
s/w: free
h/w: ask around for the distributor of cyclades/stallion cards
labor costs will depend on how much you (or your consultants) charge per hour,
and the final specs/scope of the project.
... did i forget anything?
-eric
ps, this is just my idea, other people on the list may have better ones =)
--
.--. Enrique D. Rosel II office://+63.2.894.3592/
( () ) Q Linux Solutions, Inc.
`--\\ A Philippine Open Source Solutions Co. http://www.q-linux.com/
_
Philippine Linux Users Group. Web site and archives at http://plug.linux.org.ph
To leave: send "unsubscribe" in the body to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
