I need support for an organisation!

[br_prashant]

Insted of me just asking for my wuery i would like to tell you certain things that i am doing and why i am here now.

i am a Computer Science Engineering student who has been reading quiet a bit about linux only since late last year.
I dont know much but have decent experience in setting up my laptop with linux.
All i did was install the os and found a few ways to use rpm(s) and unzip tar ball files to install a program.
Otherwise i have got some automatic tool like Yast2 that helped me to settle some dependency issues and some inbuilt functions to install a few already known programs.
Also i had use this forum to get the wireless lan fixed. This was the only exp of me fiddling with the hardware setup in the OS as all other drivers came detected.

Now with the huge amount of interest that grew with me knowing about linux i also wanted to take linux to a more commoner level. I head straight to my school and spoke to them about the advantages and illeffects of having linux on their comp!
(Dont start frowning, I am from INDIA and 99% of the software is free including windows which means expecting them to shift to A NEWER PLATFORM just to avoid piracy (something they have never feared for ages) or TO give them an oppurtunity to teach more in-depth about computers is difficult, they really wont care to take the pains to teach something extra to the students because they wont really want to know more things to teach a student. All they would want to teach is what has been given to them as a syllabus - not an extra word )

As i am currently in my undergraduate course i gave them quiet an impressive presentation on what the entire box of computer has to offer and also agreed to do a workshop at school for the students to tell them what they are to expect from a computer science degree.
I have spoken quiet strongly that they(the management) now expect me to help them through with setting up of the entire system!
Although i have explained to them the wide scope of solving a problem that they may confront using linux by using forums they seem to be apprehensive about going about thing themselves.

They have about sixty computers and I have not installed an OS on any other computer other than the one i have presently.

What all would i need to know when it comes to installing and maintaining a network.
All information with regard to maintaining a network would be helpful.

Also i am talking of a school with about 1200 students out of which about 600-800 students will be using these machines.My estimate is that out of that 1200 hardly 50 of them would have already seen linux or experienced it.
All that they would have thought of microsoft windows was that it is something that comes along with the computer and any word to them that they would work on linux would sound criminal for them. Also the management seem to be happy only because they saw my suse 10.3 which had a very "good-looking" Desktop.They thought it was very much like windows and still expext it to be a clone of windws.

The entire of my presentation took a little care that they wont expect it to be a clone which has presently reached only a few heads. I have promised them that i will continue my lectures on linux and other things about the computer as a full will continue till they are comfortable with it.

Mean time they also want me to go ahead with the linux transformation on their machines!
So the request is quiet urgent!

Also to the moderators !
I dint really know where this thread should be placed!
Since i am more comfortable with Suse and that the school authorities were impressed with this green color i would also like to stick to this . But i am pretty sure all the distributions should have a fare share. So if you think this thread should be in some other forum please allow me to give a link to this thread. I dint know if this would really get ant patronage in the coffee lounge.I am sorry if i have done a mistake. I would also like to get any help from the entire administration of linuxforums.org

Also all concerned people who would like to be involved are welcome with all due respect.
All critics are open.
Thank you.

[waterhead]

I applaud you for you courage!

I would recommend that you try only converting a few computers to Linux, at first. Maybe there is one class or lab that may benefit more than others, maybe have both Windows and Linux in the same environment. Linux is good for databases and servers, this would be a good place to begin.

I would also try to find some help. Maybe start a Linux Users Group (LUG) at school, and make this conversion a group project. It is always beneficial to talk about problems with others (as you have found with this forum). Different people have different trains of thought.

Good luck!

[br_prashant]

Thanks!!

I agree with
1)dual boot
2) only on a few computers to start

To speak about databases and servers i need to go to the next level of education.
I will need to start only with the OS been made present, give them a few office programs then a place to allow them to write and compile programs in C and C++...

That will do with respect to programs but initially to start with what instalation should i proceed with?

will a desktop version do? What are the differences between the server and the desktop version?Will there be any defference in seting up the OS?
I am planning to download and install the server version on my laptop today.

[gogalthorp]

You need a list of Windows programs that are used. Then you need to find Linux equivalents. For those people that have a need for a Windows program that it's equivalent is not available you need to provide a Windows enviroment. That is either dual boot or a virtual machine (VMWear Server is free). Note VMs do tend to need lots of memory if they are to run smoothly.

Here is a great resource for learning Linux

start [LBo]