Sameer Verma, Ph.D.Associate ProfessorInformation Systems DepartmentSan Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco, CA 94132 USA

XS: OLPC School ServerThe Internet in a Box

Presentation: OLPC San Francisco Bay Areahttp://tinyurl.com/olpcsf

(unsung hero too!)

Unless noted otherwise

Multiple hats...

Disclaimer: I do not work for OLPC. I am only a volunteer!

OLPC San Francisco Bay Area

http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_SanFranciscoBayArea

http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/olpc-sf

http://tinyu

rl.com/olpcs

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OLPC-SF Deployments

● A hub for exchange of ideas, plans, content, etc.

● Deployments

– Afghanistan (Carol Ruth Silver, MTSA)

– India (Humaira Mahi & Sameer Verma, SFSU)

– Jamaica (Sameer Verma & Univ. of the West Indies)

– Madagascar (June Kleider, XO-ology)

– Senegal (Drew & Lick-Wilmerding Schools)

– South Africa (EduWeavers)

– San Francisco (Starr King Elementary)

– Uganda (UC Berkeley)

School environment

Manage contentManage access

Manage assessment

good to hav

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What does the XS look like?

Fantasy View

What does the XS look like?

Reality View

http://www.flickr.com/photos/popcorncx/149706221/

What does the XS look like?

● Any x86 box with requisite memory, crunch and storage can be the XS.

– It could also be a ARM machine in the near future...

● Ideally, we want a machine that

– Consumes very little power

– Has the necessary crunch

– Portable

● Pocketable, even?

– Very forgiving for power brownouts, heat, dust, etc.

● Kinda like the XO.

Services that the XS runs

● Networking

– DNS

– DHCP

– NAT/Masquerading

– Bridging

● Identity management

– Seamless XO login

– Single One Time Password (SOTP) on server

● Activation

– Theft deterrence

Services that the XS runs

● Collaboration

– XMPP via ejabberd

● Storage

– Files and attachments for courses

– Backup files

– Other media

● Backup

– Journal/Datastore backup

● XO Software updates

– Push updates including firmware and OS images

● Activity server

– Pushing activity bundles

Networking

● Provides networking infrastructure for the school.

● Acts as an Internet gateway (if backhaul exists)

– Includes HTTP proxy (optional)

– Content filter (optional)

● Supports Wi-Fi:

– Ad-Hoc

– Mesh (IEEE 802.11s draft)

– Infrastructure (Access Point)

Identity management

● Single One Time Passwords (SOTP) for maintenance.

– Remote ISP maintenance, etc.

● OLPC XO Browse

– authenticates seamlessly with Moodle

– Moodle talks to ejabberd for permissions, etc.

● First XO to access Moodle

– This XO becomes admin.

– This XO can assign other teachers, course creators, and other such roles

Collaboration

● XMPP-based collaboration via ejabberd.

– Ejabberd is a XMPP (jabber) server written in erlang.

● Uses gabble mode under telepathy in Sugar.

– Gabble allows for server-based collaboration

● XOs switch to salut mode in case no XS is found.

– Salut allows for peer-to-peer collaboration

● Activities such as Chat, Write, Memorize use XMPP to collaborate.

http://xmpp.org/

http://collabora.co.uk

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telepathy_software

Storage

● Much of the storage lives in /library partition.

– Mount /library on external USB disk or other media and expand storage.

– Run rest of the system off a CF or SD card (solid state)

● Files can be served as

– links via Moodle

– links via Apache (add Apache config)

Backup

● Three processes:

– Traffic control

● provides basic "traffic control" to manage load.

– Backup-complete script

● Creates links for latest snapshot.

– Daily cleanup

● enforces a per-user "soft" quota.

Updates

● Pushing updates to OS image and firmware via rsync.

Layout (Access Points)

Hardware recommendations

● Schools with less than 40 laptops:

– use XS-on-XO: http://wiki.laptop.org/go/XS-on-XO

– Requires a SD card (4GB, preferably class 6)

– External USB hard drive (may need own power)

– USB-Ethernet for backhaul.

Fit PC and Fit PC2

● Fit PC works well and is comparable to the XO-1 in performance.

– More configurable than the XO-1.

– Replace a SSD in the FitPC to make it cooler and more power efficient.

● http://www.fit-pc.com/fit-pc1/● Fit PC2 has heat problems.

– Intel Atom runs too hot

● Surprise, surprise. ● Maybe glue on a large heat sink?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ndevil/3535934684/

Hardware recommendations

● Schools with up to 100 laptops:

– 1GHz CPU, 1GB RAM,

– at least 2GB disk storage per laptop.

– Something in the mini ITX form-factor works well.

– Fanless units are better

Hardware recommendations

● For up to 500 laptops:

– dual-core 2GHz CPU

– 2 to 4GB RAM

– at least 2GB disk storage per laptop.

– This type of a machine usually works in environments with good power resources.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/popcorncx/149706221/

Hardware recommendations

● More than 500 laptops

– Server-class dual CPU

– 4 to 16GB RAM

– at least 2GB disk storage per laptop.

– Data center hosting is also an option.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamisonjudd/2433102356/

School Server

Screenshots

XS Moodle Screen Shots

Main page

Front page settings

Front page roles

List of users

Roles and permissions

Presence service

Antitheft controls

Add a course

Site files

Question bank

A zip file, which includes content and structure for the entire course!

Moving courses

...deploy in Madagascar!

Create in San Francisco...

XS: Internet in a box

No Internet? No power? No problem :-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLPC_XShttp://wiki.laptop.org/go/School_server

OLPC San Francisco Bay Area

http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC_SanFranciscoBayArea

http://lists.laptop.org/listinfo/olpc-sf

http://tinyu

rl.com/olpcs

f

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