[frgeek-michiana] Lab Notes, Dec. 12, 2002

From: Tom Brown <tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: FreeGeek Michiana <frgeek-michiana@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 13:25:42 -0500
FreeGeek Michiana, Lab Notes
Dec. 12, 2002

:: LTSP Presentation to KLUG

Goose plans to present LTSP to KLUG (Kalamazoo) next Tuesday. We loaned him
our new lab server and a bootrom workstation. Goose has 50 slides. Jim
McQuillan had 10 OpenOffice.org slides for his presentation. Goose likes
10. So he will may contact Jim McQ re using Jim's slides.

:: Installing Vector Linux on FreeBoxes

HitMan and WageSlave investigated network installation of Vector Linux. All
we found was documents indicating requests for the VL maintainer to provide
network installs. But the maintainer has not taken them seriously. HitMan
suggested several ways to create lan installs of VL, but we decided we
don't have the expertise or time to pull them off. 

HitMan showed us detailed instructions for net installs of Debian. We could
create our own lightweight distro based on Debian. Apt-get is very
attractive. But we agreed that maintaining our own distro is extra work. VL
already maintains a good lightweight distro. Last summer Apple (Jim M.)
demo'ed a kickstart server featuring lan installation of Red Hat. Apple may
have some ideas re possibility of same for VL. VL has a nice install for
networks. There are two tarballs: the first installs VL, and the second
installs X-Windows via SaX. If we can automate the VL portion, that is
great. The X install should be done manually. 

In the meantime we decided to unearth two cdrom drives from our junk, er,
parts box and begin installing VL via cd at the next lab.

:: FreeBoxen as Firewalls

Goose is going to lash up a Postgresql database for us to use to track our
inventory over the Net. He'll run it on his home server. The server is
connected to the Net via a cable modem. Goose needs a firewall. So here's
an opportunity to experiment with configuring our low resource boxes as
firewalls. 

Goose took home an IBM 330: P90, 32mb ram, hd, floppy, 2 pci, 4 isa, small
footprint, quiet. He will install two nics and set it up as a firewall.
Goose may disconnect the hd and use a single floppy firewall system or keep
the hd, add Squidguard and cache and filter web pages for the family.

We may later substitute a 486 to see if there is an appreciable difference
between it and a P90 on a cable modem. Whatever works best we can sell to
KLUG, MLUG and NWILUG. And we can offer firewalls to the world via our web
site. Hopefully we can reduce our inventory a bit and generate revenue.

:: FG/M Web Site

Michiana FreeNet has donated web space to FG/M. The www directory is ready.
I will begin to craft a home page and publish the url when I have a stub
page uploaded.

:: Broadway Christian Parish Lab

I will contact the Broadway pastor to determine the next steps to
installing an LTSP lab there. 

:: Nonprofit Status Evaporates

Since we lost our nonprofit cover in the United Religious Community's first
ever audit in 30 years, we need to follow up quickly with FREE GEEK
Portland. I will contact JohnB and, possibly, Oso Martin. We decided to
move ahead on incorporating with Indiana as a nonprofit. Incorporating will
allow us to avoid state sales tax on purchases, and it is the first step to
IRS 501(c)3 recognition which gives us tax write-offs.

Tom
tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxxx



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[frgeek-michiana] Lab Notes, Dec. 12, 2002

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