Article

University of New Mexico Pilots Multiplied SLED 10 Desktops in Computer
Lab
By Omni www.omni-ts.com

Overview:

Founded in 1889, the University of New Mexico (UNM) serves 33,000
students and employs over 20,000 people in New Mexico. In July 2006, UNM
deployed Novell GroupWise campus-wide as its email and collaboration
suite. UNM's Office of Contract Archeology is also piloting SUSE Linux
Enterprise Desktop (SLED) in one of its computer labs.

Novell SLED 10 delivers a full-featured Linux desktop operating system
that is stable, secure, inexpensive and easy to deploy. Because Linux
interoperates with existing Windows desktops, UNM was able to easily add
SLED 10 desktops to their environment, remotely manage them, and deliver
GroupWise and OpenOffice * a free open source office productivity
application * to computer lab users.

Rather than single-user Linux desktops, however, the UNM's Office of
Contract Archeology is championing the use of multi-user SLED 10
desktops using the Linux Desktop Multiplier.

The Challenge:

• Wider Access to Desktops: Many universities and K-12 schools need to
  deliver wider access to desktops for students. The "Multiplied" SLED 10
  strategy allows educational institutions to gain a "10-to-1" advantage
  on deploying large numbers of desktops in their computer labs and
  public-access areas.
• Maximize IT Budget: Universities and colleges need to maximize their
  budgets and do more with less. By eliminating 9 out of 10 physical PCs,
  the "Multiplied" SLED 10 strategy presents significant cost savings in
  terms of hardware, software, maintenance and environmental waste.

• Avoid Single Vendor Lock-in: Many post-secondary and K-12 schools
  consider SLED 10 and Open Source software as opportunities to reduce
  licensing costs and break free from single vendor lock-in.
• Reduce Exposure to Viruses: Tens of thousands of viruses, trojan
  horses and worms present potential threats to universities and colleges'
  IT infrastructure. SLED 10 delivers a full-featured desktop operating
  system with improved security and stability.
• Decrease Electricity and Recycling Costs: While Linux desktop
  subscriptions are minimal or free of charge, universities and colleges
  still face significant hardware, management, training and infrastructure
  costs (electricity, C0? emissions, computer waste) to deploy Linux
  desktops in their computer labs.

The Solution:

UNM's decision to move to GroupWise made the "Multiplied" SLED 10 pilot
in the Office of Contract Archeology a natural choice.

With the Linux Desktop Multiplier for SLED 10, UNM deployed 12 fully
independent user desktops on two Intel-based PCs. Each user station is
connected directly to the PC via inexpensive dual-head graphics cards
and a USB hub for peripheral devices. The computers are repurposed P4
2.6 Ghz machines with 2 GB of RAM. Keyboards with integrated USB hubs
were used to reduce cabling.

The Linux Desktop Multiplier wizard enables the administrator to assign
the keyboards and mice to their respective monitor with the press of a
Function key. Each user authenticates to eDirectory with the Novell
Client for Linux. Each user has access to the software that comes
bundled with SLED 10 * Novell GroupWise, OpenOffice, Firefox, photo
editor and PDF creator.

The Results:

Our administrators are really impressed with the performance of our
multi-user SLED 10 Desktops," said Adel Saad, LAN Administrator for
UNM's Office of Contract Archaeology. "Students do not realize they are
sharing the same machine."

"The Multiplied SLED 10 strategy was presented to our management team
and at one of our Linux User Group meetings. The Linux Desktop
Multiplier software for SLED 10 reduces our hardware costs and was very
simple to install," continues Mr. Saad. "As of result of this positive
pilot, we are looking to use the Multiplied SLED 10 strategy on a wider
scale."

For more information about the Linux Desktop Multiplier for SLED 10, go
to http://www.omni-ts.com/linux-desktop or visit:
http://www.omni-ts.com