[Glastonbury] KNoppix install

[Martin Wheeler]

On Mon, 20 Sep 2004, Justin Haskins wrote:

>  we do make use of Knoppix for repair and diagnostics (read ethereal).

Oo-ooh!  Network analysis and packet-sniffing, eh?

Time was (five years ago) when bringing what you now most sensibly refer 
to as "diagnostics" tools onto campus -- by a member of staff, even -- was 
considered the heinous crime of using "hacking software", and 
incontrovertible grounds for banning such evil-minded people (obviously 
hell-bent on destroying the College's network -- why else would they even 
own such software?) from the premises entirely.

Actually teaching (first-year systems administration) students how to use 
such software was akin to instructing them in the arts of rape and 
pillage, and definitely the work of anti-social practitioners of the 
black arts.


Glad to see attitudinal advances have been made.


> making a jump away from Microsoft will/would not be easy.

Certainly wouldn't.  And definitely not advisable to attempt as a 
"one-time-only" exercise, given the network(s) in question.

But how possible would it be to set up a small experimental network (say, 
a dozen machines), where teaching staff, students and IT support staff 
could learn to play at being network admins, as part of a gradual 
introduction programme?
(Tip: the students are going to do it at home, anyway.)

Doesn't need to be connected to anything external; provides a platform for 
the gradual introduction of FLOSS (Free, Libre or Open Source Software) 
onto the campus; costs nothing more than the cost of the machines and 
their cabling; and is a whole bunch of educational fun to boot.
(pun intended)


The alternative *might* be to see students arriving on campus with Knoppix 
/ ubuntu / home-designed Morphix disks (or USB memory sticks); frigging a 
machine to boot off either; replacing a standard network machine with 
same (or plugging in their own laptop / PDA, which was the favoured method 
five years ago) -- and hey presto! instant fun, and headaches for IT 
services as they run amok on the network(s).

On the other hand, teach 'em how to run a network properly, and they're 
not going to crap in their own nest.

That's the theory, anyhow.

Cheers,
-- 
Martin Wheeler   -   StarTEXT / AVALONIX - Glastonbury - BA6 9PH - England
mwheeler at startext.co.uk                http://www.startext.co.uk/mwheeler/
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