How to set up a Puppy Linux Cybercafe
Posted: Wed 04 Mar 2009, 22:47
Imagine your thousands of miles from home, alone, and its the middle of the night. Somehow you've got stranded in a foreign country, with little knowledge of its language and only a pocketful of coins. You could have been the victim of fraud, mugging, or human trafficking, and you need to contact your country's embassy, find information and get help, or contact your relatives back home to assure them your safe.
Your in luck...one of the buildings away from the docks is a Seamans Mission, a type charitable organization that has for hundreds of years offered guidance and practical help to travellers. You hear they have a cybercafe with internet access and decide to go and investigate.
You walk to the building and go inside. Its 2am and no one is about. There is a row of computers behind glass screens, and you tentitively go up and put one of your last remaining coins in the slot, slowly the screen comes to life as the computer boots. You think of everything you need to do to get yourself out of this situation, who you need to contact, what information you need, how to find accommodation for the night. After what seems like an excruciating five minues, the screen changes......
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Please excuse my artistic licience in introducing this post, but this Im told happens...frequently.
I was recently invited to the Hull Seafarers Centre to view their cybercafe arrangement, and to see how open source software might save them time and money while providing a better more reliable and secure service to their needy clients. The trip was arranged by Humberside Co-Operative Development agency, who are promoting the use of open source software in the community and voluntary sectors in the area.
I was shown around the centre and given a look around the facilities, and managed to take some shots while I was there, although our time was quite limited. The centre consists of a main room with private offices and interview rooms off it, with facilities for travelers. The computers are in three separate rooms, several being in the main room,and two smaller rooms arranged "kiosk" style with the screens behind glass panels. A coin operated system activates the computers in these rooms. One of them (the main entrance foyer) is open 24/7/265 and provides an out of hours service for needy travelers who arrive who need to use the web or telephone.
Here, we found recent evidence of proprietary operating systems. They had obviously done their "work" and left.
Inside the main room we found more a traditional computer setup, along with pool and leisure facilities, and a few stands of clothes that they sell. The area is equipped with a wireless network which is currently accessible free, although they would like to charge the generally better off clients who have their own laptops to cover their running expenses.
The people there had been informed by the Humberside CDA about the benefits of open source software generally, so I added my part about Puppy Linux in general. I explained how it would triple the useable life of a computer compared to Microsoft products. I also explained how it was possible to boot puppy Linux over a network, meaning they would never have to do a four hour re-install of a virus-ridden p.c. ever again. I also explained that they could remove the hard disks from their P.C.'s as they wouldn't need them anymore with a netboot method. This would make sure that no-ones personal information or browsing history would be left on any of the machines, and that because linux was invulnerable to viruses, they wouldn't have problems with keyloggers and people having their accounts emptied while far from home. I also explained how the software was free of any licience cost or restrictions and that it was easily customizable to suit their needs. It even came with all of the software pre-installed to open common windows file formats, without the need to by M$ office packages.
I could see by the look on their faces they were somewhat dubious that this were possible...so a I thought a quick demonstration was in order. Luckily I had burned off a whole load of Puppy Linux 4.2 Beta 3 boot cd's before I had set off. I put the cd into one of the computers, switched it on and within a minute I had a full puppy linux desktop. The computer it turned out was quite a fast one (Compaq Evo 2.8mhz/1gb/80gb) and ran a super-speed. A couple of clicks through the connection setup wizard had us connected to their dhcp network and online with seamonkey, playing a video of the cybercafe I had previously ran in Scunthorpe.
Thanks to Ttuxxx, Zigberts and Aragons hard work, even at the beta stage the desktop looked smooth, modern and slick compared to the traditional windoze XP they were used to. I am sure had I not used the beta version instead of a previous standard puppy they would not have been so impressed.
After this, the people at the centre told me they run two cybercafe's, the other being in Immingham across the river. Hull Docks is an immense place as it is, but Immingham is the largest sea port in Britain. Apparently there is another cybercafe there. Immingham is only about 20 miles from Scunthorpe where I am currently based, but Hull is a good fifty miles away, with the heavily tolled Humber Bridge in between. It was agreed I should "Puppy" the cybercafe there while I got things straightened out, and then implement the same solution at the Hull Seafarers Mission.
While I was there and had their attention, the last thing I had chance to explain in our alloted time was a little bit about the puppy development process. I explained that puppy linux was programmed by volunteers, and that one of the reasons it is so good was the fact that anyone using it could give feedback to the developers about what needed fixing, and how to make it more useable. It was on this latter point that I explained to them how they had the perfect facilities to help in the development of Puppy Linux. They have people coming in from all over the world into a single location, who have probably never used puppy or any other linux before. It was a perfect place from which to gather useability information and suggestions, and trial those features on an unending supply of "puppy newbs" to see how they get on. I explained that the aims of the project was to help recycle computer waste, and provide access to the information on the internet to those who would otherwise be unable to afford it. I also explained that in my opinion, the only thing holding puppy linux back was the lack of reliable useability feedback into the development process.
Proposed implementation
-------------------------------
At the cafe, the way I think would be sensible to do it would be to employ the services of a smoothwall server between the main router and the main modem. This would have the tftp mod installed which would serve out the puppy files to the client machines. These would be set to netboot via pxe in the bios. This would eliminate the need for hard disks in the machines, or for any kind of re-installation work.
I understand its possible to log into the smoothwall server from any location on the web (via ssh?) and update the boot image files used by the tftp mod remotely. This would save me from having to travel to the site and keep maintenance costs to the organisation to an absolute minimum (their budgets are being stretched considerably given the influx of political and economic refugee's from other countries, and the ongoing depression).
Conclusion
-------------
This is going to be a big Puppy Linux implementation, but has the potential to not only help the Seamans Mission and the needy people that go there, but also hopefully the puppy linux development process. The people there are very willing to help and provide information. Hull and Immingham are massive worldwide seaports, and the people that go there will no doubt be able to bring the news of Puppy Linux's awesomeness back with them to the four corners of the globe.
On the other hand its going to be a massive technical implementation. As anyone who is familiar with my posts will be aware, I am no technical guru. The Seafarers Cybercafe is going to need a lot of technical support via the forums if it is going to implement a Puppy Linux based solution, I just don't have the technical knowledge to do it on my own.
The Mission and the people that need the Cybercafe will need the help of the Puppy Linux Developers and technically minded people. I trust they will step up be there when the problems come in. Were in a position to really help the people that find themselves in the position described above.....worldwide
Woof Woof!!!
Note, this cybercafe is now currently just on the point of being finall installed, after much head scratching and help from the puppy community!!! A great many thanks for all the assistance that has been given by so many talented, knowledgeable and genuinely altruistic people.
This is where the real work begins. The cybercafe is to be used as a "laboratory" for research into how to make puppy better meet its mission objectives. See the thread here
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=41363
Your in luck...one of the buildings away from the docks is a Seamans Mission, a type charitable organization that has for hundreds of years offered guidance and practical help to travellers. You hear they have a cybercafe with internet access and decide to go and investigate.
You walk to the building and go inside. Its 2am and no one is about. There is a row of computers behind glass screens, and you tentitively go up and put one of your last remaining coins in the slot, slowly the screen comes to life as the computer boots. You think of everything you need to do to get yourself out of this situation, who you need to contact, what information you need, how to find accommodation for the night. After what seems like an excruciating five minues, the screen changes......
Scroll Down >>>
Please excuse my artistic licience in introducing this post, but this Im told happens...frequently.
I was recently invited to the Hull Seafarers Centre to view their cybercafe arrangement, and to see how open source software might save them time and money while providing a better more reliable and secure service to their needy clients. The trip was arranged by Humberside Co-Operative Development agency, who are promoting the use of open source software in the community and voluntary sectors in the area.
I was shown around the centre and given a look around the facilities, and managed to take some shots while I was there, although our time was quite limited. The centre consists of a main room with private offices and interview rooms off it, with facilities for travelers. The computers are in three separate rooms, several being in the main room,and two smaller rooms arranged "kiosk" style with the screens behind glass panels. A coin operated system activates the computers in these rooms. One of them (the main entrance foyer) is open 24/7/265 and provides an out of hours service for needy travelers who arrive who need to use the web or telephone.
Here, we found recent evidence of proprietary operating systems. They had obviously done their "work" and left.
Inside the main room we found more a traditional computer setup, along with pool and leisure facilities, and a few stands of clothes that they sell. The area is equipped with a wireless network which is currently accessible free, although they would like to charge the generally better off clients who have their own laptops to cover their running expenses.
The people there had been informed by the Humberside CDA about the benefits of open source software generally, so I added my part about Puppy Linux in general. I explained how it would triple the useable life of a computer compared to Microsoft products. I also explained how it was possible to boot puppy Linux over a network, meaning they would never have to do a four hour re-install of a virus-ridden p.c. ever again. I also explained that they could remove the hard disks from their P.C.'s as they wouldn't need them anymore with a netboot method. This would make sure that no-ones personal information or browsing history would be left on any of the machines, and that because linux was invulnerable to viruses, they wouldn't have problems with keyloggers and people having their accounts emptied while far from home. I also explained how the software was free of any licience cost or restrictions and that it was easily customizable to suit their needs. It even came with all of the software pre-installed to open common windows file formats, without the need to by M$ office packages.
I could see by the look on their faces they were somewhat dubious that this were possible...so a I thought a quick demonstration was in order. Luckily I had burned off a whole load of Puppy Linux 4.2 Beta 3 boot cd's before I had set off. I put the cd into one of the computers, switched it on and within a minute I had a full puppy linux desktop. The computer it turned out was quite a fast one (Compaq Evo 2.8mhz/1gb/80gb) and ran a super-speed. A couple of clicks through the connection setup wizard had us connected to their dhcp network and online with seamonkey, playing a video of the cybercafe I had previously ran in Scunthorpe.
Thanks to Ttuxxx, Zigberts and Aragons hard work, even at the beta stage the desktop looked smooth, modern and slick compared to the traditional windoze XP they were used to. I am sure had I not used the beta version instead of a previous standard puppy they would not have been so impressed.
After this, the people at the centre told me they run two cybercafe's, the other being in Immingham across the river. Hull Docks is an immense place as it is, but Immingham is the largest sea port in Britain. Apparently there is another cybercafe there. Immingham is only about 20 miles from Scunthorpe where I am currently based, but Hull is a good fifty miles away, with the heavily tolled Humber Bridge in between. It was agreed I should "Puppy" the cybercafe there while I got things straightened out, and then implement the same solution at the Hull Seafarers Mission.
While I was there and had their attention, the last thing I had chance to explain in our alloted time was a little bit about the puppy development process. I explained that puppy linux was programmed by volunteers, and that one of the reasons it is so good was the fact that anyone using it could give feedback to the developers about what needed fixing, and how to make it more useable. It was on this latter point that I explained to them how they had the perfect facilities to help in the development of Puppy Linux. They have people coming in from all over the world into a single location, who have probably never used puppy or any other linux before. It was a perfect place from which to gather useability information and suggestions, and trial those features on an unending supply of "puppy newbs" to see how they get on. I explained that the aims of the project was to help recycle computer waste, and provide access to the information on the internet to those who would otherwise be unable to afford it. I also explained that in my opinion, the only thing holding puppy linux back was the lack of reliable useability feedback into the development process.
Proposed implementation
-------------------------------
At the cafe, the way I think would be sensible to do it would be to employ the services of a smoothwall server between the main router and the main modem. This would have the tftp mod installed which would serve out the puppy files to the client machines. These would be set to netboot via pxe in the bios. This would eliminate the need for hard disks in the machines, or for any kind of re-installation work.
I understand its possible to log into the smoothwall server from any location on the web (via ssh?) and update the boot image files used by the tftp mod remotely. This would save me from having to travel to the site and keep maintenance costs to the organisation to an absolute minimum (their budgets are being stretched considerably given the influx of political and economic refugee's from other countries, and the ongoing depression).
Conclusion
-------------
This is going to be a big Puppy Linux implementation, but has the potential to not only help the Seamans Mission and the needy people that go there, but also hopefully the puppy linux development process. The people there are very willing to help and provide information. Hull and Immingham are massive worldwide seaports, and the people that go there will no doubt be able to bring the news of Puppy Linux's awesomeness back with them to the four corners of the globe.
On the other hand its going to be a massive technical implementation. As anyone who is familiar with my posts will be aware, I am no technical guru. The Seafarers Cybercafe is going to need a lot of technical support via the forums if it is going to implement a Puppy Linux based solution, I just don't have the technical knowledge to do it on my own.
The Mission and the people that need the Cybercafe will need the help of the Puppy Linux Developers and technically minded people. I trust they will step up be there when the problems come in. Were in a position to really help the people that find themselves in the position described above.....worldwide
Woof Woof!!!
Note, this cybercafe is now currently just on the point of being finall installed, after much head scratching and help from the puppy community!!! A great many thanks for all the assistance that has been given by so many talented, knowledgeable and genuinely altruistic people.
This is where the real work begins. The cybercafe is to be used as a "laboratory" for research into how to make puppy better meet its mission objectives. See the thread here
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=41363