User:Holt/XS Community Edition/0.2/Project Specifications: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 00:45, 11 February 2013

School Server - Community Edition 0.2 Project Specifications

Summary

The school server is very similar in concept to a standard home wireless router. In everyday usage it provides various services which extend capabilities of the connected laptops while being totally transparent to the user. These services can include:

Network connection – various services similar to what you would find in a home router.
Presence server – Augments sugar's native collaboration functionality.
Squid -- Caches pages to speed requests for multiple requests for the same page.
Activity Update Server -- enable local repository of Activities.
FUTURE - Web filtering – Enables schools to comply with local legal restrictions on internet access for children.
FUTURE - Security – XO related security services.
FUTURE - Content management

Reference User

The XS-CE has two different types of reference user:

Skilled sysadmins running micro-deployments
OLPC-AU schools.

As a result this design might not apply in all situations in all deployments. These limitations ease design and development while creating a functional reference implementation.

Hardware

School servers can be run on XO-1.75.

XO-1.75

In common usage, the XO may be augmented by SD cards and two off the shelf USB devices:

FUTURE --External hard drive – Allows the server to provide additional storage capabilities.
Network connector – Allow the server to offer internet access to connected XO's.

This strategy it is simple for a deployment to inventory and maintain school servers.

Deliverable

A RPM combined with tested installation instructions necessary to convert a standard XO-1.75 into a School Server.

FUTURE - An image combined with tested installation instruction which can be flashed onto a laptop by deployment support staff. At initial 'power on' the support staff or teacher will be greeted by a simple GUI to do initial configuration.

OS

The school server will be based on OLPC-OS 12.1 on FC17

NOTE: Limiting the deliverable to single a OS variant meets the base requirements while limiting complexity.

User Interface

Command Line – Command line configuration should be discouraged at all levels. Target users are often not familiar with the linux system administration. Initial setup or fixing a problem with their server is not a good time to introduce system administration skill.

FUTURE - Browser based GUI. – The primary configuration tool will be a browser based GUI. This technology is well understood by developers. Many end uses have familiarity with Browser based setup.

FUTURE - Remote administration – There are several systema such as CFEngine and puppet which enables remote management. While not immediately required by AU it is highly desirable by large deployment.

Modular design

One of the key design criteria of all successful community based projects is modularity. The original XS suffered because developers used monolithic design to overcome hardware limitations on the XO-1. The improvements in the XO-1.75 allow for the potential inefficiencies of modularity.

Core Server

The core server will contain 5 services which can be extended via extended services.

Service: Network setup
Purpose:
Provider: xs-setup-network

Service: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol
Purpose: Schoolserver and clients need to be on same subnet.
Provider: dhcpd

Service: Iptables -- Network Address Translation (NAT)
Purpose: Permits all XO’s to access the internet.
Provider: gateway

Service: Internet domain name server
Prupose:
Provider: named

Service: Backup of student work and restore
Purpose:
Provider: idmgr

Service:Jabber server
Purpose: collaboration > 15 clients needs to work.
Provider: ejabberd

Extended Services

Service: Web server
Purpose: Building block for many other extended services
Provider: apache

Service: proxy server and web cache
Purpose: bandwidth, web-filtering, web-monitoring
Provider: squid

Service: OLPC-update
Purpose: OLPC-update is necessary to update the kernel of XO
Provider: rsync

Service: Activity update
Purpose: Enables teachers to easily distribute new or updated activities to their students
Provider: activity updater

Service: Virtual Private Network (VPN)
Purpose: Creating secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections in routed or bridged configurations and remote access facilities
Provider: open vpn

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-School Server - Community Edition 0.1 Project Specifications
+School Server - Community Edition 0.2 Project Specifications
-Contents [hide]
+==Summary==
-Executive summary
-Reference User
-Hardware
-Deliverable
-OS
-User Interface
-Modular design
-[edit]Executive summary
 The school server is very similar in concept to a standard home wireless router. In everyday usage it provides various services which extend capabilities of the connected laptops while being totally transparent to the user.
 These services can include:
+<ul>
-Network connection – various services similar to what you would find in a home router.
+  <li>Network connection – various services similar to what you would find in a home router.
-Presence server – Augments sugar's native collaboration functionality.
+  <li>Presence server – Augments sugar's native collaboration functionality.
-Web filtering – Enables schools to comply with local legal restrictions on internet access for children.
+  <li>Squid -- Caches pages to speed requests for multiple requests for the same page.
-Security – XO related security services.
+  <li>Activity Update Server -- enable local repository of Activities.
-Content management -- ???
+  <li>FUTURE - Web filtering – Enables schools to comply with local legal restrictions on internet access for children.
-[edit]Reference User
+  <li>FUTURE - Security – XO related security services.
+  <li>FUTURE - Content management
+</ul>
+==Reference User==
-For the purposes of this document, I am taking OLPC-AU as the reference user. As a result this design might not apply in all situations in all deployments. This imposed limitation will make it is easier to design and develop a working reference implementation.
-If we use proper modularity it will be relatively straightforward to abstract the design and implementation to meet other use cases.
-[edit]Hardware
+The XS-CE has two different types of reference user:
-To reduce inventory and maintenance costs, the target hardware for the school server will be recent XO laptop. Due to hardware limitations on early XO's, design and implementation of a fully functional server becomes difficult on them.
+<ul>
-In common usage, the XO may be augmented by two off the shelf USB devices:
+  <li> Skilled sysadmins running micro-deployments
-External hard drive – Allows the server to provide additional storage capabilities.
+  <li> OLPC-AU schools.
-Network connector – Allow the server to offer internet access to connected XO's.
+</ul>
-Using this strategy it is simple for a deployment to inventory and maintain school servers. A school can replace a school server by taking a standard XO and running a single server setup command.
-NOTE: Limiting the hardware to XO simplifies the implement and testing process because their fewer possible configurations to deal with. Supporting multiple platform would be a good for a future release.
-[edit]Deliverable
+As a result this design might not apply in all situations in all deployments. These limitations ease design and development while creating a functional reference implementation.
-The final deliverable from the community will be an image which can be flashed onto a laptop by deployment support staff.
-At initial server 'power on' the support staff or teacher will be greeted by a simple GUI to do initial configuration.
-A single RPM or meta package necessary to convert a standard XO into a School Server should also be possible.
-NOTE: Projects tend to emphasize packages while Products tend to emphasize images.
-[edit]OS
+==Hardware==
-To keep things simple and consistent the school server will run the same OS as the classroom laptops. Both teachers and support staff will already be familiar with the system.
-NOTE: Limiting the deliverable to single OS variant meets the requirement to work on a XO while limiting complexity. Future releases can add additional Operating Systems.
+School servers can be run on XO-1.75.
-[edit]User Interface
+===XO-1.75===
+In common usage, the XO may be augmented by SD cards and two off the shelf USB devices:
+<ul>
+  <li>FUTURE --External hard drive – Allows the server to provide additional storage capabilities.
+  <li>Network connector – Allow the server to offer internet access to connected XO's.
+</ul>
+This strategy it is simple for a deployment to inventory and maintain school servers.
+== Deliverable==
+A RPM combined with tested installation instructions necessary to convert a standard XO-1.75 into a School Server.
+FUTURE - An image combined with tested installation instruction which can be flashed onto a laptop by deployment support staff. At initial 'power on' the support staff or teacher will be greeted by a simple GUI to do initial configuration.
+==OS==
+The school server will be based on OLPC-OS 12.1 on FC17
+NOTE: Limiting the deliverable to single a OS variant meets the base requirements while limiting complexity.
+==User Interface==
-Browser based GUI. – The primary configuration tool will be a browser based GUI. This technology is well understood by developers. Many end uses have familiarity with Browser based setup.
-A browser based allow admin from three physical proximity distances: 1. On screen. Initial setup and admin of security sensitive services can be limited to on screen. 2. On site. Subsequent management of non security sensitive services can be done by a teacher or local admin logging in to the machine. 3. Remote. Deployment level support staff can log in and remotely maintain and monitor services.
-Remote automation – There are several system such as CFEngine and puppet which enable remote management. While not immediately required by AU it is highly desirable by large deployment.
 Command Line – Command line configuration should be discouraged at all levels. Target users are often not familiar with the linux system administration. Initial setup or fixing a problem with their server is not a good time to introduce system administration skill.
-NOTE: Is is possible or useful to create a Sugar base configuration tool?
-[edit]Modular design
+FUTURE - Browser based GUI. – The primary configuration tool will be a browser based GUI. This technology is well understood by developers. Many end uses have familiarity with Browser based setup.
-One of the key design criteria of all successful community based projects is modularity. The original XS suffered because Wad and Martin took used monolithic design overcome hardware limitations on the XO-1. The improvements in the XO-1.75 and XO-4 allow for the potential inefficiencies of modularity.
-The core server will contain 3 components: 1. Initial setup and configuration. 2. GUI framework. 3. Core services with GUI panels. The core server will be extended via extended services.
+FUTURE - Remote administration – There are several systema such as CFEngine and puppet which enables remote management. While not immediately required by AU it is highly desirable by large deployment.
-Initial Setup
-Service: Network setup Purpose: Provider: xs-setup-network
+==Modular design==
-GUI Framework
-The GUI permits permits configuration of the network interfaces: Already existing network and internet gateway Choose fixed ip and gateway use dhcp automatic assignment Establish a gateway to the internet, setup WAN and LAN: Use dhcp to setup WAN Manually setup WAN address, gateway, dns Use either of the above methods to set up LAN It permits enabling and disabling of services -- supported and enabled for this release are dhcp, iptables/gateway, named, ejabberd.
+One of the key design criteria of all successful community based projects is modularity. The original XS suffered because developers used monolithic design to overcome hardware limitations on the XO-1. The improvements in the XO-1.75 allow for the potential inefficiencies of modularity.
-Core Services
-Service: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol Purpose: Schoolserver and clients need to be on same subnet. Provider: dhcpd
+==Core Server==
-Service: Iptables -- Network Address Translation (NAT) Purpose: Permits all XO’s to access the internet Provider: gateway
-Service: Internet domain name server Prupose: Provider: named
+The core server will contain 5 services which can be extended via extended services.
-Service:Jabber server (AnnaS) Purpose: collaboration > 15 clients needs to work Provider: ejabberd
-Extended Services
+Service: Network setup<br>
-Service: proxy server and web cache (XavierC) Purpose: bandwidth, web-filtering, web-monitoring Provider: squid
+Purpose: <br>
-Service: Content filtering (TimM??) Purpose: age-appropriate surfing, legal compliance, religious risks Provider: dansguardian
+Provider: xs-setup-network <br>
-Service: Backup of student work and restore (JerryV, SameerV, GeorgeH) Purpose: also for stats/metrics, with incumbent surveillance risks Provider: idmgr
-Service: (JerryV, GeorgeH) Purpose: Journal submissions to teacher, academic record (homework etc) Provider: WebDAV
+Service: Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol<br>
-Service: (DSD, GeorgeH) Purpose: remote upgrading/admin of XS servers (semi-automated) Provider: Puppet
+Purpose: Schoolserver and clients need to be on same subnet.<br>
-Service: (GeorgeH, GeraldA) Purpose: local distribution/replication of Sugar Activities etc Provider: pdsh
+Provider: dhcpd
-Service: Book server (SameerV, AlexK, GeorgeH struggling!) Purpose: compete with Khan Academy? Provider: pathagar
+Service: Iptables -- Network Address Translation (NAT)<br>
+Purpose: Permits all XO’s to access the internet.<br>
+Provider: gateway
+Service: Internet domain name server<br>
+Prupose: <br>
+Provider: named <br>
+Service: Backup of student work and restore<br>
+Purpose: <br>
+Provider: idmgr
+Service:Jabber server <br>
+Purpose: collaboration > 15 clients needs to work. <br>
+Provider: ejabberd
+==Extended Services==
+Service: Web server<br>
+Purpose: Building block for many other extended services<br>
+Provider: apache<br>
+Service: proxy server and web cache<br>
+Purpose: bandwidth, web-filtering, web-monitoring <br>
+Provider: squid<br>
+Service: OLPC-update<br>
+Purpose: OLPC-update is necessary to update the kernel of XO<br>
+Provider: rsync<br>
+Service: Activity update<br>
+Purpose: Enables teachers to easily distribute new or updated activities to their students<br>
+Provider: activity updater<br>
+Service: Virtual Private Network (VPN)<br>
+Purpose: Creating secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections in routed or bridged configurations and remote access facilities<br>
+Provider: open vpn<br>