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'''School Server Wish List'''


This is a first attempt to organize my thoughts based on the XS Wish List. It attempts to organize  
This is a first attempt to organize my thoughts based on the XS Wish List. It attempts to organize  
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'''XS in 25 words or less'''
'''XS in 25 words or less'''


XS is a LAMP stack.  
XS is a LAMP stack.  
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'''Build Options'''
'''Build Options'''


The current intent is to use SUSE Open Build System to all a deployment to select  
The current intent is to use SUSE Open Build System to allow a deployment to select the
architecture (i386, X_64) and packaging (Fedora, Debian) at build time. Whichever of these options is chosen  
architecture (i386, X_64) and packaging (Fedora, Debian) at build time. Whichever of these options is chosen  
obviously affects the XC build.  
obviously affects the XC build.  


The overall functionality similar to XS-0.6 with some changes and addtions discussed below.
The overall functionality is similar to XS-0.6 with some changes and additions discussed below.


'''Base system'''
'''Base system'''


Fedora: 15
*Fedora: 15
Apache:
*Apache:
MySQL:
*MySQL:
PHP:
*PHP:




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Python 2.?
*Python 2.x
Python 3.?
*Python 3.x


including python-devel to support 'python setup.py install'
including python-devel to support 'python setup.py install'


Note: my take is that Python 2. must be supported because the packages in XC do not currently support Python 3.
Python 2 is probably required and Python 3 a build option.
Python 2 is probably required and Python 3 a build option.


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This is not a complete list but some examples include:
This is not a complete list but some examples include:


idmgr - registration of XOs
*idmgr - registration of XOs
Journal backup and restore
*Journal backup and restore
XO lease-activation
*XO lease-activation


'''Network'''
'''XS configuration'''


Currently each component of XS is configured as it is added. It might be nice to configuration clearly separated so that it is easy to see what to do for local customization.
Currently each component of XS is configured as it is added. It might be nice to configuration clearly separated so that it is easy to see what to do for local customization. This is particularly important for the network setup.


This is particularly important for the network setup.
'''Network'''


The default is that an XS install configures the baseboard (RJ45) port for the LAN (172.18.0.1). A separate script
The default is that an XS install configures the baseboard (RJ45) port for the LAN (172.18.0.1). A separate script
such as netsetup.sh should be available to configure the WAN network.
such as netsetup.sh should be available to configure the WAN network. This script should not be required unless the schoolserver has a WAN connection. It would be easier if the script were a file on the XS install key rather than a file in the XS build. This would make it possible for a deployment to edit the script without modifying the XS build.


The network install and/or the netsetup.sh script should support access by the schoolserver using a gsm network.
The network install and/or the netsetup.sh script should support access by the schoolserver using a gsm network.
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'''Basic Self Tests'''
'''Basic Self Tests'''


XS is componsed of stable production upstream packages. The sugar-specific packages may need some  
XS is composed of stable production upstream packages. The sugar-specific packages may need some  
sort of self-test; howver, at the end of the day these are developer tests.  
sort of self-test; however, at the end of the day these are developer tests.
 
The questions in deployment are 'is the XS build ok' and 'has it been correctly installed on a specific
server'.  


The question in the deployment is the XS build ok and has it been correctly installed on a specific
In Nepal, this is satisfied by  
server. In Nepal, this is satisfied by  
#mkusbinstall works,  
(1) mkusbinstall works,  
#the install works, and  
(2) the install works, and  
#it is possible to access the server from an XO via SSH.
(3) it is possible to access the server from an XO via SSH.


It would be desirable to have the second ethernet port before netsetup.sh configured for a direct SSH connection  
It would be desirable to have the second ethernet port configured in XS for a direct SSH connection  
(patch cable) to test problems with the LAN network and router configuration (easily the most common problems  
(patch cable) to test problems with the LAN network and router configuration (easily the most common problems  
are httpd not started or the router not configured correctly).
are httpd not started or the router not configured correctly).
There should be a netsetup.sh script to configure the WAN network (second port). This should only have to be run when the school server has a connection to the internet. Currently this script is in the XS build. It would be easier for a support person to find and use if it were on the XS usb drive as a separate file. This way it could be edited on an XO.


"It would be great to have basic self
"It would be great to have basic self
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IMO this is a 'holy grail'. Anyone who has used Microsoft diagnostic wizards knows the frustration and uselessness of trying to anticipate and provide automated corrections of problems.  
IMO this is a 'holy grail'. Anyone who has used Microsoft diagnostic wizards knows the frustration and uselessness of trying to anticipate and provide automated corrections of problems.  


XS has proven very stable. In a normal school evnvironment new releases are probably only needed (or desired) one
XS has proven very stable. In a normal school evvironment new releases are probably only needed (or desired) one
time per year, prior to the start of the new school year. This suggests that the critical requirement is extensive testing of the build prior to deployment.
time per year, prior to the start of the new school year. This suggests that the critical requirement is extensive testing of the build prior to deployment.


New packages:
'''New packages:'''


*systemd: a replacement for SysVinit and Upstart that acts as a system
*systemd: a replacement for SysVinit and Upstart that acts as a system
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forwarding enabled on the Internet gateway, eases accessing the
forwarding enabled on the Internet gateway, eases accessing the
schoolserver from anywhere on the Internet.
schoolserver from anywhere on the Internet.
*MySQL: a relational database server, and a de-facto backend for many
services. Also it would be good to ditch PostgreSQL for Moodle. MySQL
management is easy than PostgreSQL and there is more documentation,
community support and human resource for MySQL.
*PHP with required extensions: a powerful server-side HTML embedded
scripting language. OLE Nepal?s digital library ?E-Pustakalaya? runs
on PHP and MySQL. Also we might need some PHP extensions like
php-mysql, php-gd, php-xml.
*Python 2.x and Python 3.x: an interpreted, interactive,
object-oriented, extensible programming language. Python 2.x should be
included for backward compatibility as many python scripts and
applications still use the 2.x version. Python 3.x should be included
for forward compatibility ? more apps would be coded in 3.x version in
coming days.


*Expect: a Unix automation and testing tool and used to automate
*Expect: a Unix automation and testing tool and used to automate
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framework).
framework).


*Java: Adding a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) would add support for
'''< OLPC'''
running java based applications (e.g. Tomcat, Fedora Commons, etc.)
 
tzdata and extensions: Adding timezone data and its wrapper libraries
There are two scenarios. One, a student with a defective laptop gets a replacement. The records on the schoolserver need to be updated to reflect the change. Two, students are in two shifts. The afternoon shift on Monday is the morning shift on Tuesday. In this case two students, one in each shift, could share a laptop (0.5 LPC). In Rwanda this would have allowed 100,000 laptops to service 200,000 students. This requires (1) a login to identify the student using the laptop, (2) two datastores - with a symbolic link at login, and (3) A and B backup folders on the school server.
in various languages will help the support for timezone data in
 
applications hosted on XS (e.g. SchoolTool needs pytz).
'''XC in 25 words or less'''
XC provides all of the software and content required in the school server but not included in XS.
 
'''Library'''
 
In Nepal this is Pustakalaya (www.pustakalaya.org). It is supported by Java, Fedora Commons and Fez. This installation is in XC.
 
There is a project to develop a library based on Django. This would be an alternate in XC.
 
'''Wiki4Schools'''
 
XC in Nepal includes the Wiki4Schools (2008 version - which apparently is the most recent). This is based on mediawiki.
 
There is a project to provide the same capability using openZim, this could be an alternate in XC.
 
 
'''Dictionary'''
 
XC in Nepal includes Wiktionary and a Nepali dictionary (Sabdakos). This will clearly be very deployment-specific.
 
'''Sugar Activities'''
 
XC includes a repository of Sugar Activities. This allows students to download and install activities of their choosing from the school server.
 
'''Dan's Guardian'''
 
Web filtering requires lots of disclaimers. Whoever is the authority for deploying a schoolserver needs to sign off that the filtering offered is accepted as adequate. This is part of XS in Nepal but moving it to XS might make the XS build easier.
 
'''Moodle'''
 
This is installed in XS in Nepal but could be installed in XS. It is dependent on the configuration of the LAMP stack in XS (Apache, MySQL or PostGreSQL). This might be a good time to move to Moodle 2. AFIK no deployment is currently using Moodle so there would be a minimum of issues with backward compatibility.
 
'''SchoolTool'''
 
While not directly related to the OLPC mission, one of the first uses of computers in schools is to automate the administration (attendance lists, academic calendar, and so on). There is a possibility to integrate SchoolTool with Moodle.
 
'''Mothership or Content Update'''
 
The model in Nepal and Rwanda is that the central development group provides the same software and content to each school. The school is not expected to make any changes and, if it did, they would be erased on the next update.
 
It is unlikely that schools will have sufficient broadband access to support concurrent browsing for every XO.
However, there should be a mechanism where each school server can connect with the mothership (e.g. cron job) and receive updates and upload changes (e.g. email). The mothership could then include this information in the next connection opportunity for the other schools. There would have to be a parallel mechanism using usb keys (e.g someone from the school goes to town with the usb drive and connects from an internet cafe).


*SchoolTool: a free administrative software for schools around the
The schoolserver, in turn, provides updates to the XOs.
world. It provides a good administrative interface and facilities.
I?ve already packaged SchoolTool for Fedora and tested it on XS. OLE
Nepal is also in transition to pilot SchoolTool to a few schools. Also
that a integration of Moodle and SchoolTool is being worked out.
Moodle 2.x: a Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning
Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The
moodle on current XS is outdated. Moodle 2.x hosts improved interface
and additional features than its previous versions. With Moodle, a few
other features would be interesting:
Using MySQL instead of PostgreSQL
Integration with SchoolTool: See
http://docs.moodle.org/en/Development:SchoolTool_Integration for
details.
A mechanism to consolidate Moodle data. The scenario would be like XS
would be shipped with some sample data, teachers and students at the
school would create some data, and additional data would be pushed
periodically through content updates. So there should be a mechanism
to consolidate all the data and retain it, without losing the previous
data while doing content update.


*Content Updates
'''Socializing/Communication'''
XO laptops with a limited storage can not hold much content, so heavy
content (e.g. E-Pustakalaya) is offloaded to the school server. Also
that the XS hosts sugar activity updates. In Nepalese deployment, we
generate content bundles including E-Pustakalaya and E-Paath along
with new releases of sugar activities every three month, and the
deployment team would generally visit each schools and update the
content. Nepalese XS is equipped with scripts to handle headless
content updates. Additionally we are also doing content update through
network/internet wherever feasible. Content update through network can
be really troublesome with deployment scenario of schools having
limited connectivity to internet and/or having only LAN level access
among schools. Devising content update would involve creating a
unified format for content bundles and devising a way to deploy
content updates easily through network with a minimal payload on the
content server. I would suggest a torrent based mechanism to handle
content deployment ? it will offload content through local peers and
handle data checksums and all. Meanwhile a mechanism to support
loading content on a USB harddisk would be great as it will help to
deliver the content to the XS with no internet connectivity.


*Web content filtering
Open Atrium is based on Drupal. Providing a way for teachers to communicate with the central support group and with each other is very important.
XS with internet access are configured as a internet gateway for XO
laptops and other devices connecting to the network. This poses one
problem ? children can be subjected to websites related with vandalism
and pornography. A content filtering mechanism for web browsing would
solve this problem. Additionally some file extensions and websites can
be blocked, so as to help traffic shaping. I would suggest
Dansguardian as a tool for this purpose. We have been using
Dansguardian on NE-XS (the Nepalese clone of OLPC XS), and has been
successfully using it. Dansguardian supports message/information
templates in case a extension or a website is blocked. Also that it
supports unicode message. Hence using a Dansguardian with customized
message templates in local languages would help a great for content
filtering, meanwhile displaying appropriate message in case of site
blockades.


*Journal Backup on a shared model distribution
Moodle may offer an alternate way to do this.  
I am aware that OLPC projec emphasizes the laptop distribution model
having 1:1 child-laptop ratio, that is to say each kid owns a laptop,
but sharing a laptops among few kids (say one laptop to be shared
among 3 kids) can be beneficial sometimes. For developing countries
like Nepal, it might take some time to arrange funds for mass OLPC
deployments. In such a scenario, where mass deployments might take
time, grounding on in available resources (XOs) would seem appropriate
than to wait to gather enough resources for mass deployments. This
focuses on having the XOs shared and utilized rather than keeping them
unused. Having said that, physically sharing a laptop among few kids
might seem no-brainer, but the complexity lies in how the XS interacts
with the school server and how services are provided/consumed. One
important aspect of this is Journal backup. XS has a service call
id-manager (idmgr) which registers a laptop with school server. The
registration uses the XO serial number as a unique key to maintain the
list and various service like ds-backup is provided based upon the
key. In the laptop-sharing scenario, the journal created on a laptop
might actually belong to more than one user, and managing journal
backups and restore can be troublesome. Meanwhile, multiple users
using one laptop means that more journal entries would be created and
hence the frequency for journal backup would increase inherently. To
solve this problem, the idmgr and the ds-backup service somehow needs
to recognize the user creating the journal entry rather than just
based upon the XO serial. Unfortunately, I do not know how to force
user logins on sugar; and forcing user logins consequently is going to
confuse the kids. Another way might be to use one folder per user per
XO serial. But then we need to tell idmgr and ds-backup on which
journal entry should go into which folder. I don?t yet have a clear
idea on how to implement this, but I would definitely like to have
this feature included with the XS


*Socializing/Communication Platform
WordPress and Planet may also be an option.
I have always been looking forward to implementing a socializing and
communication platform on the XS that will help users to socialize and
communicate. By this I mean inter-school and intra-school
communication. Also that this framework can be used to send messages
and notifications to users (teachers, administrators, and students).
Implementing an offline mail queue which keeps mail lined up and sends
them when it has internet connectivity would be a great features.
Schools in Nepal have sparse Internet connectivity, and such a mail
queue might help inter-school communication. I?m looking forward to
use Open Atrium as a tool for this purpose. Also a multi-node system
of Open Atrium, if it can be implemented, with a inter-node
communication, would ease the task a lot.


These were some of the customizations I envision would help a great
In any case, these tools need support from the mother ship.
deal with the XS. I?m not even sure if items off my wishlist are
feasible at this time. What is your XS wishlist?
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