[Imc-g8-2005] Computers for IMC G8

[ben]

Hi,

Here is a rundown on what has so far been secured in terms of computer 
facilities for general use at the G8 indymedia spaces.

Computers

50 Pentium III base units
@ an industrial estate in Shefford, Bedfordshire
consisting of..

 x20 COMPAQ SFF
   with onboard network card, floppy drive, no CDROM, no harddrive
   all have 256mb ram
   x9 have 600mhz cpu
   x11 have 500mhz cpu

 x30 COMPAQ AP400
   with onboard network card, floppy, CDROM, no harddrive
   x15 have 256mb ram
   x15 have 128mb ram
   x20 have 500mhz cpu
   x1 has a 450mhz cpu
   x1 has a 600mhz cpu
   x5 have 500mhz DUAL CPU
   x3 have 600mhz DUAL CPU
  
As well as having no harddrives (not a problem as we plan to run them as 
diskless thin clients), there are also no power leads, monitors, 
keyboards or mice with any of these machines.

The machines cost approx 12 pounds each before delivery or collection 
costs are included. They must be paid for tommorow (well actually just 
20 of them need to be paid for tomorrow - got another 5 days for the 
rest) and they must all be collected within three weeks or delivered on 
two pallets at a cost of 150 pounds.

Monitors and other essential accessories

@ rampART in London

x12 ~ AT keyboards
x15 ~ 14/15" SVGA monitors
x30 ~ power leads
x20 ~ network leads

Assuming we use only 40 of the 50 machines available then we will need:-

+ an additional 25 monitors (I think there are maybe another 5 at 
freedom, some at Suttongrad, some at LARC)
+ an additional 28 keyboards. (I believe there may be a box of keyboards 
at LARC, I'll try to confirm this later.)
+ an whole load more power leads (two for every machine)
+ more network leads (there are probably more at freedom)
+ forty mice (I think we should simply buy 40 new mice costing 2 pounds 
each)

Of the machines described, I think the dual processor machines should 
have harddrived added and run standalone for video editing (Sony Vegas 
uses dual cpu, don't know about other software) and likewise perhaps for 
audio (if any audio software uses the dual processors).

Another options might be to max out the memory in a couple of the dual 
cpu machines and run them as the servers to the thin clients. Perhaps 
using multiple servers instead of just one to spread the load and save 
us needing to get a super machine.

Another alternative is to boot the clients from servers over the network 
but allow the clients to run their own processes. All the machines are 
actually very hispec and capable machines (I've edited video on lower 
spec machines) so there isn't actually a need to go the thin client 
route apart from easy of installation and maintainance.

After the G8, Nottingham social centre will apparently buy a bunch of 
the machines and other social centres etc are invited to do the same. We 
could also auction them off to anyone that wants individual machines on 
the condition that they collect them immediately after the G8 as we tat 
down the IMC.

Ben