> -----Original Message----- > From: John Van Ostrand [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: April 7, 2006 10:00 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [on-asterisk] Small PC to use as a console > > On Fri, 2006-04-07 at 09:48 -0400, Jim Van Meggelen wrote: > > I am looking to provision a small pc for use as a web console (for > > FOP, let's say). An Apple mini-MAC would be aboout the right size, but > > really too expensive. A mini-ITX board might do, but there are so many > > of them now and the VIA boards seem to have a reputation for poor quality. > > I've got about 20 of them out there as diskless terminals and > firewalls, some 2 years old. None have given me problems. > I've stuck with the epia 5000 version, no CPU fam and fast > enough for what I need it for. I'm about to put one in my > home as a firewall and asterisk system.
Good to know. I use an 8000 myself as my C.O. Asterisk system (the one I brought to VON), but since it's the only ITX I've had in production, I had to consider the buzz on the street. Since you have a statistically relevant number of them out there, that makes me feel a lot better. Thanks. > > Features needed: > > - silent (solid state components or ultra quiet fans/drives) > > - ability to handle a CF card as a boot drive (if an adaptor card is needed that's OK) > > - small footprint, and preferably styled conservatively > > - possibility to add full softphone capability later (although this would be something to do for the second version, console 1.0 should be a basic PC to start - adding speech paths will vastly increase the development effort). > > - anything else I have missed? > > - unit has to be new (i.e. no used Dells from a liquidator), and have a reasonably reliable supply chain > > I've been buying my VIA EPIA boards from thelinuxstore.ca. I > think all in they're about $300 without disk. I'll check them out. Thanks. > > Also, what OS to run? The console will only need to run a browser app, and perhaps an email client. A nice lightweight Linux might do, but is there such a thing as lightweight X? (that looks good and runs Firefox). > > You can run one of these diskless (www.ltsp.org) if you have > a suitable Linux server to run sessions on. Pick a > lightweight X window manager and simply run Firefox in a loop > (in case the user quits.) This way there are no extraneous > options for the operator to choose and the hardware has no > moving parts. Since the setup is stored on your main system > you can add or replace consoles easily. That requires a Linux server somewhere, and in many offices the only Linux machine will be the Asterisk, so I'm expecting to have to run it on the workstation. > > If we can put our heads together and think this one through it'd benefit any of us who do enterprise work, because sooner or later you can be sure you're going to be asked to provision a pc to be dedicated as a console, and a huge, noisy PC is not going to be popular. > > > > It'd be cool to wiki the results as well, since this would benefit the community at large. > -- > John Van Ostrand > Net Direct Inc. > > Chief Technology Officer > 564 Weber St. N. Unit 12 > Waterloo, ON N2L 5C6 > map > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Ph: 519-883-1172 > ext.5102 > Linux Solutions / IBM > Hardware > Fx: 519-883-8533 > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For > additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.5/303 - Release > Date: 06/04/2006 > > -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.3.5/303 - Release Date: 06/04/2006
