[Solar-general] Terminales X vs Windows, costs en bibliotecas universitarias

Sab Oct 2 21:12:56 CEST 2004

http://www.linuxjournal.com//article.php?sid=7788

Linux Style: Windows PCs vs. X Terminals: A Cost Comparison
Posted on Thursday, September 30, 2004 by Salvador Peralta	Printer Friendly
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Linux in Business Here's what one university library found when they compared
the hardware and software costs.

The Mark O. Hatfield Library at Willamette University has used networked X
terminals in its public and staff computing environments since 1995. The
original workstations were NCD and Tektronix thin clients, but over the last
two years, we have been replacing the systems with recycled PC hardware that
otherwise would have been scheduled for replacement.

An X terminal is distinguished from a standalone personal computer in that X
terminals rely on a networked computing model in which applications such as
the desktop environment (window manager), Web browser and office software are
hosted and run on a centralized application host located elsewhere on the
network. The application host usually runs on heavy-duty server hardware,
leaving the terminal workstation with the more trivial tasks of responding to
input from peripherals such as the keyboard and mouse and drawing graphics to
a monitor.

The Hatfield library currently has 25 of these X terminal systems deployed as
specialized staff computers and kiosk-style public computing stations. They
connect to two X client application hosts powered by x86-based PC server
hardware running Red Hat Enterprise Linux, XFree86, XDM, the GNOME 2.4 desktop
and the Mozilla Web browser.
Justifications

In public computing environments, the model of centralized network computing
has several advantages over traditional standalone workstations in that it:

    *

      Provides a no-cost alternative to expensive desktop deployment and
cloning packages, such as Symantec Ghost, because new software is added to a
single machine rather than deployed and run on each individual workstation.
    *

      Provides a centralized environment that is superior to standalone
computing for backing up and maintaining user data as well as company
proprietary data.
    *

      Enables institutions to maintain a homogeneous, flexible software
environment even on PC hardware that has been purchased over a period of
several years.
    *

      Extends the lifespan of personal computer hardware, yielding an overall
decrease in investment in new hardware.
    *

      Is not susceptible to Windows-based viruses and spyware. Required
security patches need be applied only to one system in order to update
multiple systems.

Hardware Cost Comparison

As a rule of thumb, personal computing hardware at this institution is
recycled out of the system after five to six years. Hardware and software
manufacturers recommend a three-year purchasing cycle. The cost of replacing
the 25 workstations deployed in our various labs and on staff workstations
with new personal computers would be roughly $25,000.

Instead, we are replacing Windows with Linux on PCs that are six years old or
even older and keeping those systems in service. In Addison to reducing the
cost of new hardware and software purchases, it extends the return on
investment of hardware already purchased.

Because these systems are being recycled out of service, there is no
additional input cost for personal computing hardware. These literally are
systems that otherwise would be thrown out.

Instead of purchasing new PCs, we instead make purchases on server hardware on
a four-year cycle. Historically, one dual-processor x86 system can power
applications for up to 25 X terminals.

By adopting this model, we have extended the lifecycle of our antiquated
desktop hardware from seven to ten0 years, and we still are able to run
current applications, including modern desktop environments, proprietary Java
applications, Web browsers and office software.
Hardware Comparison

    *

      Desktop PC model: 25 new PCs every three to six years.
    *

      Linux X Terminal Model: Two new application hosts (server hardware)
purchased every four years with a two-year stagger. Adding recycled PCs as
they become available.

Table 1. Hardware Purchasing Cycle Cost Comparison Over 15 years
Year	3-Year	6-Year	10-Year
1995	$25,000	25,000	27,000
1996	-	-	-
1997	-	-	2,000
1998	25,000	-	-
1999	-	-	2,000
2000	-	-	-
2001	25,000	25,000	2,000
2002	-	-	-
2003	-	-	2,000
2004	25,000	-	-
2005	-	-	2,000
2006	-	-	-
2007	25,000	25,000	2,000
2008	-	-	-
2009	-	-	2,000
Total:	$125,000	75,000	41,000
Software Cost Comparison

    *

      Windows Licenses: Windows $2,500 (est.); Symantec Ghost $1,700 (+
$525/annum); Symantec Antivirus $1,544.25 (+ $525/annum)
    *

      Linux: per server annual subscription is $50 beginning in 2003.

Table 2. Software Purchasing Cycle Cost Comparison Over 15 Years
Year	3-Year	6-Year	10-Year
1995	$5,744.25	5,744.25	79.99
1996	1,050	1,050	-
1997	1,050	1,050	-
1998	3,550	1,050	-
1999	1,050	1,050	79.99
2000	1,050	1,050	-
2001	3,550	3,550	-
2002	1,050	1,050	-
2003	1,050	1,050	100
2004	3,550	1,050	-
2005	1,050	1,050	-
2006	1,050	1,050	-
2007	3,550	3,550	100
2008	1,050	1,050	-
2009	1,050	1,050	-
Total:	$30,444.25	25,444.25	359.98
Administrative Time Comparison

Based on our experiences over the last eight years hosting both PC and X
terminal labs, we estimate that we would hire and retain roughly the same
amount of administrative and technical staff to service this number of systems
regardless of whether they are Windows or Linux-based.

During 2003 and 2004 so far, however, we have seen a dramatic rise in the
amount of time spent patching Windows systems and removing ad-ware, spyware
and viruses from unpatched systems and re-imaging OS images. This rise is time
spent on these tasks may increase dramatically our administrative costs going
forward.

As far as installation and maintenance, for Windows PCs, the weekly manual
processes involve cleaning old data off of primary ghosting systems, building
three updated workstation ghost images with Windows updates, A/V updates and
ad-aware updates. Then there is an automated push of ghost images to the
workstations. The total time spent on this is three hours two times a week.

For Linux X terminals, no regular ghosting or updating of images is required.
Primary work involves fixing bad hardware when installing antiquated systems
and setting up each system as an X workstation. This all takes two hours per
newly installed workstation. A new client application host installation
requires 16-20 hours to set up and to complete the migration of applications.
Conclusion

Excluding administrative costs, the 15-year cost of 25 Linux systems in a lab
environment is estimated to be $41,359 versus a 15-year cost of $100,000 to
$155,000 for Windows PCs serving the same function. Although these estimates
are based on rough cost estimates, the overall cost of hardware and software
deployment, coupled with the shorter overall time spent on administrative
tasks, yields significant cost savings over long-term deployment cycles in our
work environment.

Salvador Peralta is the systems administrator for the Mark O. Hatfield Library
at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. 
-- 
Diego Saravia 
dsa en unsa.edu.ar