# Introduction

Welcome to the Edubuntu Handbook. This text has been many release cycles (and many titles) in the making. We, the authors, hope to continue building on this work for the life of the Edubuntu distribution of Linux.

This version of the Handbook is written for Edubuntu &distro-rev;, the &distro-version;, released in &distro-release-date;.

Thank you for allowing us to walk you through installing and using Edubuntu. We hope to make it an interesting journey, and we look forward to your feedback.

Kind regards,

The Edubuntu Documentation Team

## About Edubuntu

Edubuntu is an operating system designed with education in mind. It is based on Ubuntu, a complete operating system that uses the Linux kernel and is freely available to anyone. As an education-driven operating system, Edubuntu provides a complete solution for:

- An organisation or Education Ministry that is wanting to take full advantage of the benefits that open source software offers to the educational environment.

- Educators and school personnel who would like to set up Edubuntu in a networked learning environment.

- Home users who would like to have a standalone computer system that focuses on education for the younger members of the household.

Edubuntu gathers together the best available free software and digital materials for education.

Since Edubuntu is based on Ubuntu, the team behind Edubuntu is part of the growing Ubuntu community. The Ubuntu community is built around the ideals enshrined in the Ubuntu Philosophy:

- that software should be available free of charge;

- that software tools should be usable by people in their local language and despite any disabilities;

- and that people should have the freedom to customize and alter their software in whatever way they see fit.

For these reasons, Edubuntu makes the following public commitment to its community of users worldwide:

- Edubuntu will always be free of charge, and there is no extra fee for the "enterprise edition;" we make our very best work available to everyone on the same Free terms.

- We include the very best in translations and accessibility infrastructure that the free software community has to offer, to make Edubuntu usable for as many people as possible.

- Releases are regular and predictable; a new one is made every six months. You can use the current stable or the development release. Each release is supported for at least 18 months and selected ones are supported for up to 3 to 5 years on a Long-Term Support (LTS) basis.

- We are is entirely committed to the principles of open source software development; we encourage people to use open source software, improve it, and pass it on.

Edubuntu is meant for anyone who wants a computer laboratory that makes good use of free software and the widest variety of hardware. It is designed to be easy to administer and is well documented. It can run on inexpensive, 10-year-old IBM-compatible computers as well as brand new I64-based systems. The growing Edubuntu community is working together to share ideas and solutions for bringing computing and communications power to teachers, students and community members everywhere.

One of the key technologies included is the Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) which allows you to boot thin clients from an Edubuntu LTSP server. For educational environments, LTSP lowers hardware costs by enabling the use of older or less powerful machines as thin clients, as well as reduced administration overhead by having only to install and maintain the software on the server. When a workstation fails, it can simply be replaced without data loss or reinstallation of the operating system.

## About the Edubuntu Handbook

The Edubuntu Handbook is a collaborative effort from many individuals within the community. It is intended as a guide and a reference to help the new Edubuntu user and administrator with their system whether it is a standalone system or in a thin-client configuration.

The community has been busy at work finding ways to make Edubuntu meet their practical needs, and the solutions they've provided may be just what you are looking for to meet your needs as well. This is the spirit of open collaboration upon which Edubuntu thrives.

### Aim

The ultimate aim of Edubuntu is empowerment: to place state-of-the-art Information and Communication Technology (ICT) within the reach of everyone. However, computers and networks are complicated concepts and simply knowing how to ask the right questions can be very hard if you don't already have a lot of experience. Having the technology at your fingertips should go hand-in-hand with the resources that enable you to know how to use it effectively. This book is intended to provide you with the information necessary to be confident and self-sufficient in working with Edubuntu.

### Intended Audience

This book will cater to different audiences:

- It will provide a step-by-step guide to get started with an Edubuntu computer lab. Anyone with enough enthusiasm, as well as access to the equipment necessary, can use this book as a blueprint for setting up local community computer labs.

- It will serve to document what Edubuntu gives you in a computer lab and to help you understand it in order to keep it in good running order.

- Your level of ICT skill and competency does not need to be high to come to grips with the contents of this book. Whether you are an educator with a basic understanding of ICT in general, an ICT administrator in a school without knowledge of open source systems or even an experienced IT professional, this book should empower you to get the most out of your Edubuntu system.

## Ubuntu and its Philosophy

Our work on Ubuntu and Edubuntu is driven by a philosophy of software freedom that we hope will spread and bring the benefits of software technology to all people, everywhere.

### Free and Open Source Software

Ubuntu is a community-driven project to create an operating system and a full set of applications using free and open source software. At the core of the Ubuntu Philosophy of Software Freedom are these core philosophical ideals:

1. Every computer user should have the freedom to run, copy, distribute, study, share, change and improve their software for any purpose, without paying licensing fees.

2. Every computer user should be able to use their software in the language of their choice.

3. Every computer user should be given every opportunity to use software, even if they work under a disability.

Our philosophy is reflected in the software we produce and included in our distribution. As a result, the licensing terms of the software we distribute are measured against our philosophy, using the Ubuntu License Policy.

When you install Ubuntu, almost all of the software installed already meets these ideals. We are working to ensure that every single piece of software you need is available under a license that gives you those freedoms. Currently, we make a specific exception for some "drivers" which are only available in binary form, without which many computers will not complete the Ubuntu installation. We place these in a restricted section of your system which makes them trivial to remove if you do not need them.

### Free software

For Ubuntu, the "free" in "free software" is used primarily in reference to freedom and not to price, although we are committed to not charging for Ubuntu. The most important thing about Ubuntu is not that it is available free of charge, but that it confers rights of software freedom on the people who install and use it. It is those freedoms that enable the Ubuntu community to grow, sharing its collective experience and expertise to improve Ubuntu and make it suitable for use in new countries and new industries.

Quoting the Free Software Foundation's "What is Free Software", the principles at the core of free software are defined as:

- The freedom to run the program, for any purpose.

- The freedom to study how the program works, and adapt it to your needs.

- The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help others.

- The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements to the public, so that everyone benefits.

Free software has been a coherent social movement for more than two decades. This movement has produced millions of lines of code, documentation, and a vibrant community of which Ubuntu is proud to be a part.

### Open Source

Open source is a term coined in 1998 to remove the ambiguity in the English word "free". The Open Source Initiative described open source software in the Open Source Definition. Open source continues to enjoy growing success and wide recognition.

Ubuntu is happy to call itself open source. While some refer to free and open source as competing movements with different ends, we do not see free and open source software as either distinct or incompatible. Ubuntu proudly includes members who identify with both the free software and open source camps and many who identify with both.

Our work on Ubuntu is driven by a philosophy based on software freedom that we hope will spread, and bring the benefits of software technology to all parts of the globe.

## Why Edubuntu?

### Compatible

Most educational computer networks are heterogeneous, consisting of various operating systems, and it is sometimes difficult to configure them to work together. Edubuntu plays well with others.

Edubuntu servers can happily coexist on the same network as other operating systems. OpenOffice.org can open and save many commercial office suite formats. You can even install Edubuntu and another operating system on the same machine. Need to share files between Edubuntu and other operating system or connect to a remote server? Edubuntu does that too.

The Edubuntu developers work hard to make sure that Edubuntu is the most compatible operating system you can find in schools today.

### Secure

Security has become a key challenge for educators and the team behind Edubuntu recognize this. Often schools lack the specialized IT staff or time to lock and clean up computers.

Edubuntu, being a Linux-based operating system, enjoys the security advantages of its Unix-like and open source heritages. This translates into higher quality code and less spyware and viruses than plague other operating systems. In addition, it has a strict, proactive security policy which means that many common problems, such as open ports or misconfigured software, never make it into the released product. Finally, it is a true multi-user operating system, making it easy to allow users to complete their tasks without having a level of access that could compromise the system.

### Manageable

With teachers and school IT departments deploying and administering an increasing number of computers, it is difficult to find time to manage individual machines. Edubuntu, with the option of using LTSP thin client technology, makes deployment and management simple and easy. A single server is all that is needed to set up, manage and administrate an entire network. The Edubuntu team also recognizes that not every school's setup is the same, so they've made Edubuntu easy to customize for your unique needs.

### Cost Effective

With ever-increasing demands on school budgets, expensive technology is often last on the list. Edubuntu can help you offer what your students increasingly require from computer technology, without breaking the bank. Edubuntu is and always will be free to acquire, use and modify.

Need to set up another machine? Or another 100? Just install them! With Edubuntu you'll have no more expensive OS upgrades and licenses, and having specialized programs on only some computers will become a thing of the past. When you build your network on Open Source software, you are freed to seek support for your computers from whomever you wish.

Edubuntu can also help you save hardware costs, by allowing you to redeploy older machines as thin clients using LTSP technology.

### Well Supported

Edubuntu support is available from both the Edubuntu community and the larger Ubuntu community. Many of the authors of the software included in Edubuntu, including the Edubuntu developers themselves, can be contacted directly via mailing lists and IRC channels.

There are many forms of support available, including mailing lists, Wiki websites, IRC channels, and bug trackers. There is also a special support group for using Edubuntu in schools. Should you want paid support, Canonical, the company which funds Edubuntu and Ubuntu development, can offer assistance, or you can find a local company who offer similar services. In fact, some of the money that would have gone to purchasing software can instead be spent to hire local experts to help train you, and to help you support your network. Edubuntu can help you take more control over your network while also benefitting your local economy. With Edubuntu, these choices are yours.

### Built for Education

Above all, Edubuntu is set apart from other operating systems by its unwavering focus on the educational needs of learners all over the world. Edubuntu's motto is "Linux for Young Human Beings" and every development decision and application has that goal in mind.

Edubuntu comes with translations for many languages and localization features that allow people from all over the world to enjoy their computing experience. Edubuntu's accessibility features strive to provide a pleasant, high-quality computing experience to disabled users. The Edubuntu LiveCD makes it easy for pupils to boot their home computers temporarily into Edubuntu and use exactly the same applications that they are using at school. The LTSP server software allows teachers and administrators to create a low cost computer lab so that students can have access to the educational opportunities that Edubuntu and the Internet can provide.

## Choosing The Correct Installation Type

Edubuntu can be installed or configured in two primary forms:

- Workstation or Stand-Alone install, just like an ordinary desktop PC fine-tuned for educational purposes.

- Server install which has a configured LTSP environment by default and various added network and collaboration tools.

The choice of install method, therefore, really depends on the type of network configuration that is desired.

## Basic Concepts: Networks and Networking

There are two components of a network: hardware and software. This section will give an introduction to both.

### Hardware

Networking works by breaking files and other data into little packets of information. These packets are transfered over a network. The difference between various types of networks is how they transfer packets.

There are two types of networking hardware: wired and wireless.

An important fact to remember is that a network will be only as fast as the slowest part. So, if you have a faster wired network but a slower wireless network, the speed to the wireless clients will be restricted by the speed of the wireless network.

#### Wired

Wired networking transfers packets over a cable that resembles a telephone cord, but with more wires. Wired networks can transfer packets at one of three possible speeds: 10 Mbit/sec, 100 Mbit/sec, or (Gigabit) 1000 Mbit/sec.

A network is only useful if it can connect multiple computers. There are some pieces of hardware that allow multiple computers to be connected in a network. They look alike, but they function differently and, likewise, operate at different speeds.

##### Hub

A hub is the simplest way to connect multiple computers. A hub has a lot of ports in the front and usually has several small lights corresponding to each port. The hub takes a message it receives on one port and resends it to all the ports. As a result, only one port can talk at a time.

##### Switch

A switch looks a lot like a hub; it has a lot of ports in the front and usually has several small lights corresponding to each port. However, a switch is unlike a hub because it only makes a connection between the ports it needs to. A switch can have multiple connections at the same time. This allows a switch to be faster than a hub.

##### Router

A router is used to make a connection between two networks. Routers are also commonly used to connect a LAN (local area network) to the Internet.

#### Wireless

There are four types of wireless networking.

Three types use the 2.4Ghz band of the radio frequency spectrum:

- 802.11b - 11 Mbit/sec

- 802.11g - 56 Mbit/sec

- Pre-802.11n - ~200 Mbit/sec

One type uses the 5Ghz band:

- 802.11a

### Software

The most common network infrastructure services include:

#### DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

Each computer on a network needs a unique identifier called an IP address. The IP address allows packets to be directed to the computer, much like a street address allows mail to be delivered to the correct house. An IP address follows a specific form: four groups of digits forming a number from 0 to 255. For example, a local IP address might be 192.168.2.50.

For convenience, a computer's IP address can be given by a server running the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service. DHCP automatically provides network settings to the computers on the network. With DHCP, there is no need to keep track of each computer's IP address.

#### DNS (Domain Name System)

DNS is a service that runs on a server, and it is like a phone book for computers, except that it stores IP addresses instead of phone numbers. Your computer talks to a DNS server every time you refer to another computer system with a name instead of an IP address. For example: www.edubuntu.org, wikipedia.org, and google.com are all DNS hostnames.

#### NTP (Network Time Protocol)

NTP is a service that runs on a server and allows other computers to synchronize their clocks. The server synchronizes with an extremely accurate atomic clock, and then the clients synchronize with the server.

#### Web Server

A Web server answers queries using protocols such as HTTP, and sends content such as web pages back to clients. Your Web browser almost exclusively talks to Web servers.

#### Web Proxy

A Web proxy is a service that runs on a server and accesses Web sites on behalf of the clients. A proxy can cache some data to allow faster repeated access to commonly accessed pages. A proxy can also restrict access to content that you deem inappropriate.

#### Firewall

A firewall can be a service on the server or a separate piece of hardware that runs a similar service. A firewall can protect your server (and clients) by restricting computers on the Internet from initiating connections into your server or network.