Linux diskless workstations relieve headaches for hospital supplier.

INTRODUCTION

Binson's Hospital Supplies engaged our consulting firm, Dynamic Results Inc., to lead an MIS re-engineering project. Binson's is a company with over 280 employees based out of Center Line MI. Their primary market is selling hospital equipment and medical supplies to consumers.

PROBLEM

Binson's was using an AS/400 with Twinax 5250 terminals for accounts receivable and customer inquiry at approximately 100 seats.

A search began for technology that would allow a single terminal or computer per desk and provide access to both the AS/400 and Unix simultaneously, while minimizing the per seat cost.

For example; deploying 230 PCs, nominally priced with licenses at $1,350 per seat, totals $310,500. A solution priced at $500 per seat totals $115,000, representing a savings of $195,500.

SOLUTION

After attending Linux expo and Atlanta Linux Showcase, and hearing Eric Raymond and Richard Stallman speak about the virtues of Open Source and Free Software, we were beginning to wonder if there was a way we could harness the Linux and Free/Open software world in a solution at Binson's.

A 5250 terminal emulator that could run on Linux was the first point of investigation. A search of the Internet turned up Michael Madore as leading an Open Source GNU project for the development of a 5250 terminal emulator to run on Linux, called TN5250.

Two projects began concurrently, Ron Colcernian went to work on validating the 5250 terminal emulator. Jim McQuillan studied the different configurations of Linux with the goal of delivering a Linux solution under a $500 price point, and as maintenance free a solution as possible.

Our first proposed solution was to build PC's running Linux. The problem we faced was the need to quickly build many systems. We considered building a master system and using a disk duplicator to clone the hard disks. Then we moved on to the idea of burning CD-ROMs with the entire configuration on the CD. Then it hit us; what about booting the OS from the network?

We used Etherboot to create images containing the network card driver, a TCP/IP stack, a bootp client and a tftp client, which were then burned onto an eprom.

We built a test workstation from used equipment which performed successfully. With some additional work, we were able to deploy X-Windows on the workstation. This gave us the ability to run multiple sessions and provide an environment for future applications, such as web browsing and email.

We built 11 workstations for Binson's at a price of under $500 each, including a monitor, keyboard and mouse. After a couple of months, we added another 15 workstations and upgraded the server to a Pentium-II running RedHat 6.0. They have since added more workstations, totaling 37 and have ordered 30 more.

BENEFITS

Binson's has derived significant benefits from this solution:
  1. Price per seat is under $500.00, a significant savings over the PC solution.

  2. No license management or annual fees were required.

  3. To date, 37 workstations have been deployed, requiring very little support.

  4. The platform enables 5250 sessions on the AS/400 and telnet sessions to Unix. It is also capable of Internet browsing, Email, and Linux office productivity suites.

  5. Points of failure are reduced at each workstation, using just a monitor, keyboard, mouse, CPU, network and video board.

  6. No policy statement is required about users loading software.

  7. No end user time lost rebooting the computer.

  8. No DLL, or General Protection Faults problems.

  9. No virus infections.

  10. No requirement to shut down correctly, just power it off.

SUCCESS LEADS TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES

We decided that all of the software that we wrote should be available free. We created a kernel and a configuration script and offered them for free download on our FTP site. To date we have had several hundred downloads. We then took it one step further and started an open source project: the 'Linux Terminal Server Project'. We registered the ltsp.org domain and setup our server to host it.

We gave a presentation to the Michigan Unix User group and there were several people interested in the success story. Dan Irvin of Linux System Labs approached us about offering bootable network cards and diskless Linux workstations for sale on his web site.

Network engineers Jay Wren and Chris Sellers from Oakland University in Rochester Hills, MI were there, and they expressed interest in the technology. Oakland University has since deployed several diskless workstations to be used in the student union, giving the students access to their email and to the web.

At the same time, we began to see the commercial potential for this solution. We then decided to create a new division of our company called DisklessWorkstations.com, (www.DisklessWorkstations.Com). For those who want to utilize the technology of a diskless Linux workstation, but don't have the ability or the desire to build their own hardware or burn their own eprom, it is now available through our resellers: Linux System Labs (www.lsl.com) and Unique Systems of Holland, Ohio (www.uniqsys.com).


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