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anschluss-org edited this page Nov 14, 2017 · 5 revisions

Welcome to the Low-Power-Computers wiki!

Introduction

The Low Power Computer (LPC) project started as an initiative to provide an alternative to energy consuming desktop computers for classroom use. While standard desktop systems can consume up to 500W, this system is designed to work with around 120W for five users and a server.

LPC Hardware

The LPC project uses 12V DC powered fanlessMini PCs based on quad-core Intel "Bay Trail" CPUs, and 12V DC powered full HD 15.6" LCD monitors. The system consists of 5-10 client computers attached to a central server via a Gigabit Ethernet switch. The client and server computers only differ in memory and storage features:

  • Client Computer
    4 GB RAM
    No internal storage

  • Server Computer
    8 GB RAM
    256GB internal solid state drive

LPC OS Software

As of 2017, the operating system is Xubuntu 14.04 LTS. All stations function as fat clients booting via PXE from the LTSP server. The server SSD hosts the OS image for all stations. Any software installed on the server image is automatically available on the client computers.

User Homes

The user home directories also reside on the server SSD. Users are predefined user0...userx but can be individually adapted on the server.

Local storage devices

USB storage device can be attached to the client computers independent document storage