Linux on the Corporate Desktop John Goerzen OSCON 2008 [email_address]

John Goerzen

OSCON 2008

[email_address]

A clarification...

A clarification... Photo from lukeisback.com (c) 2007, licensed under CC Attribution-ShareAlike 2.5

A clarification...

Agenda Motivations Expected Benefits Making It Work Did It Work?

Motivations

Expected Benefits

Making It Work

Did It Work?

Motivations

Image by Xander on Wikimedia Commons

John Goerzen's backyard

$300,000

Benefits

Single System Image Public Domain - US Gvmt

Hot Desking

Reliability & Downtime Public Domain (Wikimedia Commons)

Making It Work: Community

Is Linux a cheap Windows?

No!

Take advantage of Linux

We've Contributed HDBC gtkrsync Features and Debian integration to gscan2pdf Bacula for Debian Feature diffs to Courier IMAP, Thunderbird, eGroupware eGroupware CalDAV support (paid for) Nuxeo trash support (paid for)

HDBC

gtkrsync

Features and Debian integration to gscan2pdf

Bacula for Debian

Feature diffs to Courier IMAP, Thunderbird, eGroupware

eGroupware CalDAV support (paid for)

Nuxeo trash support (paid for)

These were solid investments.

Making It Work: Technology

Debian

SystemImager

Gnome

OpenOffice

Hardware Desktops: focus on video Laptops: Make sure video looks good Order one for testing Test the suspend/resume extensively We use LinuxCertified now

Desktops: focus on video

Laptops:

Make sure video looks good

Order one for testing

Test the suspend/resume extensively

We use LinuxCertified now

Making It Work: Management

What is risky? Photo by René Ehrhardt on Flickr - CC Attribution 2.0 Generic

"Convert Me First" Photo by Joi on Flickr - CC Attribution 2.0 Generic

Making It Work: End Users

Prep

“User Terror” Photo by paolo màrgari on Flickr - CC by-sa 2.0

Deployment Strategy Classes In-person at conversion time Some people don't like change Be supportive and patient

Classes

In-person at conversion time

Some people don't like change

Be supportive and patient

Making It Work: Supporting Linux Desktops

Rebooting: Not The First Thing to Try Photo by skyfaller on Flickr - CC by-sa 2.0

Logfiles - which, where, and when Photo by hamilton.lima on Flickr - CC by-sa 2.0

Did It Work?

A year later...

Did It Work? The specifics...

Things that we don't like Groupwise + Evolution Switched to eGroupWare + Thunderbird + Lightning Have to test hardware before buying Laptop resolution switching

Groupwise + Evolution

Switched to eGroupWare + Thunderbird + Lightning

Have to test hardware before buying

Laptop resolution switching

Things that were OK OpenOffice Mostly positive feedback Document import formatting imperfect Some of that because people don't know how to format documents PDF export features are very nice

OpenOffice

Mostly positive feedback

Document import formatting imperfect

Some of that because people don't know how to format documents

PDF export features are very nice

Things that were OK NFSv4 Core of it works great Limit of 16 groups per logged-in user VPN on the laptops OpenVPN works great Lack of good GUIs for it

NFSv4

Core of it works great

Limit of 16 groups per logged-in user

VPN on the laptops

OpenVPN works great

Lack of good GUIs for it

Things that worked well

Viruses? What viruses?

Stealth Support Photo by kevin.j on Flickr - CC by-sa 2.0

Things that worked well Single system image a great tool Hard to resist the tendency to "just re-image it" when something happens Open Source community participation Linux itself Stable, and has good logging Better HW autodetection than Windows Windows terminal server integration Firefox/Iceweasel

Single system image a great tool

Hard to resist the tendency to "just re-image it" when something happens

Open Source community participation

Linux itself

Stable, and has good logging

Better HW autodetection than Windows

Windows terminal server integration

Firefox/Iceweasel

Things that worked well Far fewer licensing worries Hardware lifespan Opportunity to improve processes Linux on shop floor touch screen devices Desktop Printing No printer or driver set up on the desktops CUPS rocks

Far fewer licensing worries

Hardware lifespan

Opportunity to improve processes

Linux on shop floor touch screen devices

Desktop Printing

No printer or driver set up on the desktops

CUPS rocks

So... Did it work?

“ I can't imagine going back”

Questions? [email_address]

[email_address]