As of 2003, our school received two new computer classrooms and the infrastructure for networking in this context , I found myself confronted with two problems. The first was the establishment of a domain server.

Previous experience with Windows NT 4.0 Server were available, but the number of clients was much larger (and was supposed to be removed) and so the license costs exceeded the framework provided by far. So I was forced to learn about Linux. I installed a Suse version and I focused on models that were then presented mainly by Austrian schools, and later by the state of Baden-Württemberg. The most important services to get up and running, gradually succeeded . Unsatisfied initially remained solutions for colleagues: how the Internet was released as locked? How do I grant access to the printer? How do I distribute files to students ? How do the students work find their way to me?

In 2004 I then attended a lecture by Peter Varkoly, then still in software development at Suse, who introduced his school server OSS based on the Suse Enterprise Server. The presentation convinced me, another argument were the comparatively low costs and Support. Immediately ran on our server the operating system OSS. In the early years we had to correct many little bugs. But the support, usually by mail and remote maintenance, was good. Problems were always resolved in a short time (also helpful was the forum of colleagues who worked with the OSS) and proposals were, at least when it turned out that they were generally of interest, tested and often implemented.

This is still the case today, the functionality of the server but become larger by far. And it is no longer a project of Suse, since Mr Varkoly after the acquisition Suse 's by Novel, in the Extis GmbH found a new partner.

The following description was taken from the company's website:

The OSS is characterized by the following properties:

The central server for schools
The Open School Server is a simple, flexible and highly scalable server - the basis for a modern IT infrastructure in the school. For over 10 years, it is constantly being developed in close cooperation with representatives of all school types, and thus provides a stable solution how practitioners in schools need: demand functions for the school day, adapted to the constant challenges of a modern education.

The basis: a Enterprise Server
The basis of the Open School Server provides a Linux Enterprise Server , extended and adapted to the specific needs of the school operation to perform. This guarantees long-term and professional support .

Central Services
As the basis of your IT infrastructure provides the OSS all necessary services for the operation of your network : DHCP Server , DNS servers , central directory service (LDAP ) , file and print servers, web servers and mail servers. The flexible network design allows it to operate as a server for the whole school just as the integration into existing structures.

User Management
Students and teachers you can easily take over from your school administration software. An upgrade of students classes at the of theschool-year takes place automatically. To a lesser extent teachers can contribute to the relief of the Administrators by managing their own students or create their own working groups.

Working Groups
In addition to your classes, you can create any number of working groups. Each group has its own directory and exchange their own e-mail address. For short-term events you can set up quickly guest accounts with a given lifetime.

Exams
A separate wizard guides you through exams , from logging on to your own account , through the lock of the network to distributing and collecting files.

Directory shares and WebDAV
The Open School Server offers several directories for the school system: personal, class -wide or public directories, for teachers or special working groups. You can access these directories with all the popular devices: Windows PCs via domain recording, Windows, Mac and Linux clients using Samba shares, tablets and smartphones via WebDAV. You can easily control about quotas, who can use how much of your disk space.

Classroom control
About the OSS Clax Monitor for Windows you can see who is on which PC account, can lock these PCs, share, and restart or check a screenshot of what is being done there.

WLAN access
The optional extension OSS radius allows you to hedge wireless access  via Enterprise Access Points, then authorized users and devices can log directly from your personal password to the WLAN.

IPad and Co.
Modern devices such as tablets and iPads can be integrated into school life: take them into the network, allow them by WebDAV shares to load and save data on the server, you control via OSS radius accesses and switch individual printers free for printing directly from the iPad.

Convenient Operation
The operation and administration of the Open School Server will be handled using a browser from any PC in the school. Most functions can thus also achieve at home. Here, the OSS presents all functions depending on the user rights and the different IT skills.

Protection of minors
The predefined , regularly updated or custom filter lists allow you to control access to the Internet, divided into user groups. For the class, you can also create "positive lists" , which can be enabled as needed for a classroom - so you can guide students targeted or you grant them controlled access to objectionable sites. The access can be logged and the logs are available to eligible employees for evaluation.

Security
The integrated firewall protects your school network from unauthorized external access and uncontrolled traffic outside. You yourself decide which accesses to which areas of the network will be possible. The integrated virus scanner automatically scans incoming e- mails and regular public directories. You can always inspect the results of this test.

Software Distribution
The administration of your Windows clients is easy with the Open School Server. With the integrated imaging solution to clone PCs. With the new Softwarerepository you selectively install the software. You will usually not have to go to the PC itself. And just in case only one click on "Restore" and your PC is running again.

Simple Installation
Although you get a full-fledged Linux server the installation is performed in a few steps without prior knowledge: Enter your school data , select a network configuration, the administrator's password and the components you want to install. Then create rooms, assign PCs to the rooms and import your students and teachers. Finished!

As far as the description of the software.

The second problem had to do with the hardware. Due to the distances between the computer  and server rooms  fiber optic cable was used. After the initial installation of the network that was not a problem: In the remote computer lab, a switch was installed, that had 2 fiber ports in addition to the required Ethernet ports for the PC 's. The Ethernet cables of the other PC room ran directly to a patch panel in the server cabinet and also a switch with two fiber ports was installed. A little later other rooms also should get connected by fiber optic cable. Switches with so many fiber ports, as we needed, were too expensive (then about 1000 € per port ) and we needed 10-12 ports. Our school budget was too small. The solution was Ebay + Friends of the "Gymnasium an der Gartenstrasse". We acquired the switches used on Ebay where they could be purchased for a few 100 € as home users seemed to be not interested.