MAC configurations for network

[ranukumbolo]

I would like to set up a computer lab of 8-10 mac computers that will serve approximately 180 students. Each student will maintain (with help, obviously) a portfolio of work done in art and music class. Therefore, I would like each student to have her own login ID and folder. Since the files will be audio and pictures, storage needs are high.

I will administer the network. I have mac experience, but I am not a sysadmin by any means. I can learn quickly and I am tech savvy, but I hold no illusions of becoming a Unix guru during this school year. The school will be able to get support for installation but I will need to run the thing myself.

Any ideas for hardware/software configurations are welcome. The workstations will likely be mac minis, other than that budget is not a huge issue.

 

[theyellowdart]

Since you'll only be servering 8-10 computers at a time, a single XServer will be able to handle all your needs. Authentication, and Home Directory server. ANd if you get big enough HDs it should be able to handle the storage needs of only 180 users, however if you want to opt and go with an XRAID also, you can do that.

The apple store is down for me right now, so i'm not even sure if they still sell the xserver or not (I think they do... but I remember something about them discontinuing it).

Anyways, you set that up, and apple has a ton of documentation on how to setup all the administration part of it, however if you need help just come back here once you get everything and I, or many other users here, can walk you through it.