An Offline Digital Library¶
This project automatically configures a server for a Digital Library. Client computers for students/users are then installed from software images on the server via PXE netboot. The server contains a number of offline educational resources, together with the full Ubuntu software repositories.
This documentation is intended for technicians working in the field to deploy and maintain such Digital Libraries.
Warning
This is a WORK IN PROGRESS Ubuntu 18.04 (Bionic) version. It is not complete yet.
Contents¶
This project captures the efforts of FAIR in Malawi. As the number of ICT centres steadily grows, the project adds more efficiency and is improving its architecture to accommodate development of new features and future management of individual centre setups.
Basically, these scripts deliver a fully-automated configuration of a default Ubuntu desktop to transform it into a server for the ICT centres, provided that it has access to a data drive containing a copy of the Ubuntu repositories. The server provides a fully functional Ubuntu repository with thousands of programs, combined with TFTP services for installing client desktops over a LAN.
Offline resources¶
In addition to LAN-managed installations of Ubuntu, the server can also provide a range of contemporary offline projects, such as Kolibri and Kiwix (including Wikipedia), together with a Intranet service that collects various educational resources for access via HTTP over the local LAN.
