A web systems laboratory using portable hard drives

ABSTRACT

A web systems course has long been taught as the first core IT course at Brigham Young University. Along with introducing students to a cross-section of client and server scripting environments, this course also requires students to install and administer a variety of web and database servers under both Linux and Windows. To be done well, the server administration portion of the course requires that each student has free access to his own machine, or some approximation of a dedicated machine.

Various approaches to providing this environment to students have been investigated. Possibilities include providing dedicated hardware to each student, setting up virtual servers, requiring students to obtain notebook computers, and rapid workstation imaging over a SAN. An approach that is less expensive to the institution than providing individualized hardware, and less expensive to students than requiring the purchase of a notebook computer, is to require that students obtain inexpensive, portable hard drives.

The laboratory portion of the web systems course has been redesigned to use student-provided hard drives. Students install Linux on these drives, and configure them so that they will externally boot when connected to any current PC. Windows XP is also installed on each drive, in a virtual machine. Students then install, configure and script applications using Apache, MySQL, Tomcat, and IIS servers. The result is a configuration that provides each student with a system that includes a windows server, a Linux server, and clients of their choosing, all on a virtual network within any PC to which the disk is connected.

This paper describes the course laboratory configuration, and how portable drives help achieve the course objectives. The paper also provides recommendations for others considering similar laboratories, including student feedback concerning drive reliability, hardware interoperability, and instructional value.

REFERENCES

• 1: Bailey, M., Moore, M., Ekstrom, J., "Increasing IT Laboratory Flexibility Using Portable Hard Drives", Proceedings of the ASEE Annual Conference, June, 2007, AC 2007--1986
• 2: Andrea Beth Campbell , Roy P. Pargas, Laptops in the classroom, Proceedings of the 34th SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education, February 19-23, 2003, Reno, Navada, USA
• 3: Dibowitz, P., Stern, A., "The unusual_devs guide", http://www.phildev.net/linux/usb-unusualdevs-notes.html, accessed 9 July 9, 2007
• 4: Higby, C., Blackham, N., Rogers, B., Bailey, M., "Re-imaging Computers for Multi-purpose Labs", Computers in Education Journal, v 15, no. 3, 2005, pp. 34--40
• 5: Leone, J., Hartpence, B., Weber, B., "A Networking and System Administration Laboratory Infrastructure", Proceedings of CITC3, Rochester, NY, 2002, session 261
• 6: Moore, M., "Ubuntu External", http://www.stuporglue.org/ubuntuexternal.php, accessed 9 July 2007
• 7: Stern, A., "hamlet zelig usb-scsi drive sector 0 read error", http://www.mail-archive.com/[e-mail]/msg17751.html, accessed 9 July 2007
• 8: David L. Tarnoff, Shifting students' financial responsibilities from textbooks to laboratory resources, Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, v.22 n.3, p.237-243, January 2007

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.3 COMPUTERS AND EDUCATION
      K.3.2 Computer and Information Science Education
          Subjects: Information systems education

General Terms:
Design, Experimentation, Performance, Reliability

Keywords:
laboratory, portable hard drive, web systems