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Computers for Uganda?
" I was hoping to use thin-clients because they are very durable and create very little load for a server, however, I am not experienced enough to administer them properly using Linux (the same going for Solaris), and do not have enough money for Windows licensing (and also hope to have them be as reliable as possible). I would like to use Apple computers because that is the OS I am most well-versed in, and know that when I leave Uganda and if a problem were to arise, that there would be hope of the problem being rectified. I'm more looking to donate these computers to his school as opposed to set up an internet cafe; so I would be looking to have 6-20 computers and a server. I have never set up a network on a large scale and will need to know about what type of router/hub/network configurations would be plausible (I have a very basic knowledge of administering networks, something I hope to fix soon).
I thank all of you for your input, I hope we can make this happen!"
A lot depends on the telecom infrastructure.
It may be cheaper to use cell phones. It is also possible to use satellite phones, but of course you'll have to share this among a lot of people to make it economical.
Put together a network plan. Is it possible?
Services are hard to get, but you can probably negotiate discounts and get grants from foundations to underwrite them.
Same goes for equipment. Software of course is the easiest ask.
The way you ask is you create a project, identify foundations and corporations to underwrite it. You can contact foundations and ask for advice -- this is easy because that's what they're in the business of doing. For corporate underwriting and in-kinds, contact the corporation's public affairs department who will now how to proceed. Think big. Asking for less than 10-20K worth of stuff is a waste of time.
If you can do this under the aegis of scouting, it'd be a huge asset in getting foundations and corporations on board.
Good luck.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
'How do they do this?' he asked. I told him that in a lot of places in the world these are quite common; he was awe. "'ot in Uganda' he said to me. He told me that at the university he attends there are only three computers; and only one of them has the ability to get on the internet.
Give the guy the number of microsoft, they will be kind engouh to make that number climb to hundreds of pcs in donations propaganda.
But the funny thing of this, is that on the end there still will be, only one computer connected to the internet, while the others stroken by virus or rebooting all the time, will be on the mantainence queue
xPTo:.
Canvasing business' and individuals for older computer hardware. You might luck out and get a router/switch too, then your friend in uganda is all set. Good luck with that, and very nice of you to care so much about this issue.
Better make sure your buddy's not gay or an atheist first.
*Work with the University -- they may have some funding, and perhaps some experience. And, they will end up maintaining it some day, so they have a vested interest.
*Find out what Internet options are available first -- is DSL or Cable available in that area? T1? A cluster of 28.8 modems?
*6-20 computers is rather small. Commodity network hardware will be fine. Chances are, you will want a switch, and maybe a DSL/Cable router, like those made for home users by Linksys, Netgear, and others.
*Talk with companies (Linksys, Nortel, Cisco, Netgear) -- they may be willing to donate.
*Apple is good -- very good -- but, if you are on a tight budget, consider Linux, and use simple XFree86 with X-based thin clients. Call it a learning experience.
*Don't do it by yourself! As a scout, you may be able to find others who are interested and knowledgable. A second opinion is always valuable!
*If you can go Linux, ask for PC donations. Simple "low-end" (old) hardware can run as thin clients. Don't buy hardware if you can get it for free!
10b||~10b -- aah, what a question!
There are many international organizations out there that are dedicated to bringing telecommunications, computers, and internet access to developing countries (I belive there is one, if not many, headed by the UN). Perhaps a little googling would get some results.
There are many computer recycling programs in north america as well. Some are run by major computer companies themselves. Dell for example, will take your old computer when you buy a new one from them. I'm sure if you called them and arranged some meetings, they would consider giving you systems from their recycling efforts.
If all else fails, get them by other conventional means. Do a "Computer Drive". Setup ads in the local paper, have people set computers outside (in a box) on a certain date, and collect them with volunteers.
Frink: Nice try floyd, but you were designed for scrubbing, and scrubbing is what you shall do.
I told him that in a lot of places in the world these are quite common; he was awe. "'ot in Uganda' he said to me.
If you are happy with sharing the existing Internet access method, then great, connect the modem or whatever to your server, give it a *tight* access policy to keep costs down and off you go. If you need more bandwidth for the extra computers then you have a problem. Since you don't say *where* your friend's University is, it's hard to be specific, I'd assume it's in a major town though. If that's the case, then might need to connect directly to Kampala, or even to one of the adjacent countries, of which Kenya and Tanzania are more likely to have connectivity. For the distances likely to be involved you are most likely going to need to go wireless, and I don't mean 802.11x; take a look at packet radio for a start, it's far cheaper than satellite!
A couple of other ideas: take a look at the various projects around the developed world to bring broadband to isolated communities, try and get in touch with people involved and see if they can help. If telephony is lacking, then would sending the IP over any existing powerlines by viable for example? Document everything on the web; successes, failures, pitfalls, problems that are overcome and how it was done. Sooner or later someone else will try something similar, and even if you fail they can benefit from your experiences.
Finally, (lot's of) good luck! You are going to need it!
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
I thought the VI effect certainly would have kicked in by now.
If moderation could change anything, it would be illegal.
I know this place is not where Bill's popularity is at its peak but you may want to consider sending a letter requesting money/resources to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Mostly the organization is concerned with preventing diseases but they are very active in all areas of African charity. Plus, as far as charities go, this one seems to know a thing or two about how to get a computer.
While I admire the fact that you want to go help out the third world (and specifically a university - has the potential for lots of great things there), I think this is one of those things were you need to go through every single part of your plan with a fine toothed comb.
While I've never been to Uganda myself, I did work for the Zambian government for a number of months setting up an IT department at one of their agencies (I've posted to slash about it in the past, feel free to ask specifics though).
A few things to consider:
Now all that being said, I don't want to dissuade you from your plan. I just suggest that you talk with people 'in the know.' I'm sure that the good fellows at GeekCorps or TakingITGlobal could point you in the right direction. Good luck!
Shipping: It is very expensive and very slow to send equipment to Africa. Moreover, you can't do things like run out for more ethernet cable if you find yourself short. Anything you order from the west can be expected to take months to arive, and will cost a great deal of money to ship. You can also expect to pay extra to get it through customs - though since its for an educational project, they might cut you a break.
Environment: African roads are generally unpaved and therefor tend to kick up a lot of dust. Uganda is also very hot, and at times very humid. All of these factors can play havoc on computer systems. Don't expect the hardware to last as long as it would in, say, the United States. Make sure your computers are opperating in a building that is well air-conditioned, and more or less sealed from outside dust.
Electricity: Electricity in Africa tends to be unreliable - not just in the sense that the lights don't always go on, but also in that it is subject to wide variations in voltage. At my school, there was once a power surge that shorted out every computer connected to the ethernet. A powerfull UPS and good surge protection are a must.
I don't want to rain on your parade; it is a worthy project, and Africa could definiately use more computers. Just keep in mind that setting up the network itself may indeed prove to be the least of the problems you encounter.
SpyDock: Scientific Python in a Docker container
Remeber the times of slow internet? A proxy might (or might not) save some load on a singe DSL or whatever line to the rest of the world.
It all depends on what you have to work with.
If they have the money for a Sun Ray farm, that would be the easiest to administer (for a Solaris admin). Once they're set up, that's it - done, zero maintenance (except creating accounts, which you could have just a set of guest accounts or something). They're well under $400 each, and Universities get a _nice_ discount. The only problem is you'd have to get yourself a Solaris box to run the Sun Ray Server software. Figure on a few hundred for a decent one on ebay.
The cheapest way to go would be the open source thin-client way. Linux. There are several Linux thin client solutions out there, just google for "linux thin client". For the server, you wouldn't need much, depending on how "thin" the thin clients are. You won't need a router, just a hub or switch (under $50), as you'll be using IP Masquerading on the server. You'll need to do it this way due to their connection - everyone will have to share a single IP.
So, basically... Solaris is easier for them to administer (after you leave), and Linux is cheaper. Linux could be just as easy for them to admin, _if_ you set it up properly, but this requires more work on your part (not sure what kind of time-frame you're dealing with). Sun Rays, in comparison, are as easy to hook up as a TV set (not kidding)!
- Preferences: Solaris 10 (servers), Ubuntu (desktops), Solaris 11 (personal servers) -
I helped set up a whole university in Nigeria, and all I had to do was send them my bank account number....
I'm a lawyer with excellent karma. Something's gotta be wrong.
Uganda is under attack by the LRA christian rebels. They want to have a very strict government based on the ten commandements. So long as that country is at war I'm not sure how you'll set up anything there. And the infrastructure just isn't the same as you'd expect it to be. Electricity goes out 10 times a day in the place there is some. Phone lines are scarce so forget about DSL.
this post does nothing to answer the question. he didnt ask how to get equipment or raise money. he asked about the technical details of setting up a LAN with a gateway.
Another big problem is there's nothing to sell these people online. They have no credit cards.
Anyway, he can probably tell the story better then me. I'll try to get him to post his thoughts.
I've hit Karma 50 and gotten a Score:5, Troll... I win!
Please do not feed the trolls. i.e. Do not respond to this artical. Cliff is a retard. You gotta be kidding with this one. Jeez.
My friend Clif Cox did a networking project in Bhutan as a United Nations Volunteer (UNV). You might find his experances working in a lesser developed country of use in making your plans.
Cases, power supplies, monitors tend to be larger and will ship more slowly - but once they're there it may (?) be easier and faster to send in smaller components like disk drives, motherboards and so on. Pack them well. You might find some people in airline/travel jobs are willing to carry an occasional package of this sort.
Hardware tools (low tech where alternatives exist). Get lots of the right sized screwdrivers, needle nosed pliers, socket pullers, digital multi-meters and all that fun stuff. If its easily available in-country, don't send a lot, but it may be a good idea to send at least one.
Get a good collection of books on how to diagnose and repair your hardware. If people are motivated enough they'll do their best to try to fix them when they break and having literature on how to do it would be a good thing. And clearly if your computer isn't working you can't look it up online.
Network connectivity may be a problem so setting up local discussion groups (maybe even based on uucp or something similar, so it could be regional/national) would be a good thing. Also if you run a caching proxy with aggressive rules about not-refetching unless needed, it can make things rather faster.
A server with a good sized disk could be used to mirror commonly used sites (at least if the site allows it). Say things like project gutenberg, wikipedia and so on.
Run Unicks of some sort (linux, bsd...). Many of the people will have a learning curve anyway, if they learn how to run unix they'll learn more skills having to do with actually programming and systems stuff than if they run windows. Network connectivity is a Good Thing, but it may be as important to grow local experts in both hardware and software. I think that bears repeating in its own paragraph :
One of the potential benefits (and perhaps the greatest one) would be growing local experts in both hardware and software.
From VIM website:
Vim is charityware. Its license is GPL-compatible, so it's distributed freely, but we ask that if you find it useful you make a donation to help children in Uganda through the ICCF.
I agree with you. I think that this idea that the fellow has is not as easy as it looks. He admits to not knowing much about networking. I don't understand how he even hopes to get the computer(s) set up. Instead of us teaching him from scratch, why doesn't he gather up some of his own money & send it to a professional. Of course, once that's done, he can deal with the electricity problems.
Not only that; he has to bear in mind that free hand outs are the exact opposite of what these people need. Think about that for a moment. Everybody should try to imagine what the black friend [he was black wasn't he? I'm not trying to be racist; I'm trying to keep tabs on the people involved] will do once he can afford his own computer(s). I doubt that the friend will want to donate them to a university. Besides, who said that the friend really wanted to have a computer? There is the "Wow! Can I have that for free?" type of desire, & then there's the "Cool! I'll buy 1." type of desire. In the case of the former, when the person is asked to pay, he'll often sing a different song: "Uh, not now. Maybe later."; or "A foobar for that price? It's not worth it.". I think that there needs to be a lot of changing in the mind sets of the recepients.
Before we start sending computers over there, we really need to ask ourselves how much benefit people will get out the devices. It's not as if dead tree texts are going to hinder their learning of reading, writing, arithmatic, other pressing subjects.
testing out my trending skills
I told him that in a lot of places in the world these are quite common; he was awe. "'ot in Uganda' he said to me.
... but what on earth are slashdot editors drawing down an actual paycheck for? No filtering for duplicate submissions, no correction of spelling and grammar ... let alone fact checking (and that's going to get slashdot sued one of these days).
Do the editors here ever edit? I realize slashdot has a policy of trying to preserve as much of the original submissions as possible, and yes, there's the argument for content over presentation
Don't you even have any pride? I guess not, long as people like me continue to post. It's all about those ad impressions, eh?
I've finally had it: until slashdot gets article moderation, I am not coming back.
Internet cafes are not uncommon in the major population centers of Uganda: Kampala, Mbabara, Masaka, Kabale etc. Should any Slashdot readers find themselves in Kampala they are invited to visit my brother's Internet Cafe, Jupiter Communications in Kisimente. There are a couple of bars nearby where European and American expatriates like to hang out also.
That said, your friend probably attends university some distance from any major city. IT infrastructure in the nonurban areas of Uganda is lacking in all senses, it is likely that the school machines at his university are 10 year old 486 or even 386 devices with 5.25" floppies that were donated by some well meaning alumnus now based overseas. The problem with simply donating more machines, or even gifting the school with an entire network is that it is unlikely they have any personnel who can support it. To be fair then, rather than simply gifting a Ugandan school with this technology one should either arrange for the network to be remotely administered or provide funds for a system administrator, which will probably include funds for housing, food and transportation as well as a salary.
Furthermore, Uganda has a government mandated telecommunications duopoly, making service prices for high speed internet outrageous where phone lines are available. Satellite connections are severely limited by law, the telecoms duopoly also being in operation there. I don't think cellular data services are available although a clever hacker may be able to piggy back dial up service over a few cellular lines. Given the phone line quality it may actually be the preferred approach. Uganda also has high tariffs on importation of electronics, cell phones moreso than computers but high end computers, especially laptops are likely to be difficult to clear through customs cheaply. I'm not sure if making such a shipment as a charity case would help. Actually, it would probably help local education and industry to set up a shop to assemble computers from parts. This would help in establishing a base to train local talent in machine maintanance. The school could offer a course in these services to help defray costs in the same way some vocational high schools sell the services of their students.
As for those who are worried about availability of electricity (definitely a problem but improving in Uganda), clean water, food (actually that's one area that Uganda does not head help in), school books, pencils, etc. rather than dumping computers in a society without the infrastructure to support them, I say give people a chance. The more options they have the more likely they are to find a solution to their own problems. A Uganda in which the vast store of information that is the internet is widely available, is a Uganda which stands a better chance of breeding local enterpreneurs who will organize to provide running water to villages, run power lines, and have up to date educational materials. I am not a raging libertarian or free market zealot, but it has been the case that countries who have followed a development plan dictated by aid delivered from outside agencies (mostly in Africa and Central America) have lagged behind countries that have sought to create and protect local industry (mostly in Asia). I don't want this to degenerate into a rant about H1Bs, Indian immigration policies, or the valuation of Chinese currency, so suffice it to say, giving a Ugandan school a functioning, maintanable internet connection is not going to unemploy some worthy US based programmer or system administrator.
Would it be worth setting up your own power source? I once heard a statistic in australia that it would cost about $3K to set up a clean solar power grid and battery system for 24/7 power.
Obviously this is not an easy thing to implement, but may be a more significant legacy than installing the computers.
09F91102 no, 455FE104 nope, F190A1E8 uh-uh, 7A5F8A09 that's not it, C87294CE no. Ah! 452F6E403CDF10714E41DFAA257D313F.
A co-worker of mine is from Uganda. I pointed him to this question, and he wrote me with the following info. Apparently he is involved in this organization, helping to get Ugandans connected.
http://www.schoolnetuganda.sc.ug/
====
This gentleman could start by asking the Schoolnet Uganda project how to help this university if not he can use some other services I have listed below.
Vision:
SchoolNet Uganda is a national network of professional educators and schools whose vision is to transform the Uganda educational system from an Industrial model (learning by assimilation) to a knowledge-based model to prepare the youth of Uganda to effectively enter a Global Economy based on Knowledge, Information and Technology.
Mission:
SchoolNet Uganda's mission is to make graduates of Uganda's education system more globally competitive. SchoolNet Uganda supports Uganda educators and learners by providing pedagogical and technical expertise and advice, infrastructure and human resources, coordination, training and capacity building and developing SMART local and international partnerships in the areas of:
Internet Connectivity and Appropriate Technology
Content and Curriculum Development
Human Resources Development and Capacity Building
Community Responsibility and Development
Objective:
SchoolNet Uganda's objective is to work in partnership with all Uganda educational institutions (public or private, primary, secondary or tertiary) to setup their ICT facilities and to develop technical and pedagogical capacity necessary to use ICT to enhance teaching and learning.
Current Membership:
Presently there are 42 participating educational institutions geographically disbursed around the country.
Central Region (17): King's College Budo, Mengo SS, Gayaza HS, Namilyango College, Lubiri SS, Makerere College, Kitante HS, Kibuli SS, Nabisunsa Girls, Bombo SS, Ndejje SS, St. Mary's Kisubi, Mount. St. Mary's Namagunga, St. Henry's Kitovu, Maranatha PS, NCDC and Nkumba University.
Eastern Region (11): Jinja SS, St. James, PMM Girls, Kiira College, Wanyange Girls SS, Busoga College Mwiri, Iganga Girls, Bukoyo SS, Mbale SS, Teso College, and Moroto High School.
Northern Region (2): Lango College and Muni NTC.
Western Region (4): Duhaga SS (Hoima), Ntare School, Bweranyange Girls and Kigezi High School.
New Schools (8): Martyrs' SS Namugongo, Vienna College, Nsamba Girls, Rubaga Girls, Buloba HS, Kabojja SS, Mityana SS, and Trinity College Nabbingo
International Partners:
World Links Organization (Office Staff, Training activities, subsidy on VSAT connectivity costs).
Schools Online USA (Computers, Routers, Microwave wireless connectivitity equipment).
Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation (VSATs - earth satellite dishes for rural school's connectivity).
International Institute for Comunication and Development - IICD (Global Teenager Project & Adopt-a-School).
International Education and Resource Network - I*Earn (International School-to-School networking).
International Development Projects - IDP (Teacher Internships and Virtual Enterprise Projects).
International Institute for Capacity Building in Africa - UNESCO-IICBA (CD-based and Internet content creation and ICT Training).
Alpha Smart (Alpha Smart Keyboards).
Cisco Systems (Cisco Cache Engines).
Sun Microsystems (Sun Servers).
OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS
1. Host the VSAT equipment.
2. Protect the VSAT antenna from human interference or otherwise by providing a cage for the equipment.
3. Keep the number of PCs connected to the Internet initially to no more than (10) not to disorganise the other schools sharing the same bandwidth. The bandwidth coming to the schools is 256 Kbs (shared) for the start. The schools can pay for more bandwidth.
4. Provide security and insurance for the equipment.
5. Pay
Software sucks. Open Source sucks less.
So you told your friend that you would help him set up computers to use the internet at his university and now that he actually wants you to help him, you're in the shit. LOL.
...and that the only system which has ever been seriously effective against AIDS in Africa is Christian-sponsored abstinence campaigns (which Atheist organisations decry and actively undermine; apparently it is better in their eyes to die slowly and painfully than to hold Christian beliefs), that statement is suddenly no longer funny, and no longer a troll.
Lest you think to idly mod this into the ground, bear in mind that what we're talking about here is real people catching a real disease and really dying horribly by the millions. This is not a game, this is not a joke, this is not armchair-discussion fodder, this is real life. There are over four million new cases of AIDS every year in Africa, and that number is not going down. I live in Western Australia, a state with a population of around two million people, which makes this the equivalent of everyone in my entire state dying, twice a year.
Compared with that, how prominent a need is access to porn and spam? So yes, go right ahead and check that your buddy's not gay, and not Atheist, because they're the two greatest threats to life in Africa and you don't want to make him your exemplar - the person others turn to for advice - if he's either.
I have a number of friends in Australia who are gay, and one in particular who has extensive contacts in the USA (which has less than 1% of Africa's AIDS problem) and something like ten percent of his many gay friends there have died of AIDS already. This gives you a pretty good idea of how closely AIDS is tied to homosexuality in real life.
Yes, the Scouts have both Catholic and Masonic ties, and yes, both organisations have their own agendas which have very little to do with the welfare of their members, even less to do with the welfare of mankind in general, and in point of fact even less to do with Christianity as such, but the Scouts as they are generally have an extremely positive impact on society, and these two features which you have chosen to isolate (and yes, I do appreciate the funny side of it) are essential to that positive impact.
Now if you want a serious rant... (-:
Got time? Spend some of it coding or testing
If you want to attempt to use Linux in your 'lab' you might want to look at K12 Terminal Server Project [www.k12ltsp.org]. I have never used them before, but from its website it might be just what you are looking for to use in your thin clients. As an Eagle Scout, I commend you on your efforts. You might also want to look for a fellow scout that is computer knowlegeable and let him help you do this for his Eagle Scout Project. Let us know at Slashdot how things go!
I've put some volunteer time with a 501(c) nonprofit here in Omaha, Nebraska called Computers For Africa and they are helping to "bridge the digital divide" in this exact same sense. Testing and assembling 'outdated' computers from businesses, we send full deployments of 10-or-so preconfigured PCs for schools in Uganda, particularly to benefit women and address the gender disparity in education as well. It's a great organization engaged in a great cause. See if you can get businesses you know to donate their old systems to this group - or similiar. They need the hardware and infrastructure of course too, electricity and cost of Internet access is quite steep in most places in Africa.
Your commitment to do good is impressive. Perhaps you could take a cue from this article. I guess Uganda might not be very different (given the Equatorial climate).
I just came across a link on the BBC that has a programme about Ghana.
t m
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/1478157.s
I've not watched it but it may have some useful information.
Then find a way to put it into action!
I have always wanted to do something like this myself. I am not sure about the electrical requirement in a foreign country. I thought there was an issue with getting donated computers from say, the USA, and using them where the power is different.
Assuming power is not an issue, then there are many organizations willing to donate older computers. I work in a school system, and we have had to do this ourselves in the past. Today, we are in a good spot, and are now recycling some older computers. If they would run in Uganda, I'm sure I could get you a few. Possibly even an older server, and I know we have some old hubs. They all have network cards in them and a couple may even have modems (dumb question - do modems made for the US work only on US tele systems? - and before anyone think's it is so dumb, I know monitors are calibrated according to whether they are being shipped north or south of the equator)
Then the next problem is shipping - how do these things get there? We don't have the money for that, fund raising would have to happen, and I don't even know how to get these things over. Pardon my ignorance, I am not a foreign traveler or aide, but I often see where donations are made to a country, and then that donation is stolen by gangs and sold on the black market long before it ever gets to the destination. So when I say the proper shipping, I mean the proper channels of security so it will truly arrive safely.
Next up is language. If the primary language is not English, then software licensing takes a whole different turn. If that is a problem, then I would suggest some form of Linux for a more affordable OS. Again, is there a language barrier there?
Since you are in Scouts, then you are in a prime spot to work with a local University and public school system. This is exactly the kind of project a school could get very excited about. Kids, they love to make things and collect things and ship them to soldiers. They collect coats for the homeless, and they really take a lot of pride in doing this. If you don't know anyone, I know a few and would be glad to help. If you are not able to take a qualified network type with you (like me!) then shipping you off prepared with some standard procedures for setting up a simple network should be all you need. If you did have at least one form of Internet access, then email/messaging/chat can talk you through a problem.
One way to approach this is to know what the needs are, then have the entire network mocked up here, then when it is shipped, you basically just need to plug it in.
But a better way, is set it all up there. That way there is the opportunity to train those people on staff there so that they may be able to take care of the system themselves when the job is complete.
Good luck with this - there are way too many old computers and old books (off topic - but did you know that public libraries and schools simply throw their old books away????) that simply go to the landfill because no one knows what to do with them!
moral and ethical issues aside, i am wondering what the copyright laws in uganda are. what i'm getting at is, does it matter what it costs for windows licensing if that country doesn't have copyright laws?
Large print giveth, and the small print taketh away