How to build an Island Computer

If you are planning to run a Computer project in the islands or design a computer to suit the island environment and conditions, consider the following:

POWER

• Power consumption is your most important consideration. Low-power consumption hardware and gadgets are best to select.
  
• Linux will run on a few 'D' cell batteries. Think more carefully about power consumption and robustness.
• Don't use PCs. There's no simple way to keep them running full-time. Even assuming there was always money to pay for fuel, there's often no fuel for the generator. The power required to run a regular PC (and half a dozen monitors, etc.) is still beyond what you can do on batteries. You need to think *ultra* low power.
• Things that could run in the islands: OLPC XO Laptops, EEE PC from Asus or similar solid-state netbooks, Tablets (iPad-like), Smart phones.
• Buy ipad and wireless router a few decent size solar panels and a bunch of batteries.
• If you are running your stations on generator will need Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS).
• Mac minis might fit the bill. They consume 9-11W when 4Gb RAM and a SATA HDD are installed, so with less RAM & NAND or SSD drives instead of SATA, the power draw may even be less. Of course, they can run OS X, Linux or Windows. And they have a tiny form factor which makes moving them around (relatively) cheap and easy should something need servicing.
• Samsung USB-powered monitor - draws 4.5W (http://www.aleutia.com/products/u70). That's 13.5-15.5W per PC, which makes running a few of these, a server and a single UPS etc quite doable from a small solar panel. Not a small panel, a medium one maybe. One per computer. And that is assuming you convert the Minis to 12Vdc first. If you were to use an inverter and a USP you'd loose most of the efficiency just converting the power.
• The power draw from VSATs might be kind of hefty.
• The standard RICS runs on 25Watts and 24Volts DC.
• One of the cool thing about computers is that internally everything is pretty much 5 or 12Vdc. So the first thing you do on a solar system is toss the AC adapter and install a DC to DC power supply.
• 15W/12V=1.25A. A medium size panel does 1.5A 15.4V 23W. So if the sun is very bright you can operate 1 machine constantly put more and the batteries will discharge @1.25Ah per computer. Ideally you want to have a bit more power generation than consumption so you still aren't draining the batteries on a less sunny day.

DURABLE HARDWARE

• Consider robust hardware: No moving parts. Waterproof and strongly protected against a fall on the floor from table height.

COSTING

• WIFI to remove the burden of cable costs
• Price tags on hardware
  
• The server might be able to do double duty as a workstation
• Linux-based (so lots of Free software available)
• Consider population if you are planning for an internet cafe.

SECURITY

• If you run Microsoft Windows XP and Office, they will be infected within two weeks and you will never get them clean.
• Secure (no significant virus threat).
• If you run Windows 7, you'll be better protected

FLEXIBILITY

• If you run Linux, experienced computer users will complain, not without reason.
• Inexperienced computer users will take to Linux like a fish to water.
• MS Office runs equally well on Windows and Linux.
• Icons and language can be customized (Similar interface to phones currently in use).

OPEN SOURCE

• Free licensed AV's around and Open Source like ClamAV/Clawin
• Linux-based (so lots of Free software available)

Case study

• Solomon Island example by David Leeming and the Distance Learning Center project - http://www.peoplefirst.net.sb: The PCs there have been successfully working, virus free, for 3-4 years now.

The information provided are feedbacks from Vanuatu IT Users Society members on VIGNET mailing list - www.vitus.org.vu