Case Studies > Bournemouth University School of Design, Engineering & Computing

Bournemouth University is a modern and innovative institution that consistently achieves one of the highest graduate employment rates in the UK. The University’s School of Design, Engineering & Computing is particularly well respected for its work in VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), electronic systems design, human computer interface design and applied computing.

The School has recently undertaken a major project to refresh the computing infrastructure within its UNIX-based teaching environment, in order to reduce running costs and improve the overall learning experience for students by increasing the performance and availability of the resources in each lab. The School had previously taken a ‘one workstation to every desk’ approach and ran 56 individual workstations – including Sun Ultra 10 workstations and Sun Enterprise 450 servers. However, when the School identified a need for increased performance it also took the opportunity to investigate whether an alternative systems architecture would offer benefits.

The School chose to work with Distributor Systems International (DSI), a specialist in the design and integration of leading-edge IT and communications solutions based on Sun Microsystems platforms. After detailed discussions with DSI regarding the various technology options, the School decided to install a Grid Computing solution using Sun’s powerful Sun Fire V210 servers to provide the processing resources required to run a wide range of electronic design, computing and software engineering management courses. DSI also provided a new desktop infrastructure solution using Sun Ray ultra-thin client technology to offer students and staff flexible desktop access to the Grid's resources. DSI also suggested extending the life of some of the School’s older workstations by redeploying them within the infrastructure, where they could be used as clients on the Grid as well as standalone workstations for teaching the UNIX operating system. Some of the older workstations may also be added to the Grid itself, in order to add even more performance.

DSI – specialists in Sun Grid Computing and thin-client solutions

Shaun Bendall, UNIX Systems Manager for the School of Design, Engineering & Computing at Bournemouth University, explains in more detail: "I had already carried out some research, and I could see many advantages in replacing the standalone desktop workstations with a centralised computing system and thin-client desktop devices. I was also interested in how Grid Computing could help us to optimise the use of our computing resources and effectively increase our return on investment from our IT infrastructure. However, I still needed to understand more about the implications of these technologies, so I was pleased when I was contacted by DSI, who specialise in thin-client technology and Grid Computing, and have several clients who use similar applications in similar environments to ours.

"Although I hadn’t worked with DSI before, I was impressed by the amount of time they were prepared to spend with me discussing my needs and gaining a thorough understanding of what I wanted to achieve, before recommending a creative and cost-effective solution that would reduce costs and increase performance. Everyone at DSI went out of their way to help and to answer all of my questions. During our discussions, DSI gave us plenty of advice and came up with lots of ideas – and we subsequently identified a solution that met the needs of our students, researchers and academics."

The new infrastructure includes a Grid Computing solution comprising Sun Fire V210 servers and Sun’s N1 Grid Engine software, together with a thin-client desktop system that includes 20 x Sun Ray clients and 2 x dual processor Sun Fire V210 platforms that act as the Sun Ray servers. DSI recognised that some of the older Ultra 10 workstations and Sun Enterprise 450 servers could still be of use to the School, so, instead of decommissioning them, many of the older servers were redeployed within the new infrastructure. All of the Sun servers are running under Sun’s dependable Solaris Operating System, with the Sun Ray servers running the latest Solaris 9 Operating System. Solaris 9 has also been installed on the School’s existing Sun Enterprise 450 servers, for use in teaching UNIX.

Shaun adds: "Throughout my career in systems administration I’ve worked with Solaris, NT and Linux, and I’ve only ever had positive experiences with Sun technology."

Easy to set up and administer – leads to lower running costs

"Across all UNIX labs we now have a mixed desktop environment, combining Sun Ultra 10's, Sun Rays and Linux workstations. All three desktop configurations have full access to the resources being managed by the Sun Grid Engine software, with a major part of those resources being provided by powerful Sun Fire V210 servers. The Linux workstations are used primarily for teaching and research in computer graphics but are integrated into the grid to provide part of the compute power. This gives us a 'sit anywhere access anything' environment. Again, DSI were very helpful in advising on our requirements for our Linux-based systems.

"One of the main concerns I had when first considering upgrading the infrastructure was ensuring that the VLSI design applications we use would be compatible with the new system. We run applications from a number of major software vendors, including Mentor Graphics, Synopsis and Cadence, and I was keen to test their operation on a Sun Ray solution to ensure that there weren’t going to be any problems. DSI helped us to run a ‘proof of concept’ by lending us a system comprising a Sun Ray server and several Sun Ray ultra-thin clients – including Sun Ray 1g, Sun Ray 100 and Sun Ray 150 desktop devices – so that I could test the software applications. DSI brought the equipment to our site, and I was impressed with how easy the whole system was to set up and run – it was simply a case of setting IP addresses and hooking it up to our network."

DSI also arranged a visit for me to one of their customers, a large corporation that runs similar applications to ourselves in a Grid Computing and Sun Ray ultra-thin client environment. It was very useful to be able to discuss their experiences and the benefits they’d gained from their own Grid and thin client infrastructure. These discussions also helped us to plan our own configuration and networking options."

Sharing resources across The Grid… boosts return on investment

"The Grid together with our Sun Ray environment offers many benefits over our previous ‘workstation on every desk’ approach. The new system delivers more than enough processing power for our students’ needs, it offers a far more efficient use of resources and it's also much simpler to maintain. In the past there were times when some workstations were being used to their maximum capacity, whilst others were sitting unused – even though the processing power of the 'idle' workstations would have been useful in helping students to run particularly demanding jobs. Now, when students are running large jobs, the Grid enables them to access all of the computing power offered by the Grid, so they're no longer limited to the power that's on their particular desktop. All of our students – whether they're studying computing, software engineering management or VLSI design – can benefit from having easy access to the entire grid and, by making more efficient use of our computing resources, we're getting a much better return on our IT investments.

"Using Sun Ray appliances on the desktop is also yielding benefits in terms of cost savings and flexibility. The Sun Ray clients access applications from a central server – so there’s no need to visit every desktop whenever we need to roll-out new software or upgrades – and I can ensure that I’ve fully tested and configured the applications centrally, before the students use them. When I want to introduce new software or upgrades, I just tell students what commands they need to run the software, and away they go – whereas, in the past, I had to install individual copies on up to 56 workstations.

"It’s also very easy to add more Sun Ray clients, or to swap the existing ones around, as they can be plugged in and out as simply as a telephone handset.

"DSI provided a site licence for the Sun Ray solution, so we’ve got the flexibility to expand in the future without needing to purchase more licences."

Thin-client benefits

"As the Sun Ray clients haven’t got any moving parts – such as disks – there’s virtually no risk of any failures at the desktop. Furthermore, they consume less electricity and generate much less heat and noise than workstations or PCs. The heat and especially noise reduction is a great benefit in a teaching environment that has a large number of desktops – and the reduction in energy consumption not only saves us money, it also means we're helping in the UK Government's programme to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

"Without disks on the desktop it's also much harder for users to introduce their own software, so one major source of viruses is eliminated. As Sun Ray devices require a central server, Sun Ray appliances are far less likely to be stolen than a workstation or a PC.

"Another major benefit of Sun Ray appliances is the smartcard access facility that enables users to go to any Sun Ray on our network, swipe their smartcard through the reader and have immediate access to their data and work sessions – regardless of which Sun Ray desktop device they're using. It could be very useful for academics who may have to teach in different rooms, and for postgraduate students who may be dividing their time between lectures and working on major projects. A smartcard would give users the flexibility to switch between Sun Ray clients in our project labs and those in our teaching rooms, without disrupting their work. Users simply use the card to log-off from one device, and log-in to another, and pick up their session where they left off."

EduSoft… cost-effective access to Sun software

The School has also taken advantage of Sun’s high value software offering for education – Sun Education Software (EduSoft) – which provides educational establishments with access to Sun’s wide range of software technologies, development tools and training programmes with ‘no-cost’ or ‘low-cost’ licences. The suite includes over 100 products, including the Solaris 9 Operating System, Sun Studio, Sun Java Web Services Development products, StarOffice, and Sun Ray server software.

Shaun continues: "With the School offering a wide range of computing, software and design courses, it's particularly useful to have easy, low-cost access to such a wide range of software products. We’re currently using the major development and productivity applications included within the package, including the Java development tools and StarOffice. We also intend to make use of some of the other applications by incorporating them into our courses; for example, helping students to learn about Sun's Trusted Solaris 8 Operating System, which provides additional security extensions to the Solaris Operating System.

"The EduSoft package is a very cost-effective way of using Sun’s software applications and tools, and will enable us to develop our courses for the future, without having to purchase additional software.

"One of the courses we run is a part-time Masters Degree in VLSI design. The students are in full time employment and come into the School to attend lectures and lab sessions. Currently, the toolsets these students need to use, such as the ECAD tools, aren’t easily available elsewhere, so it’s difficult for students to get access to the toolsets when they are off-site. We want be able to give these students access to our computing grid via a portal, so that they can access the resources without having to travel to our site, and therefore we can help them to manage their time more effectively. The Sun Grid Engine Portal will enable us to provide this facility, and we're looking to have a test system in place later this year.

"Overall, the help and advice that DSI has given has been key in helping us to configure, implement and run a Sun Grid Computing solution that delivers much higher performance and yet is easy to maintain. We now have a highly efficient and very cost-effective solution; which has enabled us to improve the teaching environment, whilst getting the maximum return from our overall investment. The new solution is very simple to administer, and I can easily grow the system by adding more processing power to the grid and more Sun Ray clients at very little cost."

Key Highlights

Company:
• Bournemouth University School of Design, Engineering & Computing

Industry:
• Education

Applications:
• Computing; including Software Development
• Electronics design; including VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) applications

Hardware/Software:
• Sun Fire V210 servers
• Sun Ultra 10 workstations
• Sun Enterprise 450 servers
• Sun N1 Grid Engine software
• Sun Solaris 8 Operating System
• Sun Solaris 9 Operating System
• Sun Ray Ultra-Thin Clients
• Sun Ray server software
• Sun Education Software (EduSoft)

Key Business Results:
• Grid Computing solution optimises the use of IT resources leading to increased return on investment and improved teaching experience.
• When students need to run large jobs, the Grid gives them access to all computing power – so they're no longer limited by the power that's on their particular desktop.
• DSI invested time gaining a thorough understanding of Bournemouth University's needs, before recommending a creative solution that reduced costs and increased performance. DSI also helped run a ‘proof of concept’.
• Sun Ray appliances on the desktop generate cost savings and increase flexibility.
• Centralised computing architecture simplifies roll-outs of software and upgrades, whilst also improving security.
• With no moving parts, Sun Ray appliances virtually eliminate the risk of failures at the desktop.
• Sun Ray appliances consume less electricity and generate much less heat and noise than workstations or PCs – saving money, improving the lab environment and helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Smartcard access will give users access to their data and work sessions – regardless of which Sun Ray desktop device or lab they're using.
• Sun Education Software (EduSoft) provides educational establishments with access to Sun’s wide range of software technologies, with ‘no-cost’ or ‘low-cost’ licences.
• Sun Grid Engine Portal will offer students remote access to their work sessions.