South African logistic service provider uses IGEL thin clients for incremental migration to open source First branch office in Capetown has already been converted.

The battle against maintenance-intensive workplace environments has long ago become a global trend. Even in South Africa, there are increasingly more centralized computing architectures. The international logistics service provider Bachmann Megafreight already began unification of software and hardware in 2002. But that was not enough. Currently the mid-sized company is migrating to terminal server computing under Linux. Flexible thin client technology from Germany makes the gradual conversion possible.


Early introduction of server-based computing

Bachmann Megafreight (Pty) Ltd. employs about 300 workers on the African continent today. About half originated from Megafreight Services (Pty.), founded in Johannesburg in 1983. In 2001, the company acquired the South African subsidiary of the German traditional logistician J.H. Bachmann GmbH. In addition to its Johannesburg headquarters, the present-day company includes five additional sites in Pretoria, Durban, Newcastle, Port Elizabeth, and Kapstadt. 'The initiative for centralization and outsourcing of IT originated from management,' recalls Dyllan Pascoe, internal IT consultant at Bachmann Megafreight since early 2002. 'At that time I was still employed at IT service provider Imperial Online in Johannesburg. At the end of 2001, three terminal servers with Windows 2000 and Citrix MetaFrame as well as a file server were installed there. Via an ATM network, all necessary files and applications were centrally provided to the subsidiaries. Since 2002 Imperial Online hosts all central servers of the company, among other things an AS/400 and an IBM AIX 3.2 server that until today house branchspecific software such as the Compuclear accounting system. 'Before this first migration, all locations possessed a typical LAN topography with an ATM connection to a previous service provider. Every desktop computer was locally configured. A nightmare for every administrator,' recalls Pascoe.


Migration to Linux and open source

In the course of the conversion to server-based computing, Bachmann Megafreight allowed the remaining desktop PCs to be furnished with an ICA client and first acquired 20 thin clients from the manufacturer Compaq. Yet the first migration was not far-reaching enough for management. 'After my change to Bachmann Megafreight, we jointly looked for a way to avoid the high license costs. And the infrastructure was not consistent enough yet. The desktop PCs were outdated for the most part, too maintenance intensive and insecure.' The decisive factor for the change in direction to open source occurred at the end of 2003 pending a Citrix update. 'The offer appeared way too high to us for our purposes. We separated from Citrix and limited ourselves to Windows 2000 terminal servers and decided on a long-term conversion to Linux. In fact, the copied upgrade to Windows 2003 Server in the following year brought more stability and security, yet the license costs for Microsoft products remained.'

Since his personal resources were very limited, only an incremental migration to Linux and open source came into question. In the search for a suitable thin client provider that could support both terminal systems, Bachmann Megafreight became aware of one of his shipping customers, the local IGEL distributor PAF Systems.


IGEL thin clients as connector

'In comparison with other manufacturers, IGEL satisfied us through the good support and reliability of the units. The ordering and service procedures are quick and simple. Since 2003, there were only two faulty units that were exchanged under guarantee without a problem.' Yet during the conversion from Citrix to Microsoft Terminal Server, the logistics server provider replaced its 20 Compaq units with IGEL-432 LX Winestra.

Currently, the second product generation is being rolled out area-wide with the IGEL-332 LX Compact. With that, Pascoe is killing two birds with one stone: first, the communication ability of the flexible thin client guarantees faultless Linux migration to the desktop level, and second, the workplace environment also becomes fundamentally standardized. Thin client firmware ex works contains all current communication protocols. Among them, the UNIX protocol X11 for the communication of Linux servers, Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), as well as the ICA client used by Citrix. During the course of the workplace standardization, Pascoe also brought in Samsung TFT monitors simultaneously with the second IGEL generation. This fostered not only user acceptance but also additionally decreased service and energy costs.

The old desktops were given to the non-profit Shuttleworth Foundation. The first establishment in the area founded by a South African, Marc Shuttleworth, distributed these with a free Linux distribution named Ubuntu to the region’s schools.


Kapstatt completely converted as the first location

After Kapstatt, Pascoe wants to continue the Linux migration in Johannesburg where a test server is already located. By the beginning of next year, all locations should be furnished with a Linux-based file server and an application server. Dyllan Pascoe uses the German Linux distribution GENTOO. In order to most closely gear towards the appearance and functionality of the accustomed Windows standard, he utilizes the KDE desktop environment that similarly originates from Germany. The communication between server and terminal occurs via X-Server, X-Font, and XDMCP (X Display Manager Control Protocol).

Open source standard software is exclusively installed on the local servers. As a replacement for Microsoft Office, the 60 employees in Kapstatt use Open Office 2.0. So far it runs without problems. Mozilla Thunderbird serves as the email client for the new IMAP server; Mozilla Firefox as the Internet browser. Java environment and Macromedia Flash Player are similarly made available by the server. 'Compared with the earlier Microsoft Exchange Server, there are some limitations such as, for example, the reservation of discussion rooms or resources,' confesses Pascoe. 'But I am confident that the open source community will soon close this gap, too.'


Cost savings of 60 percent

In the new infrastructure model, the local Linux servers are both under one another and connected to the centrally hosted applications in Johannesburg. The emulation software PowerTerm makes access to legacy systems possible; Remote Desktop connects the Linux system with some remaining Microsoft applications. Even in the future, one of the three previous Microsoft Terminal servers will remain in the IT connection because some business-critical applications such as the branch solution ACCPAC are difficult to port. Indeed, Bachmann-Megafreight is backing off a little from complete centralization; though in opposition to that is a clearly faster user connection and enormous savings on licenses and service costs. Pascoe estimates the Linux model as being about 60 percent more beneficial overall. 'The applicable service costs up to now for Windows-based solutions with three current application servers and a file server including software and hardware amount to about 20,000 Rand per month. For exactly the same amount, converted to about 2500 Euro, Pascoe bought the first of two Linux servers. The cost of the area-wide preparation of IGEL thin clients has already paid for itself. 'IGEL thin clients can compete with the PC not only in price, but also functionality. Here I’m thinking primarily about the ample standard equipment, such as, for example, USB, Smartcard Reader or Wireless LAN.'


Easy administration

For Dyllan Pascoe, the administrative nightmare from earlier PC times is finally over. The Linux servers allow themselves to be configured via a location-spanning LTSP script, the IGEL thin clients are delivered serially with a platform-independent management software running on a Java base. 'With the help of the IGEL Remote Management Suite, we can execute kernel updates easily via ftp and automatically configure the thin clients in groups. After a user reboot, the units are immediately ready for operation.' The last location should be equipped with a Linux system by 2006. 'There is by no doubt much to do until then,' believes Pascoe, 'but I know that I am constructively working for our future.'

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