ESIEE has been introducing Linux for the past few years in its IT infrastructure, on several levels.
The first part is the migration from HP/UX workstation used for application-specific tasks - such as electronic design tools and mathematics software - to standardized PCs running Linux. At the moment, 75% of the workstations have been replaced. The last 25% will be replaced once the electronic CAD software vendors will have ported their applications to Linux.
The second part is the introduction of Debian as a dual-boot system on the students-accessible computers. The goal of the introduction of Linux is to bring more flexibility for the planning of lessons, as Linux can replace both HP/UX workstations for scientific tasks and Windows computers for Internet access and office work. The third part is the migration of servers from HP/UX, Banyan Vines and Windows NT to Debian-based Linux systems. The switch was accelerated when it was decided to replace the aging Banyan solution with an LDAP/Samba account system on the Windows computers that are accessible to the students and the staff of the school. The long term objective is to replace as much Windows computers as possible, even for the administrative personnel.
Debian was chosen for its ease of administration and installation through the use of .debs and FAI, allowing installation of labs of 12 computers within 20 minutes without the need for a CD or a floppy and without any user interaction. The creation of packages from vendor binaries enables an easy, consistent and fast way for installing the same software across around 200 computers used for scientific tasks.