Hello Moodle Community,
I would like to know how I would go about installing Moodle in our computer labs which hold about 100 computers in 5 different labs. We have about 250 students who will tremendously benefit from what Moodle has to offer. I have some basic questions I hope you can help me with.
Thank you!
Some questions for you ... before getting lost in a sea of options (ie, you could, blah, blah, blah).
Are these labs you have connected to any local (LAN) network?
Is that network TCP/IP based ... ie, each computer on your LAN gets a private IP address?
IF both are true, one could setup an 'intranet' server running Moodle.
Little experience in IT is exactly how I began a journey. So I know it's 'doable'. But it will require learning about things like an ethernet (the LAN), TCP/IP, DHCP, DNS, the Moodle server itself, etc..
You, as 'project director' (if one is looking at a title for such), would need internet access to research and find information/docs, etc. that will help with the above mentioned stuff.
'spirit of sharing', Ken
b g, another way to run Moodle locally, like in a small classroom, is by getting a Raspberry Pi. I got one just to experiment, and it seems to work. There are folks here on Moodle.org that can help you get set up.
To follow up on Rick comment: if you want to run Moodle on a Raspberry, have a look at https://moodlebox.net.
Disclaimer: I'm the author of MoodleBox, a readymade installation of Moodle on RPi.
Do we always need an Internet connection?
No, you can set it up without the internet on a local network. But you have 5 labs so using an internet based server will probably be easier than connecting all your computers to a local server running Moodle. Plus your students can access Moodle from home using their own computer or even their phone if you use an internet based connection.
Is it something someone with little IT experience can install?
Moodle itself is fairly easy to install - once you have set up a LAMP server because Moodle is the last component in a stack of applications. The easiest way is to start with a fresh clean install of Linux as this puts you on a standard path. This link is for Ubuntu and covers step by step. You could use an existing local machine or rent a bare bones server from the net for less than $5 a month. I think you can do it - but you maybe not on your first try so if you are using a dedicated Linux server, reinstall everything and start over again. Installing the LAMP server is fairly generic and it shouldn't be too difficult to find someone to help you on this step.
Which Moodle Version is best for us?
Hi Ken
We have five labs and each lab has a server without internet. I'm not sure if they are internally connected. But I if I could load Moodle on each server that could be a start.
Thanks
"Each lab has a server" ... what does each of the 5 servers do in those labs?
Print server? File sharing? (client server model)
Are the labs servers and workstations configured to use TCP/IP ... private IP adddress ...
Check the networking of a Server ... any lab. See if TCP/IP has been configured?
I don't run Windows anything any more, so the next link might be helpful and then again it might not, but:
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1151312&seqNum=5
'spirit of sharing', Ken
"Each lab has a server" ... what does each of the 5 servers do in those labs?
Print server? File sharing? (client server model)
Are the labs servers and workstations configured to use TCP/IP ... private IP adddress ...
Check the networking of a Server ... any lab. See if TCP/IP has been configured?
I don't run Windows anything any more, so the next link might be helpful and then again it might not, but:
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1151312&seqNum=5
If those labs are not connected to the internet in any form or fashion, then they cannot be accessed by student hand held devices whose connections goes to the providers internet. The only way students using their own hand held devices to use the Lab moodle is for you to have a wireless access point to which the students can connect.
Sounds like you need to get a freebie at Moodle Cloud.
But there are limitations as to the number of clients/ie, student accounts. And, from what you've said, ALL (including teachers and yourself) would have to use nothing but hand helds to connect to the Moodle Cloud instance.
That way *ALL* can access ONE Moodle. You don't need to setup a TCP/IP network and manage it then right now.
In the meantime, *DO* learn how to setup a TCP/IP network for the local LAN (local network).
Demand for accessing Moodle 24/7 in and out of school might be the driving force to get your LAN connected to a WAN(wide area network) where all 5 labs can see one another) over a TCP/IP network *and* also then the Moodle server you have internally accessible via the Internet.
'spirit of sharing', Ken
James
Thank you for your response. We don't have internet access at our institution. We use Google classroom for homework assignments as all the students have internet access on their phones.
We envision Moodle to be used for lab periods at the institition only. Also. we don't want students going to others sites while online so having Moodle locally is best for us.
