Good question! As any infrastructure grows and expands there needs to be tools and utilities in place for automation and to make administrating, and therefore using, the Realm Linux easier. These tools and utilities also insure that all clients work and act the same because they are more centrally controlled which equates to better support and happier users.

As leader of this project I am setting up requirements that other administration or help desk type folks can follow to get the best support out of myself and others that support the Linux Realm Linux on campus. This plays an even more important roll when one considers that the Linux Realm Linux has always been designed to be used and setup for students, by students, and in dorm rooms as well as by administrators for faculty, staff, and labs.

The support priority goes as follows: Administrators or help desk persons that have set up the Linux Realm Linux using the Web-Kickstart system and have enabled Support Eligibility. Then other administrators and help desk people. Following that users. Finally, folks running the Realm Linux in an unsupported way such as in a dorm room, off campus, or users that otherwise maintain the root password for their workstations. Hopefully, as the Linux movement grows on campus resources for support as well as the current infrastructure will continue to grow and give administrators and users alike a better computing experience.