[OPLINTECH] Library PAC computer equipment

Mon May 8 13:26:21 EDT 2017

Deja Vu! I'm pretty sure I've said this before about Joe's comments:

I've been doing exactly what Joe is doing (with the NUCs this time). The
Kensington locks deter *theft of opportunity*. I simply lock the NUC to the
LCD and have done with it. Tethering the NUC to the LCD makes it highly
inconvenient to surreptitiously tuck the NUC into a backpack. However,
K-locks will NOT protect against a smash-and-grab or a pre-planned theft.
If you tether them to a sturdy object like a desk, then a smash-and-grab
thief can pretty easily yank the lock off of the device it's protecting. It
will damage the device in the process (not usually fatal to the device),
but it becomes obvious it was stolen.  If the theft was pre-planned, a pair
of pliers will easily cut the wire.

WRT the Compute Stick, I'm thinking along the lines of either
finding/making a NUC-sized metal/plastic cage to screw onto the VESA mounts
or maybe secure the Compute Stick to the bottom side of the desk and just
running a video cable up to the LCD. I like the cage idea because we could
just toss the Stick into the cage and it could be big enough to coil up
some of the cables inside as well to keep things tidy. I'm definitely open
to other ideas and/or specific cage options!

Chad

______________________________
*Chad Neeper*
Senior Systems Engineer

*Level 9 Networks*
740-548-8070 (voice)
866-214-6607 (fax)

*Full IT/Computer consulting services -- Specialized in libraries and
schools*

On Mon, May 8, 2017 at 12:48 PM, Joe Knueven via OPLINTECH <
oplintech at lists.oplin.org> wrote:

> If I needed the extra horsepower out of a PAC, I would probably go the
> route Chad described. (and take my chances on nefarious folks figuring out
> where the computer was..)
>
> Speaking of NUCs, If you are especially worried about theft, if you go up
> to the lowest end NUC, plus cheap ram, cheap SSD, you can buy a laptop
> cable lock like:
>
>
>
> https://www.amazon.com/Kensington-64068F-MicroSaver-
> Laptop-Business/dp/B00000K4KH/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=
> UTF8&qid=1494261420&sr=1-3&keywords=kensington+lock
>
>
>
> you’re somewhere between $230-250 per unit all in and you’d have to add
> 10-15 minutes per unit to install the SSD and RAM, though you’d have
> something that’d be a lot less likely to walk away.
>
>
>
> I’m transitioning our public computers to a mid-range NUC, combined with
> the cable lock, and have been happy with the results.  From what I’ve seen,
> I think most of the public don’t even realize that the PC is hanging off
> the back of the monitor.
>
>
>
> Have a good day.
>
>
>
> Joe
>
>
>
>
>
> Joseph Knueven
>
> Director
>
> Germantown Public Library
>
> 51 N. Plum St.
>
> Germantown, OH 45327
>
> 937-855-4001 <(937)%20855-4001>
>
> joe at gtownlibrary.net
>
>
>
> *From:* OPLINTECH [mailto:oplintech-bounces at lists.oplin.org] *On Behalf
> Of *Chad Neeper via OPLINTECH
> *Sent:* Monday, May 08, 2017 12:28 PM
> *To:* oplintech at lists.oplin.org
> *Subject:* Re: [OPLINTECH] Library PAC computer equipment
>
>
>
> We just evaluated Intel Compute Stick (~$150) + free Porteus kiosk
> (running Chromium browser, but can choose FireFox also) and found the combo
> to work really well "out of the box". Had it configured and up and running
> inside of ten minutes. Probably the biggest problem will be finding a way
> to secure the Compute Stick to keep it from growing legs since it's about
> the size of two USB memory sticks.
>
>
>
> Next biggest question is longevity: It has a 1-year warranty. But
> countering that is the fact that the operating system running on it is a
> feather compared to Windows, which the Compute Stick is also capable of
> running. So the hardware won't be overly taxed and won't generate excess
> heat (the hardware killer). Plus, the solution is very cheap in both
> hardware and config time, so even if it needs replaced slightly more often,
> it's still more cost effective than most other options (in my situation,
> but YMMV).
>
>
>
> I definitely like the combination. I ordered (nearly) the lowest-spec'ed
> Compute Stick I could get and the hardware is still overkill for the
> Porteus kiosk software we're looking at using.
>
>
>
> Cheap enough to buy one to play with!
>
>
>
> 2 cents,
>
> Chad
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________
> *Chad Neeper*
> Senior Systems Engineer
>
> *Level 9 Networks*
> 740-548-8070 <(740)%20548-8070> (voice)
> 866-214-6607 <(866)%20214-6607> (fax)
>
> *Full IT/Computer consulting services -- Specialized in libraries and
> schools*
>
>
>
> On Mon, May 8, 2017 at 12:03 PM, Fred Miller Jr via OPLINTECH <
> oplintech at lists.oplin.org> wrote:
>
> Looking for ideas on upgrading PAC computers? We only use them to access
> information within our catalog and our online calendar and I don’t like the
> idea of purchasing a whole computer setup and not using the full potential
> of the computer. We have had thin Clients in the past and I don’t really
> like them since they have trouble displaying our HTML page that was set up.
> A small footprint would be great. Thought about going to the Intel NUC’s.
> Thoughts and ideas welcome.
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
>
>
> [image: Logo Resized]
>
> *203 Perry Street Wapakoneta, OH 45895*
>
>
>
> *Fred Miller Jr*
>
> IT Service Manager
>
> *T*: *419-738-1215 <(419)%20738-1215>* |* E*: *fmiller at auglaizelibraries.org
> <fmiller at auglaizelibraries.org>*
>
>
>
>
>
>
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