Update school project SSSC 2023
Beirut, 23-05-2023
Last week we worked hard again in Beirut.
This time by Bart Timmermans and Abdullah Aslan.
Below is a first work report by Bart from Lebanon
As a result of previous project phases, the goal this time was to replace the old network servers. These systems, which are more than 15 years old, are about to fall over and use too much power. In Beirut, only 1-2 hours of electricity per day is still available from the government and for the rest of the day people depend on diesel power generators. As everywhere else in Lebanon, fuel prices are very high, so it was decided to turn off the generators as much as possible outside school hours and on weekends. To keep the minimal network equipment online, large batteries are used to get through the dark period.
In anticipation of this trip, we built and configured the so-called new network in a test environment as much as possible in the previous weeks. Then it was just a matter of taking that new machine and getting it operational in Beirut. However, the server turned out to be too large to carry a normal maximum case. There had to be a solution. In the end, board member Siem Kersten came up with a brilliant idea to use a bicycle case. So to speak, so done, there was a bicycle case available (thanks Gerhard Bos!) and hop that device into it. Then on the scales, a suitcase can only weigh max 32 kg, and it turned out to be more than 45 kg! Oops, that's not going to work. Then all kinds of components were removed such as power supplies, hard drives, fans, etc. And completely stripped we ended up with 32 kg. The other parts well packed in another suitcase and ready to go. In the other suitcases there were still a fair number of WiFi Access Points and other materials so that we were at our max travel weight.
On 19 May both went to Schiphol in good spirits, arrived well in time and checked in all suitcases, including the bicycle suitcase. It went smoothly. Then go through the control and customs and ready for departure. While enjoying a cup of coffee started the plan of action for the coming days. Arrived in Beirut and waited a long time at the pass gate to check on to the baggage carousel. All the suitcases came rolling in at that exact moment, quickly on a cart and out because our pickup, Hagop and Elie, had been waiting for quite some time. We both tried to walk through customs whistling. Abdullah was lucky, I was picked out with my slightly larger suitcase. 'Would you like to go to that scanner, all luggage can go through it again'! The question 'what's in that big suitcase?' was of course inevitable to which I replied 'a computer'. Ah, we'd like to see it, can you unpack it? I wasn't waiting for that, but anyway, discussing that didn't seem useful to me either. After the customs officer's statement 'this is the biggest computer I've ever seen' and some more subates, I was finally allowed to go through. Fortunately, mission accomplished, we were able to move on. Outside Hagop and Elie are waiting for us and seeing friends again was extremely nice! It was now late so we went directly to the Maison Notre-Dame location where we would spend the night during the week. It is a kind of nursing home for sick and old sisters of the SSCC order with fine rooms. The first day was over.
The next day, Saturday, we were picked up again by Elie who took us to the school. For Abdullah it was the first time to start with a tour of the school and breakfast. Then they go to the new J-Tech Academy classes where they teach children how to use robots and programming. The smallest, ages 4-6, can create a route on a laptop by simply dragging blocks on a worksheet. When they are done with that, the route is uploaded to the robot, a funny cart on wheels that will then travel the course on a mat on the ground. Surprising how quickly they get the hang of it.
In another room there is a group of 12-16 year olds who have started a paper in which they program a script by means of program code. The assignment is to start with a circle in the middle from which 4 identical circles must go from the inside out, one to each corner. The color you can give to each circle, whether you want to apply fading, etc., fading, etc is left to the student. We went through all the students together where they showed us, very proudly (!), their first piece of work. So nice to experience that the equipment we have been able to place here is used so well and with such enthusiasm.
If you want to read the complete report, take a look at our page Projects / School support SSCC Beirut
