[ranukumbolo]

I would like to set up a computer lab of 8-10 mac computers that will serve approximately 180 students. Each student will maintain (with help, obviously) a portfolio of work done in art and music class. Therefore, I would like each student to have her own login ID and folder. Since the files will be audio and pictures, storage needs are high.

I will administer the network. I have mac experience, but I am not a sysadmin by any means. I can learn quickly and I am tech savvy, but I hold no illusions of becoming a Unix guru during this school year. The school will be able to get support for installation but I will need to run the thing myself. Any ideas for hardware/software configurations are welcome. The workstations will likely be mac minis, other than that budget is not a huge issue.

[larkost]

You are missing a lot of details that are required: what are the programs you are working with (the fact that these will be Mac minis indicated that we are not talking about more serious uses here). Are we talking about a K12 or Higher Ed? Do you have a directory service available (AD or OD for example)? etc...

Without this level of detail anything we can say would be absolutely worthless.