POODLLPUP - The Bootable Open
Source Language Laboratoryby Thom W. Rawson

The purpose of this project is to create an independently usable andportable language laboratory on a compact disc. Online e-learning is a
growing field in education which has been expedited through the use of
online, freely available and open source operating systems, software, andtools.

Using a combination of open source tools and utilities,

implementation of an independently bootable and portable web server withboth a PHP-based learning management system and a streaming
multimedia server has been possible. This project requires Intel-based
hardware, an optical drive, network interface, and memory. It provides afully-functional online e-learning classroom and language laboratory in a
portable design - a compact disc. This document will discuss the featuresand implementation of this project which has been called “POODLLPUP The bootable Open Source Language Laboratory”.

Background
POODLL (http://www.poodll.com) is a project started by Mr. Justin Huntand Mr. Thom W. Rawson both from Nagasaki, Japan. Mr. Hunt and Mr.
Rawson are English lecturers with backgrounds in the Information
Technology Science field.

The initial purpose of this project was toprovide a way for teachers to deliver content to students using computers
１
５

長崎県立大学経済学部論集

第４５巻第１号（２０１１年）

and technology, and from there provide for the student to receive either
immediate or follow-up feedback on the result of their efforts in the online
activities. A focus on using voice and video was part of the initial designof the project for the purposes of English communication research. The
project, now in it’s third year of development, has been largely successful
to it’s original set of goals set forth in the designs (Hunt, 2010).

A full-featured multi-media language laboratory, POODLL is an
open-source freely available set of enhancements for an online learning
environment. It provides streaming audio and video functionality within
the system using a filter for configuration. The user sees flash widgets
including video players, audio players, digital white boards, screen castingand other useful tools for providing the multimedia experience. Somefeatures include assigning headset pairs as well as recording and playbackof both audio and video directly into the browser. No special hardware
setup is required other than a standard Internet-connected computer with aplain headset and sound card. POODLL is meant as a free alternative to
expensive Language Laboratory systems currently in use in many schools
in Japan today (Hunt, 2010).

POODLL - The Open Source Language Laboratory
POODLL is made using a combination of open source software products.
The decision to make use of open source tools came through research of
the available software and hardware and was largely made as a result ofbudgetary restrictions. POODLL is constructed using the the following
open source software:

１
６

POODLLPUP - The Bootable Open Source Language Laboratory- MOODLE - An open source LMS using PHP and MYSQL on Apache.
- RED5 - An open source flash media server using Java Tomcat.
- OpenLaszlo - An open source flash development environment.

The logical choice for delivering content online and providing feedback forstudents is MOODLE.

One of the leading developers of Learning

Management Systems is the Australia-based MOODLE organization.
MOODLE (http://moodle.org), or Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic
Learning Environment, allows for the quick development and launch of an
online course management system with a minimal investment intechnology and a reasonable investment in time for course development.
The greatest benefits for the implementation of this type of system include
the detailed (sometimes automatic) feedback that students can receive upon
doing any particular activity and the collaborative atmosphere andstudent-centeredlearning

environmentthat

MOODLE

provides.

MOODLE boasts use in over 200 countries with over 50,000 registered
MOODLE sites and an unaccounted number of unregistered sites(“Moodle.org: open-source community-based,” 2005).

RED5 (http://www.red5.org/) is the open source version of a streaming
flash content server. The web industry makes use of flash for delivering
web content in video, audio, and application forms. Adobe Corporation
offers its enterprise Flash Media Server for a considerable cost, however
the budgetary restrictions mentioned previously made that option
non-viable. RED5 is a Java-based application which can run on a variety ofplatforms and provides streaming for audio and video both to and from theserver. POODLL design included the ability to play and record both audio
and video, and RED5 supports these features (“Red5 media server,” 2010).
１
７

長崎県立大学経済学部論集

第４５巻第１号（２０１１年）

OpenLaszlo (http://www.openlaszlo.org/) provides the framework fordeveloping the flash widgets that are used within MOODLE to add the
POODLL multimedia functions. All POODLL widgets were created using
these tools (“Openlaszlo project blog,” 2011).

Challenges for POODLL
Although POODLL has been in use at several major universities in
Nagasaki and other places around Japan and the rest of the world, there
have been some challenges which have impeded the adoption of thistechnology in more MOODLE sites.

One of the major issues isinstallability or the ability to configure POODLL in an existing MOODLE
installation.

Although these tools mentioned are freely available andrequire very non-specific hardware for their use, the configuration canoften prove daunting and elusive to the regular user or administrator.

Users reported difficulties getting administrator access to perform
installations and those that were able to install the software reported
additional difficulties in getting the streaming server to be operational.
There are a lot of factors which could lead to these difficulties - theconfiguration of Java, the access to systems for starting and stopping theRED5 streaming server, the pointers and file access permissions forreading and writing streaming audio and video files.

Additionally, the live MOODLE installations were often reluctant to makesuch a significant change to the configuration without somehow having achance to “try out” the software before installing in a production
environment.
１
８

POODLLPUP - The Bootable Open Source Language Laboratory

Given these challenges reported by users, the creation of a demo withwhich interested parties could make evaluations and “try out” the software
was undertaken. The demo had a specific set of requirements as follows:! There should be little or no configuration required.
! The users should be able to quickly get an idea about POODLL andit’s features.
! The demo should be free to download and use.
! The demo could then later be used to help implement a full adoptionof the software in a live MOODLE installation.

An online POODLL demonstration website (http://demo.poodll.com) was
implemented to address some of the concerns of the users, however there
existed a further need for adopters to have their own version of thesoftware with which to experiment (Hunt, 2010).

Building POODLLPUP- The Bootable Open Source Language Laboratory
POODLLPUP is a bootable “live OS” which includes a fully functional
POODLL installation and demonstration website. The POODLLPUP
project contains the following open source operating system and softwaretools:! Puppy Linux - A bootable and portable version of the Linux
operating system! XAMPP - A portable APACHE/MYSQL/PHP web server.
! DDCLIENT - An open source client for providing dynamic DNS
１
９

長崎県立大学経済学部論集

第４５巻第１号（２０１１年）

services.
! POODLL - An open source language lab enhancement for MOODLE.
Due to the nature and the complexity of the POODLL project as well as
the requirements for the working demo software, the decision to make abootable CD which included a self-contained and fully functional working
POODLL installation was made. Linux operating systems come in many
versions and distributions and they also contain a complete category of“bootable” or “live Linux” choices. As computer systems have improved
and newer hardware has been developed, there is an increasing amount ofaging hardware that is unable to support the demands of more robust
operating systems. Open source operating systems have been developed
which make use of older hardware by using a minimalist approach to theavailable hardware resources.

These live distributions offer a fully

working Linux OS which can be booted from a CD and used as atemporary OS on almost any type of hardware. The benefits of thesebootable versions is that they don’t make changes to the host OS and once
rebooted the original OS on the machine returns.

One such minimalist version of Linux is developed by Barry Kauler andassociates at the Puppy Linux organization (http://www.puppylinux.org).
Puppy Linux is a small image which can be burned on a CD and thenbooted in an Intel-based computer. The operating system loads from theboot CD with a graphical environment and without the requirement ofbeing installed onto the host system’s hard disk drive.

Once booted,

changes made to the system may be saved on a removable hard disk drive
such as a USB thumb drive or a USB portable hard disk. The system is
flexible and powerful, but very lightweight and will run on much older
２０POODLLPUP - The Bootable Open Source Language Laboratory

hardware with small amounts of RAM.

Additionally, Puppy Linuxcontains a set of remastering tools which makes it easy for a user tocustomize the installation to their needs and create a “newer” bootable CDcontaining extra software and data (“Puppy linux community,” 2011).

In today’s open source community, there are several APACHE/MYSQL/PHP web servers which are freely available.

One cross-platform

implementation of the server is made by the Apache Friends Organization(http://www.apachefriends.org) and is called XAMPP.

Versions areavailable for Windows, OSX for Apple, and also Linux operating systems.
Installation in most cases (Windows and OSX) is quite simple andautomatic through a GUI interface design. The Linux version is used in
the POODLLPUP project and works effectively in the Puppy Linux
environment. Therefore it was chosen to be the server on which the
POODLL demo would be hosted (“Apache Friends,” 2011 ).

DDCLIENT (http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/ddclient) is another open
source tool which provides for dynamic updating of DNS entries based onchanging Internet Protocol Address on any particular machine using
POODLLPUP. Most basic adopters of POODLL would never need thisfunctionality, but it was provided as a way for people to use the portablelanguage laboratory in an Intranet environment without users being
required to memorize IP addresses.

Instead, a regular Internet URL

address (i.e. mypoodllpup.com) could be utilized in this situation. Moreon how this can be used will be described further on in the paper(“ddclient,” 2011).

２
１

長崎県立大学経済学部論集

第４５巻第１号（２０１１年）

The Working System
The basic user of POODLL might simply download the POODLLPUP
image file and make a CD. They would then reboot the computer with the
new POODLLPUP CD in the optical drive. From that point forward, thecomputer would become a POODLLPUP host computer, or basically a live
working demonstration of the POODLL software. After opening the mainbrowser window (see Figure 1), the user is shown the XAMPP main page.

Figure 1. The main browser page showing XAMPP.

Clicking on the status link will show the user the working systems in thedemo CD (see Figure 2). The standard status pages offered by XAMPP
were modified to show additional details. The additional details are as
２
２

POODLLPUP - The Bootable Open Source Language Laboratory

follows:! The Local IP address and status of the interface.
! The status of the RED5 streaming server.
! The status of the DDCLIENT process.

Figure 2. The XAMPP status page showing active systems.

The default settings for the web server and the POODLL installation are
configured for the local host machine. From the status page, the user can
see the local IP address of the machine and whether or not the systems
needed to run the demo are operational. In Figure 2, the status page shows
RED5 streaming active and the address on which the web server can beaccessed locally. For URL and DNS configuration, the user will have to２
３

長崎県立大学経済学部論集

第４５巻第１号（２０１１年）

edit one configuration file to communicate with a dynamic DNS provider.
For demo purposes, it might be OK to simply use the IP address or evenjust the local host (localhost) address.

Figure 3. The POODLLPUP demo main page showing demo
course and user access information.

There are 50 demonstration users included with simple passwords. Accessfor each user is described on the home page on the demo (see Figure 3).
Also, a demonstration course containing examples and activities related to
２
４

POODLLPUP - The Bootable Open Source Language Laboratory

the POODLL software is included. This allows for users to quickly assess
the features of POODLL without having to develop original content forthat purpose. This forwards the goal of having a self-contained, all-in-one
demonstration for POODLL.

Figure 4. The POODLL demo course contents showing activities totry out.
２
５

長崎県立大学経済学部論集

第４５巻第１号（２０１１年）

Once the user logs in to the demo course, they should be able to try out
some of the features of the POODLL software.

Figure 4 shows anexample of the contents of the POODLL demo course.

Extra Features
For the majority of POODLLPUP users, testing a working demonstration
using only one computer (localhost) will allow for the proper evaluation of
the software prior to a full-blown integration with an existing MOODLE
site. However, in some case and for testing purposes the user may wish toallow outside access of the demonstration host from more than one
computer. In this case, some additional configurations are available.

Once the user activates the IP address on the POODLLPUP host machine,
any user in the local subnet can make access to the web site. Using the IP
address of the POODLLPUP host machine, the user should see the
XAMPP welcome screen.

For example: http://192.168.1.100. The

POODLLPUP host machine must have the MOODLE configuration
changed to use this IP address as the MOODLE site address. This change
is a simple edit of a configuration file on the POODLLPUP host machine.

For a more user-friendly access to the demonstration, the user should
configure a dynamic DNS entry. There are several dynamic DNS hostproviders - many of which offer free services - which can allow the user tomake a DNS entry. For example, DynDNS http://dyndns.org offers two
free host name subdomains at no cost to the registrant. A URL address canbe used simplifying access for users - for example http://ppup5.dyndns.org.
Once again, this URL must be configured in the POODLLPUP host２
６

POODLLPUP - The Bootable Open Source Language Laboratory

machine MOODLE configuration file.

Restoring the Host System
Upon evaluation of the POODLL software using the POODLLPUP
demonstration CD, the user can easily restore the host system to it’s priorstate by simply removing the POODLLPUP CD and rebooting the hostcomputer. Once the system completes it’s restart, the original operating
system (i.e. Windows) will return as normal with no adverse affects.

Conclusion
Using open source tools and software, creation of an all-inclusive portablelanguage laboratory on a compact disc has been possible. This CD is a
simple yet powerful medium for showing web developed software in a non-invasive methodology with which even an unskilled computer user canmake an evaluation of the POODLL software for MOODLE. Additionally,
this software can be used for the purposes of demonstrating web-based
software, a portable language laboratory, or even as a digital textbook
environment.
References
Apache Friends - xampp for Linux. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.apachefriends.org/en/
xampp-linux.html
ddclient. (2011). Retrieved from http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/ddclient
Hunt, J. (2010, August 25). The poodll blog｜an open source language lab.. Retrieved fromhttp://www.poodll.com/

２７

長崎県立大学経済学部論集

第４５巻第１号（２０１１年）

Moodle.org: open-source community-based tools for learning. (2005, January). Retrieved fromhttp://moodle.org/
Openlaszlo Project Blog. (2011). Retrieved from http://openlaszlo.org/
Puppy Linux Community - home. (2011). Retrieved from http://puppylinuxnews.org/
Red5 Media Server. (2010, December). Retrieved from http://www.red5.org/

２８