Server hardware is not required. 

Many schools have desktop computers that have been taken out of service because they cannot run the latest Windows operating system.

If you have a Pentium III computer with a very basic monitor and

a keyboard, you have everything you need to install the SME/E-smith operating system (a mouse not needed).

The "server" can be setup to run on the district's internal network (LAN) or its external network.  Access to the "server" is through standard web browsers such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Apple's Safari, or Mozilla's Firefox.