Hello everybody,

I am trying to set up a LTS for our school (20+ clients). I decided for 
edubuntu, as I am used to work with ubuntu.

The classroom is already running a terminal server solution, which uses pxe. 
But it is a commercial solution, not very flexible. My task is to implement a 
thinclient solution WITHOUT touching the existing system. A testbed server is 
available, the clients will be booted via diskette. AFAIK, the best possibility 
to realize this is shifting edubuntu to work on dhcp port 1067.

I've done these steps:
- Changed the dhcp server port in /etc/init.d/dhcp3-server
- Configured a diskette via rom-o-matic.net to work on port 1067/1068 
(ALTERNATE_DHCP_PORTS_1067_1068)

The client's first dhcp request is correctly answered, and he gets his linux 
image via tftp. So far so good...

Unfortunately, there's trouble when the client sends his second dhcp request. 
He gets the wrong ip configuration, as he asks the wrong (the existing) dhcp 
server. Consequentially, the client is unable to mount the nfs.



So I searched for workarounds:
Adding the option-129 to the dhcp configuration (as read on 
http://wiki.ltsp.org/twiki/bin/view/Ltsp/DHCP#Multiple_DHCP_servers_on_the_sam)

As far as I understood, the option-129 setting only works with etherboot 
images. Edubuntu does not deliver etherboot images by default. Therefore, I 
created a etherboot image as described at 
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuLTSP/LTSPEtherbootSetup .

Afterwards I added the following lines to my /etc/ltsp/dhcpd.conf:
        ...
        option option-128 code 128 = string;
        option option-129 code 129 = text;
        ...
        filename "/ltsp/vmlinuz.mkelf-etherboot"; #The new image created with 
mkelf-linux
        ...
        option option-128 E4:45:74:68:00:00;
        option option-129 "DPORT=1067";
        ...
Result: No improvements

According to the mknbi manual page, the options have to be specified in this 
format:
        ...
        option etherboot-signature code 128 = string;
        option kernel-parameters code 129 = text;
        ...
        option etherboot-signature E4:45:74:68:00:00;
        option kernel-parameters "DPORT=1067";
        ...
Result: No improvements (Client again gets the wrong IP, I suppose it is doing 
exactly the same as option-128/option-129?)



Next, I tried some more brutal things...
Configuring the kernel as described in the LTSP documentation. This has failed 
because of several reasons (be happy, I won't tease you with the problems in 
this mail :-)

However, I came along the ltsp_initrd_kit. Interesting, because here we can see 
how the DPORT argument is handled in the linuxrc script (i.e. it is handled). 

I tried to use the containing etherboot image vmlinuz-2.4.24-ltsp-4 in my dhcp 
config file - and it seems to recognize the DPORT setting! But using this image 
causes a lot of other problems (nfs mount fails afterwards). If someone tells 
me how to get the client's output to a file, I can paste it.



Folks, I really need your help. Is there any way to build a customized cient's 
image (based on the edubuntu image)? Why is the DPORT parameter not recognized?

I think it should be possible to set up a edubuntu environment without editing 
a existing system which is based on PXE or whatever, shouldn't it?

Thank you
Jörg Deutschmann
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