---------- Forwarded Message ----------- From: "Barb Tabor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Jim Kronebusch" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 09:27:59 -0500 Subject: Re: locking down the desktop
Re: locking down the desktopThanks for you help. They are stand alones connected to our local network. I think I am going to try to lock the desktop (if I can figure out how to do it correctly). I think we are going to try thin clients in our next lab. Do you recommend going that route? Thanks again. ----- Original Message ----- From: Jim Kronebusch To: btabor Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2008 9:22 AM Subject: Re: locking down the desktop On Mon, 21 Jan 2008 08:01:32 -0800 (PST), btabor wrote > All students log in the same (see the same desktop). > Then they can navigate to their network folders. > Obviously, from your "do you make sure they wipe themselves properly" > comment, you > do not understand the importance of not letting hundreds of teenagers save > whatever they > want to their school desktops. I am very new to Linux and trying to learn as > I go. I thought > signing up for this listserve would be helpful, but if you are just going to > poke fun......I am thinking > that this might not have been a good idea. I am just trying to figure things > out and do the best > I can. The high school computers with Edubuntu on them are looking a mess > and everyone is > complaining because the kids can save to the desktops, I was just trying to > figure out a way to > solve a problem that others have asked me to solve. If you feel the need to > make insensitive comments, then I guess I am looking in the wrong place for > answers. I had a bunch of trouble with trying to keep our students desktops "clean" as well. Without meaning any offense, I think there are problems with students using the same account that go beyond "clutter". There are a lot of things that need individual permissions to work correctly, say one student puts a USB stick into a machine, this is likely going to show up on all desktops at once. There are a lot of things that need individual permissions to work correctly, I am afraid if you continue to run in this fashion you will start to have problems.........wait a minute here......I should probably verify that you are using terminal services and not stand alone installations.....is that the case? If not we should be offering a whole different line of answers. In LTSP configuration, you will have many problems with using a single account, if these are stand alone, that won't really be a problem. Please clarify this part so we can offer better suggestions. In either case you can install gconf-editor and use the already installed pessulus to fine tune permissions. I used gconf-editor to lock backgrounds, themes, icons, etc. However to completely lock down a machine's /home/user folder would take some scripting likely at logout. Maybe a script to run at logout that wipes /home/user and copies /etc/skel back in. The /etc/skel directory contains the default setup you want to provide new users. You can in this directory copy your theme settings, your menu settings, your Firefox bookmarks, desktop icons, etc. Then when a new user is created the contents of this folder will be their default. So you could wipe the folder on logout and copy this default back in. So you could do something as simple as lock the Desktop folder and theme settings in gconf-editor to keep things looking pretty while in use, then at logout wipe everything and set to default. But again this would work best in a stand-alone setting, as in LTSP this could cause problems if it happened while other users were logged in. However if the LTSP setup had individual users and permissions, then you could do this to every user on logout without conflicts and not run into the other glitches either. This is why Gavin is suggesting individual profiles for all users. And trust me, even though Gavin's comment seemed out of place, he can definitely be one of your biggest allies in your use of Edubuntu. Please don't leave this list due to one silly comment, this is truly a very helpful community. Unfortunately personal humor is hard to read correctly in an email setting. And trust me, as I work in a high school, I know how bad a desktop can look after a few days, especially if they stretch a bunch of photos and cover their desktop. But another benefit of individual user logins is you then will know which user to scold when it happens :-) Jim -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by the Cotter Technology Department, and is believed to be clean. -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by the Cotter Technology Department, and is believed to be clean. ------- End of Forwarded Message ------- Jim Kronebusch Cotter Tech Department 453-5188 -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by the Cotter Technology Department, and is believed to be clean.
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD><TITLE>Re: locking down the desktop</TITLE> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16587" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Thanks for you help.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">They are stand alones connected to our local network.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">I think I am going to try to lock the desktop (if I can figure out how to do it correctly).</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">I think we are going to try thin clients in our next lab. Do you recommend going that route?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face="Comic Sans MS">Thanks again.</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A [EMAIL PROTECTED] href="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]">Jim Kronebusch</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A [EMAIL PROTECTED] href="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]">btabor</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, January 22, 2008 9:22 AM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: locking down the desktop</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <P><FONT size=2>On Mon, 21 Jan 2008 08:01:32 -0800 (PST), btabor wrote</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> All students log in the same (see the same desktop).</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> Then they can navigate to their network folders.</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> Obviously, from your "do you make sure they wipe themselves properly"</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> comment, you</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> do not understand the importance of not letting hundreds of teenagers save</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> whatever they</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> want to their school desktops. I am very new to Linux and trying to learn as</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> I go. I thought</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> signing up for this listserve would be helpful, but if you are just going to</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> poke fun......I am thinking</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> that this might not have been a good idea. I am just trying to figure things</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> out and do the best</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> I can. The high school computers with Edubuntu on them are looking a mess</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> and everyone is</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> complaining because the kids can save to the desktops, I was just trying to</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> figure out a way to</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> solve a problem that others have asked me to solve. If you feel the need to</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> make insensitive comments, then I guess I am looking in the wrong place for</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>> answers.</FONT> </P> <P><FONT size=2>I had a bunch of trouble with trying to keep our students desktops "clean" as well. </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>Without meaning any offense, I think there are problems with students using the same</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>account that go beyond "clutter". There are a lot of things that need individual</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>permissions to work correctly, say one student puts a USB stick into a machine, this is</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>likely going to show up on all desktops at once. There are a lot of things that need</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>individual permissions to work correctly, I am afraid if you continue to run in this</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>fashion you will start to have problems.........wait a minute here......I should</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>probably verify that you are using terminal services and not stand alone</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>installations.....is that the case? If not we should be offering a whole different line</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>of answers. In LTSP configuration, you will have many problems with using a single</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>account, if these are stand alone, that won't really be a problem. Please clarify this</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>part so we can offer better suggestions.</FONT> </P> <P><FONT size=2>In either case you can install gconf-editor and use the already installed pessulus to</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>fine tune permissions. I used gconf-editor to lock backgrounds, themes, icons, etc. </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>However to completely lock down a machine's /home/user folder would take some scripting</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>likely at logout. Maybe a script to run at logout that wipes /home/user and copies</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>/etc/skel back in. The /etc/skel directory contains the default setup you want to</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>provide new users. You can in this directory copy your theme settings, your menu</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>settings, your Firefox bookmarks, desktop icons, etc. Then when a new user is created</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>the contents of this folder will be their default. So you could wipe the folder on</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>logout and copy this default back in. So you could do something as simple as lock the</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>Desktop folder and theme settings in gconf-editor to keep things looking pretty while in</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>use, then at logout wipe everything and set to default.</FONT> </P> <P><FONT size=2>But again this would work best in a stand-alone setting, as in LTSP this could cause</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>problems if it happened while other users were logged in. However if the LTSP setup had</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>individual users and permissions, then you could do this to every user on logout without</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>conflicts and not run into the other glitches either.</FONT> </P> <P><FONT size=2>This is why Gavin is suggesting individual profiles for all users. And trust me, even</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>though Gavin's comment seemed out of place, he can definitely be one of your biggest</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>allies in your use of Edubuntu. Please don't leave this list due to one silly comment,</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>this is truly a very helpful community. Unfortunately personal humor is hard to read</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>correctly in an email setting. And trust me, as I work in a high school, I know how bad</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>a desktop can look after a few days, especially if they stretch a bunch of photos and</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>cover their desktop. But another benefit of individual user logins is you then will</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>know which user to scold when it happens :-)</FONT> </P> <P><FONT size=2>Jim</FONT> </P> <P><FONT size=2>-- </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>This message has been scanned for viruses and</FONT> <BR><FONT size=2>dangerous content by the Cotter Technology </FONT><BR><FONT size=2>Department, and is believed to be clean.</FONT> </P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY><br />-- <br />This message has been scanned for viruses and <br />dangerous content by the Cotter Tech Department and is <br />believed to be clean. </HTML>
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