Hi. My name is Pierre Baco. For the last 3 years I've installed LTSP based solutions in approx 30 elementary schools for a total of +/- 700 thin clients (mainly recycled old fat pcs + PXE network boards).
First sites used woody+LTSP4.2. Last june, the local education department required all schools to be updated to Ubuntu Hardy + LTSP5. I've done so (inc. adding an extra 64Mb in some (too) thin clients) in august. Globally, the new solution runs fine. LTSP5 is easy to setup-configure, it supports a large set of hardware, local USB-sound works like a charm. However, there is still a "mini" list of problems for which I've not found a complete and clean solution. I do known some of these problems are not directly linked to LTSP code/setup, but their effects have a deeper impact in a LTSP based site (and in schools where Msoft is a hard-to-break monopoly). Here is the list: 1°) ldm: - Not localized. This is a real issue in french (and I guess others) elementary schools. "Username" and "Password" are simple english words (and we french need to improve our english), but there should not be the first two words displayed by a computer in a french school. - NumLock off: Can't force NumLock ON prior to enter username and password. 8 years old kids (and their teachers...) always forget to press NumLock prior to enter their (often birtdhay date based) password, and login fails until they realize it (sometimes they don't!) - persistence of ldm screen after server shutdown or network failure: When the server is down (or the link between it and a thin client), ldm continues to ask gently for username/password "as usual". There's no way for a user to know something is wrong "on the other side". You can't imagine the number of support calls I get from users entering 20 times in a row their login/passwords (as they can't check the server status located elsewhere). With LTSP4.2, thin client gdm screens were locked-greyed out when the network or the server was down. 2°) PolicyKit: - Can't use GNOME administration utilities (users-admin etc.) on a thin client. (same happens within NX remote sessions). Works only on server console. It's also a real issue when the server is in a locked room. I've found a couple of threads about this, but could not find a real solution for it. I've tried almost all polkit-gnome-authorization configurations: still no success. And don't even think to ask a teacher to run useradd/userdel from command line to add 30 login names every Sept 1st.... 3°) Process cleanup: - This list has received many posts about this (persistence of processes after thin client logouts). There are workarounds, but no real fix yet (or workaround included in a .deb update). My quick and dirty workaround: crontab based reboot every night. - same (gnome) problem with the ~/.gvfs still mounted after user logout. This generates a problem with userdel and/or other user administration utilities (can't delete user homedir). 4°) Sound compatibility with some educational programs: - ChildsPlay and tuxpaint are not very happy with remote sound (no way to quit the application except big red switch, (leaving CPU eating processes). There's a workaround (manually disable esound in the launch script), but it would be nice to have an add-on deb package (like "tuxpaint-ltsp.deb") to integrate the workaround in the general update/upgrade process. Having this list fixed would eliminate 90% of problems encountered in the schools where I've installed Ubuntu+LTSP5. No need to say I'm ready to help and contribute (more details, additional testing, translation, etc.) And "Chapeau Bas" to those working hard to make Ubuntu+Ltsp the great solution it is today despite grumpy users like me. Rgds, Pierre Baco Carlit.net -- edubuntu-users mailing list [email protected] Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/edubuntu-users
