Hello,
Does anyone here have experience deploying an LTSP solution (over Debian/Knoppix) for a large number of clients? We are evaluating LTSP for our entire university, and may have over 100 users (with maybe 50 concurrent users), and that’s just phase 1. Phase 2 will be 100 more. My LTSP deplyment vendor is recommending just one large server with 4 gigs of RAM. My thumb rule is 50-64mb RAM per client. Anyone care to detail their experiences?
We run several large LTSP installations, and concur with some of the advice already given.
Specifically you will have to be careful what you install and allow the users to do on the clients. Mozilla + Java + Flash is a bad combination, especially on the CPU. The choice of Window Manager is another, to lighten the load and minimize the number of potential problems steer away from KDE and Gnome. IceWM is a popular choice.
Specifically: -One or more servers? How to run 2+ LTSP servers if the DHCP ports will conflict? Can each server use a diff. set of ports? Client config for 2+ servers?
We have a central file and common services server (authentication, NFS for home dirs, DNS, etc), not very powerful in terms of CPU and memory, but lots of high speed disk. Then it is easy to add LTSP servers separate from this as needed. The easiest is to hardwire the server a client connects to in the network infrastructure. Not very fancy, but it works well. Make sure to have two network cards in each LTSP server to offload the backbone.
In this way you ensure that the users will have the same contents available no matter where they log in. If you make the central server a Samba server as well, it even lets users have access to the same files from Windows.
Skolelinux is set up as explained here:
http://developer.skolelinux.no/arkitektur/arkitektur.html.en
-If file services are run off a separate server, do I need a live backup for the LTSP server? An hour of downtime wont hurt, but a half-day's downtime will.
Well, this is up to you, of course. Normal sysadmin practices apply. Use good hardware for critical services. Have a standby for super critical services. You know the drill :-)
-USB pen drive storage on the client?
FAQ. No very good answers that are simple to implement p.t. Also, you will have security issues with local devices unless you implement LTSP 4 and run local apps with openSSH.
-CD-ROM drive on the client? CD-writing?
My best answer to this (and the USB DOK) is to use a fat client for this. Have one or two in each room, building or whatever and direct people there if they absolutely need to use the removable devices.
Also to any LTSP pros in Mumbai, India. We're hiring SysAdmins for this
setup :)
Heh, now that would be nice, however not in the monsoon months ;-)
-- Med vennlig hilsen Ragnar Wisløff ------------- life is a reach. then you gybe.
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