> Message: 9
> Date: Sun, 9 Oct 2011 00:15:54 +0530
> From: Srinivasu Raju Gadiraju <[email protected]>
> Subject: [Ltsp-discuss] Build Linux Server and Thin Client Environment - For  
>  Community College
> To: [email protected]

Dear Srinavasu Raju,

We built a computer network using LTSP about 5 years ago on a minimal
budget using old PCs which previously ran Windows 95 & 98.

>   1. Which Linux Distro is best for Server-Thin Client environment.
We're now using Edubuntu (http://edubuntu.org) because it's well
supported, however LTSP is currently available as a standalone package
with most popular distributions.

If your workstations are located in different rooms you could consider
placing a separate LTSP server in each room, networked to a central
file server. Skolelinux (http://www.slx.no/) has excellent
documentation and support for this kind of setup.

>   2. How to build a server which is well suited for Linux Server OS and LTSP 
> (with config)
Our first server was a 2.6GHz desktop PC in which we placed 4GB of RAM
and two 250GB hard drives configured with RAID-1. To do this with
Ubuntu we needed to use the "alternate" or "text mode" installer (I
don't know if this is still the case with the latest version). This
server happily supported 8 thin clients, but your 20 workstations
should work with a modern multi-core desktop. There are links to
documentation on the Edubuntu site at http://edubuntu.org

>   3. How to install Linux and LTSP (From my small research this should be  
> pretty straight but just wanted to have this in the list for
more suggestions)
Just follow the installation instructions. Give yourself time to
experiment with just one server and workstation. You need a fast
(Gigabit) network switch to connect several workstations.

>   4. Do we need branded thin clients or can we use locally available non 
> branded thin clients (Any specific config to look for??).
Five years ago we used old Dell GX-II desktops which boot from the
network. We took out the hard drives and reconfigured the BIOS.
Recently we replaced them with small dedicated thin clients to save
space (and power) and with enough RAM to run "local applications" like
Firefox.

>   5. How to configure and manage thin clients.
We only needed to alter lts.conf to change keyboards to UK layout
because all the software is included in the installation - Firefox,
OpenOffice, GIMP, text editor and much else.

>   6. Can we have Active Directory??
I believe so but we don't use this. Instead we're using LDAP in much
the same way as Skolelinux does.

If you're new to Linux, see if you can find one or two other Linux
people in your neighbourhood who are willing to help. It will also
make a huge difference if you have a reliable Internet connection, but
this is not essential. Edubuntu started in South Africa on the
assumption that no Internet is available.

I hope this helps,

John Ingleby
ICT Teacher
Rudolf Steiner School
Kings Langley, UK

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