Along the same lines as you, I've had success running "fat clients" using
Zotac ZBOX HD-ID11 machines. They are small dual core Atom barebones PCs
that attach to the back of monitors using a VESA mount. They have nVidia ION
graphics that work out of the box and have dual digital outputs, they
support PXE boot, integrated WiFi, 2GB SODIMM (purchased separately). These
ship barebones for just about $200 each.
I tried running them as thin clients, but my users perceived the slower
screen redraws, and with 4 users I seemed to be maxing out a 1.6GHz 4-core
server with 6GB RAM.
The fat client solution is pretty slick, it really seems like VDI without
all of the complexity.
On Tue, Oct 11, 2011 at 4:15 AM, Chris Roberts <[email protected]>wrote:
> On Sun, Oct 09, 2011 at 12:15:54AM +0530, Srinivasu Raju Gadiraju wrote:
> > 1. Which Linux Distro is best for Server-Thin Client environment.
>
> Asking which version of Linux is best is guaranteed to get a variety of
> answers. I have been using Debian for 3 years across two sites with 50
> users - the only issues that I have ever had have been self-inflicted.
>
> I tried an Ubuntu install once and during testing the client locked up;
> something which has never happened with Debian - this isolated issue is
> probably untypical and terribly unfair - but it sent me back to Debian.
>
> > 2. How to build a server which is well suited for Linux Server OS and
> > LTSP (with config)
>
> http://wiki.debian.org/LTSP/Howto
>
> I would take the time to get the partitioning right on the server. I
> made some mistakes on our first server, so I would suggest you type up
> what you intend doing and email it here for feedback. Unless you're
> confident that you know what you're doing of course!
>
> Gigabit networking is very important between the switch and the server,
> and I have had issues with trying to get PXE booting to work between
> multiple switches - this led me to invest in a gigabit switch for each
> branch. I believe some fast ethernet switches have one or two gigabit
> ports, which I would imagine would work well and be cheaper.
>
> > 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)
>
> Very straightforward, providing you're familiar with Linux and
> preferably DHCP.
>
> > 4. Do we need branded thin clients or can we use
> locally available non
> > branded thin clients (Any specific config to look for??).
>
> I buy "Atom based barebones PC", these tend to be an assembled case with
> motherboard and Atom processor, with onboard NIC, sound and graphics.
> All you need to do is add some RAM and you're done. Budget around £100
> per client, but I can usually get them for about £80, knowing the usual
> technology exchange rate that would equate to about $80. The beauty is
> that you're not buying optical drives or hard disks that you'll never
> use.
>
> If that is still too much, then we are actively using Pentium III PCs,
> and even Pentium IIs with the right kernel in the chroot should work,
> but you'll probably end up with a more complex set-up as you try and
> support both modern equipment and old equipment.
>
> If you re-use old PCs - disconnect the hard drives - the noise is cut
> dramatically.
>
> I tend to be generous on the screens - giving users big LCDs with a new
> keyboard and optical mouse. This means that what they see looks nice,
> and that beige box can be tucked away under the desk.
>
> > 5. How to configure and manage thin clients.
>
> Almost no configuration is required these days, possibly dhcpd.conf
> depending on how you set it up, and possibly lts.conf - if it doesn't
> work perfectly first time.
>
> > The basic applications we want the thin clients to access are
> >
> > 1. Firefox/chrome web browser.
>
> Iceweasel on Debian is a well known animal for LTSP, with plenty of
> information on optimal config for LTSP. You will have less guidance
> with Chrome.
>
> > 2. Open Office suite.
>
> LibreOffice these days.
>
> > 3. Network Printer.
>
> We just configure the network printers on the server - they don't need
> to be configured on the clients. Everything happens on the server.
>
> > 4. Other utilities.
>
> You probably want pessalus or kde kiosktool to lock down the clients.
>
> > Kindly help us in providing the info/source/document so that we can
> build
> > a perfect lab for Community college.
>
> Good luck.
>
> --
> Chris Roberts
> http://chrisjrob.com/
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> All the data continuously generated in your IT infrastructure contains a
> definitive record of customers, application performance, security
> threats, fraudulent activity and more. Splunk takes this data and makes
> sense of it. Business sense. IT sense. Common sense.
> http://p.sf.net/sfu/splunk-d2d-oct
> _____________________________________________________________________
> Ltsp-discuss mailing list. To un-subscribe, or change prefs, goto:
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> For additional LTSP help, try #ltsp channel on irc.freenode.net
>
>
--
Jay Goldberg | AvianBLUE Network Systems | (514) 667-9737 |
http://www.avianblue.net/
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All the data continuously generated in your IT infrastructure contains a
definitive record of customers, application performance, security
threats, fraudulent activity and more. Splunk takes this data and makes
sense of it. Business sense. IT sense. Common sense.
http://p.sf.net/sfu/splunk-d2d-oct
_____________________________________________________________________
Ltsp-discuss mailing list. To un-subscribe, or change prefs, goto:
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For additional LTSP help, try #ltsp channel on irc.freenode.net
