[K12OSN] Using LTSP 4.0.1 on a Windows network

[Terrell Prude', Jr.]

Luke Maslany wrote:

> I was wondering if anyone could offer any advice on the following 
> scenario:
>
> The student network is a mixture of Windows 2003 servers and Windows 
> 2000 Professional clients. DCHP is enabled. I would like to introduce 
> Linux to the network.
>
> Rather than buying (or revamping) old terminals, can I use a boot 
> image on an existing workstation without modifying the locally 
> installed content? (I’m pretty sure that this is one of the main 
> points of a thin-client solution, but I thought I should check)
>
> As disabling the DHCP services for the windows platform is not an 
> option (in-house restrictions), can the boot image use a DHCP config 
> from the Windows DHCP service?
>
> From what reading I have done, is it possible to create a boot image 
> that obtains DHCP information from a DHCP server over none-standard 
> ports - an option on ROM-o-matic.net is to obtain such information 
> over ports 1067 and 1068, and if it is, how can the DHCP server be 
> configured to answer these clients?
>
> As I have mentioned on a previous post, I am new to Linux. If I have 
> missed some point of information that is needed and is glaringly 
> obvious by it’s absence, please let me know.
>
> Luke Maslany
>

Actually, you shouldn't have to disable the Windows DHCP services. You 
should be able to just add the appropriate options to the existing DHCP 
scope. The necessary options are bootfile (where your kernel file lives) 
and "option 17" (where your NFS pivot_root takes place). Take a peek in 
your /etc/dhcpd.conf file for an example of these options.

So, of course, the question is, "what will the Windows hosts do when 
they see the TFTP boot and NFS options?" They'll simply ignore them. 
DHCP clients ignore any DHCP options that they don't need; I've tried 
this with Windows 98, NT, 2000, and XP. I've also done it with Mac OS 
7.6.1, 8.1, 8.6, 9.1, and 9.2, not to mention FreeBSD and several 
versions of several distros of GNU/Linux. No problems booting in "fat 
client" mode at all with these two additional options set.

--TP