[K12OSN] Selective floppy access ???

[Rita Gibson]

norbert wrote:

> Hi,
>
> We're starting to encounter a problem with the floppyd function.
> Recently, without there being any changes to the system cedrtain
> thin-client cannot access the local floppy drive. Message is permission
> denied, but when I check both the lts.conf and the workstation
> permissions these are no different from the other workstation that can
> access the local floppy....... any suggestions
> K12LTSP V4.0.1
> Server P-IV 2.8GHz, 2GB, 2x 80GB SATA HD
> Workstations - Compaq P-I mix of 5175 to 5166
> NIC 3-Com 905
>
> and no its not a certain box but a mix of ws's..... ?
>
> thks
> norbert
>
I had what sounds like a similar problem last week. I spent a couple of 
hours trying to track down the problem. Freaking out thinking something 
was wrong building-wide. I finally decided it was bad floppies. The 
floppies in question wouldn't work in the server, or any Windows 
machines either. I formatted on the teachers windows machine a blank 
floppy and went to the thin clients that seemed to be having problems 
(with the two previous floppies). The new formatted floppy worked fine, 
copied back and forth, logged into the next machine, copied back and 
forth. Then, later the lab teacher told me that when a student brings in 
a bad floppy and has access problems, and she gets the permission denied 
message, she finds she must reboot the thin client for any floppy to 
work. (?)

I chalked it off to the fact that in my experience about a third of any 
given box of floppies is bad right off the shelf. I always format a 
floppy before I use it, but most people may not do that.We have one 
linux workstation in the lab with USB ports in the front panel and the 
kids can log into that machine with a USB key and copy their stuff to 
their homes. We purchased some USB keys (watch for sales and rebates) 
and check them out like library books for kids who can't email their 
work to themselves because they don't have internet access, or if they 
are working on something big. The USB keys seem to be much more reliable 
than floppies. (We don't have any clients with USB ports, so I went and 
bought a newer case so the ports would be on the front with easy access 
just for the kids.)

Rita Gibson
RMSEL Tech