[K12OSN] one more time

Mon Feb 28 22:33:10 UTC 2005

"Support list for opensource software in schools." <k12osn at redhat.com> on
Monday, February 28, 2005 at 2:34 PM +0000 wrote:
>Do you want to just provide those apps--Gimp, StarOffice, etc.--to the 
>Windows clients, but from a central server so you don't have to install 
>them on each individual Windows client machine?  Or do you also want to 
>setup linux thin clients?  These are not mutually exclusive, but they're 
>different problems/projects (both of which should be fun).
Both -- I presently have both windows fat and linux slim (flash booted)
clients.  They are all using the Windows terminal server now for apps.  I
want to add a linux box to server Gimp, StarOFfice etc.

>
>Re-reading your message, it sounds like the former is your first 
>priority.  To run Linux X-based apps on Windows clients you'll need to
>
>1. Get the linux server to use the Windows AD for authentication when a 
>client connects.  Have a look at David Trask's  smbldap installer 
>script.  There has been much discussion of it in the past few weeks.  I 
>think it's geared more for OpenLDAP than AD but I don't think that 
>should be a show stopper.
>
>2a. Install an X server on the Windows boxes.  The X-LiveCD allows you 
>to run the CygWin X server from a CD, and it also has an option to 
>install the X server on the Windows machine (the installer has a few 
>bugs regarding the icons and menu choices it's supposed to add, but the 
>actual X server installs without problems).  If you're trying to get to 
>the point of users just clicking on an icon and having it automatically 
>connect to the Linux app server and loading the Gimp, say, you'll have 
>to setup encryption keys with SSH & putty, and use those to 
>automatically launch the apps.  I haven't done this, but it's an 
>interesting problem; but it may require more effort than step 2b below.
>
>OR
>
>2b. Install VNC client on each Windows client, and have the users launch 
>that to connect to the Linux app server.  This route doesn't provide the 
>click-on-icon-and-app-magically-appears aspect that may be possible with 
>2a, but it would be easier to setup.  However, make sure your Linux box 
>is big--that is, LOTS of memory, fast CPUs--because now it will have to 
>support a whole desktop environment for each user rather than just an 
>application or two.
>
>Anyone have any alternative suggestions?
>
>Petre
>
>Sharon Betts wrote:
>> Hi Petre,
>> 	I am grateful for all your thoughts and help.  I have answered your
>> questions below.  
>> In short -- I want to add a linux applicaiton server to an existing
>> windows network to serve GIMP, SCRIBUS, STAR OFFICE etc.
>> 
>> 
>>>It sounds like you have several projects rolled into one here. ;-)
>>>1. Get LTSP server to use Windows server for authentication.
>>>2. Get LTSP server to mount users' homedirs that live on Windows server.
>>>3. Get LTSP server to print to same printers as Windows server.
>>>4. Get rdesktop working on LTSP server so users can access apps on Win 
>>>server.
>>>5. Allow Windows clients to run apps from LTSP server (?).
>> 
>>  Sure
>> 
>>>
>>>I wasn't sure if #5 was something you had in mind or not.  
>> 
>>   Yes, to minimize the winders TS cals needed.
>> 
>> 
>>>As to the 
>>>first four items, they're listed in order of decreasing difficulty, but 
>>>probably in the order you need to get things working in order to pull 
>>>this transition off.  And I may be incorrect about #1; are you running 
>>>Active Directory on the Windows server?  
>> 
>> Yes, running Active Directory.  
>> 
>> 
>>>Or are the Windows clients just 
>>>using local authentication (info which is then passed to the Windows 
>>>server when a user connects to his/her home directory on the Windows 
>>>server)?  The users care about #2, getting to their files.  You care 
>>>about #1 because it may affect how you handle #2.  Others may have 
>>>tackled automatically mounting Windows shares on the LTSP server 
>>>(anyone?), but I haven't.
>>>
>>>With #3, are the printers all connected directly to the network (they 
>>>each have their own ethernet jack) or are they connected to a computer 
>>>which is then connected to the network? 
>> 
>> Both.        
>> 
>> 
>>>In either case, defining the 
>>>printers on the LTSP server is fairly easy and can be done via cups or 
>>>webmin.  I would avoid using the print queues on the Windows server as 
>>>it's unnecessary and just makes the LTSP server dependent on the
>Windows 
>>>server.
>>>
>>>#4 is just a matter of installing rdesktop on the LTSP server.  Seems
>to 
>>>me someone on the list once described setting up icons for users that 
>>>called rdesktop and specific apps on the Windows server.
>>>
>>>So, if you can clarify #1--that is, do you want the Windows server, 
>>>where you presumably have all the user IDs and PWs stored, to handle
>the 
>>>user authentication for the LTSP server so that you only have to 
>>>maintain one user store, and is the Windows server running AD--then we 
>>>can try to figure out what you need to do there, which should then 
>>>dovetail into #2.  HTH.
>> 
>>   
>> 
>> Yes to both of these.  We are running Windows DHCP.  
>> 
>>>
>> Sharon 
>> MSAD#71 Director of Educational Technology
>> sbetts at msad71.net          http://www.msad71.net     207-985-1100
>> "To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so."    
>> Robert Orben
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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>
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Sharon 
MSAD#71 Director of Educational Technology
sbetts at msad71.net          http://www.msad71.net     207-985-1100
"To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so."    
Robert Orben