[K12OSN] LTSP 4.4.1 client booting fails

[Gavin Chester]

On Tue, 2006-06-06 at 16:01 -0700, Eric Harrison wrote:
> Gavin Chester wrote:

-snip-
> > 
> > This time around, I finally got my system working by choosing to install
> > ONLY the default settings.  That is, when I had installed 'everything'
> > or made extensive package selections, making sure to include LTSP, my
> > server would end up not working for my clients.  The only way I finally
> > cracked it was to choose the default 'LTSP' install option and not
> > change any other package choices that came with that (save substituting
> > KDE for Gnome).  Now, everything works just fine, phew.
> > 
> > If other people are having similar problems (?) maybe the installer
> > scripts need a little look, Eric (if you're reading)?
> > 
> > I HTH, Hung.  Post a followup if it does.
> > 
> > Gavin.   
> > 
> 
> If I am reading this correctly, when you had problems you selected a
> normal (Fedora option) install and clicked on the "Customize" packages
> and added the K12LTSP packages?
> 
> If this is correct, that is the issue you are having. The "K12LTSP"
> option automatically runs the LTSP configuration scripts at the end of
> the install, the "Fedora" option does not even if you pick a custom
> install and select the K12LTSP packages. This actually can work, but you
> have to 1) make sure you have the network and firewall configured
> correctly (the K12LTSP install option does this by default) and 2) you
> run this script after the install has completed:
> 
>     /opt/ltsp/templates/k12linux/K12Linux-LTSP-initialize
> 
> 
> 
> If you pick the "K12LTSP" install option, you can customize the package
> select as much as you want and still have the terminals auto-magically boot.

Your understanding of the problem I stated was _largely_ correct, Eric
but the way I caused the install to fail was too simple for my comfort.
I had been lulled, by previous versions that I had installed, into
expecting K12LTSP to automagically work whatever options I chose - as
long as I chose an LTSP system instead of any other Fedora install
option.  

This time around with 4.4.1, I produced two types of failures:
1/ I broke a successful install by adding new packages. I suspect
trouble arose because of an unsuccessful install of the NVidia kernel
module, but I have no proof. 
2/ When re-installing several more times, I again chose an LTSP system,
but somehow caused it fail (as an LTSP system) by choosing to
'customise' my package selection.  I tried manually configuring
services, following the LTSP documentation, but didn't succeed. 

After much frustration, I only succeeded by reinstalling with the LTSP
'default' and did NOT touch a single thing with regards selecting other
packages to install.  I knew about the 'initialize' script from having
used earlier versions K12LTSP, but didn't/couldn't find reference to it
anymore so didn't think, or remember, how to try running it after my
unsuccessful installs. 

Perhaps a feature request, if I could be so bold of your hard-pressed
time:
After installing, a script runs at first boot to see if the K12LTSP
packages were chosen.  If they were, then a check is run to see if the
services were enabled and running correctly.  If they are, a dialogue
pops up and says something like "Congratulations on installing K12LTSP
yada, yada ..."  If the required services are NOT running, then the
dialogue instead says something like "You have chosen K12LTSP as your
install option, yet the system is not running correctly.  Would you like
to initialize your server to enable client access?", and then run the
initialization script if 'yes'.  I guess I envisage a system check like
possible with the LTSP status report.

I know that's easy for me to ask, and MUCH harder to implement.  But,
boy, I would have more hair left from the past two-weeks frustration if
such a thing was part of the install :-) 

Thanks, an older and wiser Gavin.