[K12OSN] one more time
Petre Scheie
petre at maltzen.net
Tue Mar 1 14:39:29 UTC 2005
Because of the additional work of providing an X server on the Windows
clients, I'd start with providing apps to the Linux clients. I think
you still want the Windows box to be the single point for
authentication, so have a look at Trask & Oquist's smbldap installation
script. While it's designed to make Samba use LDAP, I think it
includes, or could be made to include, making regular shell
authentication also use LDAP, which then talks to the Windows AD (which
is a 'extended' LDAP). So, the first step is to get that working, where
you can telnet or ssh from the Linux client to the Linux app server.
Then you need to get the DISPLAY variable automatically set; SSH has the
advantage here because it can set the DISPLAY variable automatically.
See the wiki at http://www.k12ltsp.org/phpwiki/ and follow the links to
Gavin Spurgeon's How-to for setting up an app server.
Once that's working, then we can tackle the next step (your project has
too many aspects to be entirely covered in single email messages, so
let's break it down into sections and deal with them one at a time).
Petre
Sharon Betts wrote:
> "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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>>>https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/k12osn
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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
>
>
>
>
>
>
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