26-04-2011, 12:31 PM
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Linux Terminal Server Project
LTSP Defination
What Is LTSP?
LTSP stands for Linux Terminal Server Project.
LTSP is an package for Linux that allows you to connect lots of low-powered thin client terminals to a Linux server. Applications typically run on the server, and accept input and display their output on the thin client display.
LTSP concept
What is needed?
A powerful server.
A few low-power clients. PCs or workstations.
Network equipment.
The server software (the client software is contained in the server)
The server is running his own operating system (Fedora, for example).
Server requirements
Disk space
Besides the OS you need about 100 MB for the LTSP software.
HDD.
▪ Example: 25 users, 5 GB per user => 125 GB
RAM
4GB of RAM, 50 workstations.
Processors
Pentium 4, 2.4 GHZ, 50 workstations.
Ethernet NIC
Linux compatibility.
Other hardware attached to the server
Printers, CD/DVDs writers.
Client hardware
Low-powered computers.
▪ Processor 533 MHz
▪ 32 MB RAM
▪ PCI Video Card – 16Mb memory
▪ Network Card (PXE network boot loader)
▪ PS/2 mouse, keyboard
Other solutions
Traditional Windows PC
PCs are too expensive.
Expensive to maintain. 35 workstations would require at least 1 full-time system administrator.
License management problems.
Proprietary solution depending on vendor.
Future software upgrades mean upgrading ALL desktops.
Windows Based Terminal
Based on Microsoft Windows
Proprietary solution depending on vendor
Expensive Per-User licensing
Full PC based on Linux
Lower initial cost than option the options above
Too much hardware at each desktop. No need for the Hard drive, CDRom or Floppy.
Expensive to maintain. A workstation failure would result in downtime for the user.
How much can you save?
Installation
There are three phases to building an LTSP server:
Installing the LTSP utilities
Installing the LTSP client packages
Configuring the services needed by LTSP
Installing the LTSP utilities
Includes utilities for installing and managing the LTSP client packages, and for configuring the services on the LTSP server.
The last version is LTSP 5.2.
Availability in several formats
tgz, rpm.
About 40KB.
You can download the rpm version from
http://ltsp.mirrors.tdspub/ltsp/utils/lt...noarch.rpm
Other formats can be found in:
http://ltspdownload/
Install the package:
rpm -ivh ltsp-utils-0.25-0.noarch.rpm
Installing the LTSP client packages
Run the “ltspadmin” command in a shell.
You will see the administration window.
Choose "Install/Update" option to install the packages.
Installing the LTSP client packages
The LTSP Installer configuration window will appear.
Installing the LTSP client packages
The options that you have are:
Select the source of the packages.
▪ If your computer is connected to Internet type http://ltsp.mirrors.tdspub/ltsp/ltsp-4.2/
▪ Else you have to download the files and save them in a file. For the LTSP 4-1 version and below you can download the ISO file and burn it into a CD (http://sourceforgeproject/showfiles.php?group_id=17723). After you have to specify your source, for example file:///media/cdrecorder if is a CD.
Directory of the client tree.
▪ Accept the default value
Http proxy URL.
▪ If your connections go through one, specify the URL. Otherwise accept the default options
FTP proxy.
▪ The same than before.
Installing the LTSP client packages
Press “a” to select all components and “q” to install them.
Configuring the services needed by LTSP
LTSP relys on 4 services:
DHCP [Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol]: used to lease IPs to clients.
TFTP [Trivial Transfer File Protocol]: to transfer files to clients, like the client software.
NFS [Network File System]: used to mount remote directories.
XDMCP [X Display Manager Controller Protocol]: used to implement graphical login displays.
Configuring the services needed by LTSP
Type “ltspcfg”.
That are the options you have to configure:
Configuring the services needed by LTSP
Runlevel
Select runlevel 5 to indicate that your system is in graphical mode in a network.
Interface selection
Select the current NIC
DHCP
It will create a default dhcpd.conf file and run the service.
TFTP
Enable the service
Portmapper
Used by RPC services, such as NFS