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Thinstation: How to 'use


Thinstation is an open source product that allows the computer to change a bit 'dated in terminals.

Its use is quite simple, as long as you already know quite well how Linux works and services terminal. This article briefly describes how to set Thinstation installation in a typical scenario. Thing to note is that before you begin any of the virtual machines currently on the market with Etherboot compatible network cards and Thinstation in general, then we must immediately rule out testing in the VM.

The scenario considered is as follows:
- using Windows Terminal Services;
- PCs possess floppy drive and CD-Rom;
- we service with Microsoft Windows Server DHCP active;
- a Linux machine to compile the images TS.
We want to start the PC with TS from the network and connect them to the Windows server via RDP.

1 - PREPARATION
Get Thinstation 2.2.2 (currently stable version) from here ; about 50MB we have everything you need. From a Linux installation unpack the package. In the folder that we get build.conf find a file that is used to configure the hardware package of the machines in question.
before completing the whole and get our pictures up, we need to collect some data needed by the PC on which we want to run TS:
- make and model network card;
- make and model video card;
- make and model Chipset;
- mac address card network;
- make sure that the ram is 64MB, otherwise TS will not start.
For the collection of this data Everest Portable Board (thanks to Bert). Write the file

build.conf as examples in the same folder, adding the packages you need. Besides these we also rdesktop package, which manages the RDP.

NB: for the redirection of USB, you will see from Windows Explorer. E 'must include packages "supermount" and "automount" as well as cha naturalemnte "usb-hid."
Compile all running the terminal command ". / Build".

In Folder "boot-files/etherboot" find the two files that we need to boot from network using Etherboot, there are other folders for other images to boot media (cdrom) and methods (PXE, syslinux etc.. ).

2 - BOOT
To allow network booting via Etherboot floppy disk will take care of writing the image Etherboot client machines that TS provides us in the "prebuild. The image to 32KB is used to force the boot from the network even to PCs that do not support it.
We also need to setup a server (TFTP is a protocol very rough for sending images via network boot) use for this Solarwind TFTP server (free), by setting that the server is read-only (NB: the outbound port of this server is 69 UDP, set of Therefore any firewall).
In the folder that we set as the TFTP root and put the files thinstation.nbi thinstation.nbi.zpxe found after compilation in "boot-files/etherboot. In the DHCP MMC
also, Setting Options, activate the entries 066 and 067 respectively with the server's IP address and name of the boot files "thinstation.nbi.zpxe.

NB: some guides to show that Etherboot DHCP must be set in the file "thinstation.nbi," but we also want compatibility with PXE.

3 - Configuring TS
The following provides a working setup in many cases:
NET_USE_DHCP = On

KEYBOARD_MAP = en
USB_ENABLED
CUSTOM_CONFIG = On = Off = On
RECONNECT_PROMPT

SESSION_0_TITLE = "Terminal 1"
rdesktop
SESSION_0_SCREEN SESSION_0_TYPE = = 1 = 192.168.1.17
SESSION_0_RDESKTOP_SERVER
with # redirect the usb chivette
SESSION_0_RDESKTOP_OPTIONS = "-u 'DOMAIN \\ \\ user'-r disk: USB = / mnt / USBDevice, sound: off"
SESSION_0_AUTOSTART = On

SCREEN_RESOLUTION = "1280x1024"
SCREEN_COLOR_DEPTH = "16"
SCREEN_BLANK_TIME
SCREEN_STANDBY_TIME = 20 = 10
SCREEN_SUSPEND_TIME
SCREEN_OFF_TIME = 30 = 60 =

X_DRIVER_OPTION1 "hwcursor Off"

NET_HOSTNAME = Nomepc

The entries are self explanatory, also thinstation.conf.sample is all well documented. We have many options for how and where to place the configuration files, I prefer to do one for each machine that loads from the same network when you start.
To do this we set the IP reservations in the DHCP server (by entering the mac address of the card) and placed in the root of the TFTP server files with names like this "-thinstation.conf 192.168.1.11" in order to check the configuration of each machine simply by changing a configuration file on the server. The file is read only at startup of TS.

Lastly, a similar product: NetStation, which is less flexible and less powerful but lighter, and then to be taken seriously if the ram of the terminals is very low (even 8 MB).

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Thin client: a guide Installing the choice

A thin client is a PC into a terminal. The conversion should when the PC is outdated or missing important parts (like hard disks). Where we use the thin client?
1 - in companies, when they have a well-equipped servers, they need a lot of positions for the employees, which do not complex or heavy
2 - in schools, to save hardware and maintain tight control;
3 - in all those cases in which the old PC hardware with some ailment abound.

NETWORK:
As the dawn of computing, the typical scenario involves the terminal (thin pc) to connect via the network (preferably wired) with a server, which provides a console or GUI "sent via the net.
For the sizing of the network infrastructure to take into account that the use of bandwidth is high (not recommended then the wireless) and it is important to use switches instead of hubs to avoid the most of the collisions of packets.

SERVER:
To choose the server you just have to say that the Windows side the only alternative is to use Terminal Services Arrange (implementation of RDP), while Linux alternatives are many, but the best in my opinion remains the X session
Obviously the server must be sized to support all the concurrent users (the main parameters are processor and disk space).

LICENSES:
To use Windows Terminal Services costs almost as much as a local installation of the operating system. For schools from Microsoft TS CALs EDU version to a quarter of the commercial price. The TS CAL RESENCE always require a server version of Windows, except for Small Business. There is an interesting alternative in the product
Terminal Services PRO elusive, which lets you use Windows XP for Terminal 5, the same Widnows Server mode, but without the cost of his license and 5 TS CAL. The price of this product is around $ 250.