Linux thin client connecting to Windows 2003 terminal server

Hello!
I am not a Linux expert and are just looking for some recommendations.
My problem is the following:

I am running a windows terminal server and have 12x Pentium 100
computers with 32mb ram and 1.6gb harddrives. I found the tool
"rdesktop" to connect to the server which runs fine on my test
computer which is a P4 but I need it to run on my 12 old computers.
Rdesktop requires X-Windows. Can anybody recommend a small linux
distributions including a graphical interface? Or does somebody know a
different client software which doesn't need X-Windows?

I am not sure so far if this all is possible with my 12 old computers.
I cannot spend any money since it is for a high-school on a tight
budget.
If somebody knows anything, please let me know.
Thank you
Best regards
Tobias

In article <(E-Mail Removed) >,
(E-Mail Removed) (Tobias) writes:
>
> I am running a windows terminal server and have 12x Pentium 100
> computers with 32mb ram and 1.6gb harddrives. I found the tool
> "rdesktop" to connect to the server which runs fine on my test
> computer which is a P4 but I need it to run on my 12 old computers.
> Rdesktop requires X-Windows. Can anybody recommend a small linux
> distributions including a graphical interface? Or does somebody know a
> different client software which doesn't need X-Windows?

You might have a look at PXES:

http://pxes.sourceforge.net

This is a small Linux distribution that's specifically designed to
function as a thin client. You'll need a regular Linux distribution to
configure it. Once you do this, the simplest way to get started is to
create a bootable CD-ROM and run it from that, but in the long run you'll
probably want to configure it to support booting from the network, using
appropriately configured DHCP and TFTP servers. This will require PXE or
some other sort of network boot support on the clients. Another option is
to install PXES on the clients' hard disks, if they've got them.

--
Rod Smith, (E-Mail Removed)
http://www.rodsbooks.com
Author of books on Linux, FreeBSD, and networking

I onced tried that PXES with K12LTSP (Linux Terminal Server Project).
You might try that out with Terminal server through RDP. It should
work. PXE enabled nic will do better.


--
raqueeb hassan
congo (drc)

Thanks, I will try that today. The website looks very promising. You
talked about booting from the network as an option. Will I not require
a Linux server for that?
Thanks
Tobias



(E-Mail Removed) (Rod Smith) wrote in message news:<c81us1-(E-Mail Removed)>...
> In article <(E-Mail Removed) >,
> (E-Mail Removed) (Tobias) writes:
> >
> > I am running a windows terminal server and have 12x Pentium 100
> > computers with 32mb ram and 1.6gb harddrives. I found the tool
> > "rdesktop" to connect to the server which runs fine on my test
> > computer which is a P4 but I need it to run on my 12 old computers.
> > Rdesktop requires X-Windows. Can anybody recommend a small linux
> > distributions including a graphical interface? Or does somebody know a
> > different client software which doesn't need X-Windows?
>
> You might have a look at PXES:
>
> http://pxes.sourceforge.net
>
> This is a small Linux distribution that's specifically designed to
> function as a thin client. You'll need a regular Linux distribution to
> configure it. Once you do this, the simplest way to get started is to
> create a bootable CD-ROM and run it from that, but in the long run you'll
> probably want to configure it to support booting from the network, using
> appropriately configured DHCP and TFTP servers. This will require PXE or
> some other sort of network boot support on the clients. Another option is
> to install PXES on the clients' hard disks, if they've got them.

In article <(E-Mail Removed) >,
(E-Mail Removed) (Tobias) writes:

[re: PXES]

> Thanks, I will try that today. The website looks very promising. You
> talked about booting from the network as an option. Will I not require
> a Linux server for that?

To boot from the network, you'll need a DHCP server, a TFTP server, and
appropriate support on the thin client (typically network boot support in
the BIOS, a NIC with an appropriate ROM, or at least a boot floppy that
kickstarts the network boot process). The DHCP and TFTP servers can be
Linux systems, but they don't need to be. I don't know offhand what's
available in the way of DHCP and TFTP servers for Windows, but I'd be
surprised if you couldn't find something suitable. For the DHCP server,
it must be able to support some special network boot options, which
basically deliver information to clients on where to find files. Some
low-end DHCP servers (like those that come with some broadband routers)
don't have any way to provide this information; you'll need something
with at least moderate feature levels to do the trick.

--
Rod Smith, (E-Mail Removed)
http://www.rodsbooks.com
Author of books on Linux, FreeBSD, and networking

On Tue, 20 Jul 2004 20:54:24 +0000, Rod Smith wrote:
> In article <(E-Mail Removed) >,
> (E-Mail Removed) (Tobias) writes:
> [re: PXES]
>> Thanks, I will try that today. The website looks very promising. You
>> talked about booting from the network as an option. Will I not require
>> a Linux server for that?
>
> To boot from the network, you'll need a DHCP server, a TFTP server, and
> appropriate support on the thin client (typically network boot support in
> the BIOS, a NIC with an appropriate ROM, or at least a boot floppy that
> kickstarts the network boot process). The DHCP and TFTP servers can be
> Linux systems, but they don't need to be. I don't know offhand what's
> available in the way of DHCP and TFTP servers for Windows, but I'd be
> surprised if you couldn't find something suitable. For the DHCP server,
> it must be able to support some special network boot options, which
> basically deliver information to clients on where to find files. Some
> low-end DHCP servers (like those that come with some broadband routers)
> don't have any way to provide this information; you'll need something
> with at least moderate feature levels to do the trick.

There are alternate ways of getting the load information. Sun Solaris
systems use bootparamd for their network boot services. My SuSE 8.2 Linux
has that also, as well as bootp (another common boot server). As usual,
with *nix, there are many ways to skin a cat (and that can be confusing!).
I think all of the mechanisms actually use tftp (trivial ftp) to deliver
the boot kernel (and maybe a root filing system?).

I would say that if you have an "enhanced DHCP" that can do everything you
might as well use it (for everything). Otherwise, investigate the boot*
packages (or google for them). I have seen some web sites that talk about
diskless workstations (and kiosk setups?), which use network booting.

p.s. The Sun Solaris people complain about Linux NFS and/or tftp
delivering boot packets in reverse order. I have no experience with that,
since I do my jumpstart installs from Sun Solaris servers. Just beware.

p.p.s. Some of those small Linux distributions can boot directly off
CD-ROM. I don't know if you can then somehow splice in config changes?
Maybe just find a Linux distro with X windows and rdesktop, boot it from
CD and get an IP address from your router or Windows, and away you go? CD
drives are cheap, esp. older/slower ones. You don't need to boot often?

--
Juhan Leemet
Logicognosis, Inc.