k12ltsp linux terminal server project for k-12 schools brought to you by: eric harrison, multnomah...
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K12LTSPLinux Terminal Server Project for K-12 schools
Brought to you by:
Eric Harrison, Multnomah Education Service [email protected]
Paul Nelson, Riverdale School [email protected]
Special Thanks to:
Linux Terminal Server ProjectRed HatXimianIntel Sun MicrosystemsPortland Linux/Unix Group
What is K12LTSP?
Integration of the Red Hat 7.1, Linux Terminal Server Project, and Ximian GNOME.
The concept is to build a "terminal server appliance", a Linux distribution that was trivial to install and configure which would support booting low-maintaince, low-cost diskless terminals.
Goals and Objectives
Mitigate management headaches. It is a full time job maintaining a school computer lab
Improve reliability. Teachers will not incorporate technology into their curriculum unless it is dependable.
Lower costs. It is quite often cost- prohibitive to put new computers into schools.
Strengths
Centralized management, reliable, inexpensive
Fast! Terminals run at the speed of the server
Inherent remote administration capabilities
True color, no 8 bit color palate limitations
Relatively secure
Possible to run legacy apps
Runs almost all Linux applications
Weaknesses
Floppy, sound, and CD support are not perfected
Legacy app support can be expensive and/or resource intensive
Currently does not support hardware accelerated 3D graphics
Peripheral support is tricky at best
Managing mixed clients can be a pain
Future Enhancements
Eliminate/mitigate current weaknesses
Perfect floppy, sound, and CD support
Implement web-based and/or LDAP administration
Integrate v2.4.x kernel hot-pluggable device support
Improve support for non-standard configurations
Integrate into the core Red Hat distribution?
XFree 4.x support for terminals
K12LTSP boot process
PXE, download syslinux.pxe image
Client downloads kernel using TFTP
Client obtains configuration information via DHCP
Client NFS mounts the server's filesystem
Client generates configuration files on the fly
Client starts X, sends XDMCP query
User logs into server
Network Architecture
Default configuration expects two NICs, the terminals are isolated on their own private network
Private network for the terminals makes it very easy to deploy, the servers can all be identical
SSH & DHCP permitted by default, all other outside connections are firewalled off by default
All applications run on the server, but can be configured to run on the terminals
Conclusions
Initial pilot projects have been very successful, all goals have been met and user feedback has been positive
Logs indicate strong interest with not only K12 schools, but universities, corporations, and third-world countries as well