HOWTO install Linux Terminal Server on testing
Hello Debian-User!
I would like to share my experiences of the debianized version of
"Linux Terminal Server Project" (ltsp). I have successfully installed
it on my computer at home and other family members now use old 486sx
machines with 8 Mb RAM and no harddisks as X-terminals. I run testing
so I don't know what problems ltsp poses on potato or woody, but it is
documented to support potato. I "suppose" that some of the manual
modifing of files in /etc that I needed to do, is not needed if you
install ltsp on potato.
Now follows a step-by-step guide to installing ltsp on one server
(step 1-17) and one terminal (step 18-20).
I. The Server
1. download the following .debs at
http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/ltsp/
http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/ltsp/lts-core_2.08-1_all.deb
http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/ltsp/lts-doc_2.4-1_all.deb
2. Download suitable .debs for the NIC and graphics card on the thin
client. I chose lts-kernel-ne2000_2.2-1_all.deb and
lts-xserver-svga_2.0-1_all.deb for my ne2000 clone and ET4000
3. Backup /etc.
4. apt-get install bootp tftpd nfs-[user|kernel]-server nfs-common
You can of course use dhcp instead of bootp, in the documentation for
ltsp DHCP is the even default, but when I did the install dhcp was not
installable in testing, so I went for bootp.
5. dpkg -i lts-doc_2.4-1_all.deb dpkg -i lts-core_2.08-1_all.deb dpkg
-i lts-kernel-ne2000_2.2-1_all.deb dpkg -i
lts-xserver-svga_2.0-1_all.deb
6. run /usr/lib/lts/templates/create-templates/debian-woody.sh
7. edit /usr/lib/lts/templates/nfs.tmpl line 17: to suit your choice
of NFS-server (user|kernel) I chose the user variant and thus
subsituted "update-rc.d nfs-server defaults 25" with "update-rc.d
nfs-user-server defaults 25"
8. edit /usr/lib/lts/templates/inetd.conf.tmpl line 77: change the
last argument from "/tftpboot" to "/usr/lib/lts" line 78: uncomment
this line if you use bootp instead of dhcp.
9. Delete any backup files that your favourite editor might have left
in /usr/lib/lts/templates/
10. cd /usr/lib/lts/templates and run ./ltsp_initialize
11. Check /etc/inetd.conf, I had to manually change "/tftpboot" to
"/usr/lib/lts".
11. Edit /etc/bootptab uncomment line 63 and type the MAC address of
the NIC on the thin client as the "ha" value.
12. Edit /etc/lts/lts.conf to suit your needs, and the hardware on the
thin client. If you want a graphical login, you must set the
runlevel of the workstation (line 26) to 5. I already had a
working XF86Config so that was not a hard step. The variables you
have to your disposal is documented in
/usr/doc/lts-doc/lts_ig_v2.4.html section 10.11
13. Check /etc/X11/[k|g|x]dm/Xaccess and uncomment the line "#* #any
host can get a login window" (line 42 in my version). The
installation scripts didn't uncomment this as the should have
done.
14. Check /etc/X11/[k|g|x]dm/[k|g|x]dm-config and assure that the line
"DisplayManager.requestPort: 0" is commented out!
15. Check /etc/hosts, /etc/networks/interfaces to reflect that the
server is assigned 192.168.0.254 AND that 192.168.0.1 is ws001.
16. Rewrite your firewall rules as to accept packets from MAC address
of your thin client.
17. Reboot or hassle with restarting daemons and ifconfig and iptables
or other firewalls.
II. The Terminal
Assuming the terminal can handle floppy disks, there is not much to
it. I know nothing about EPROM and NICs but I don't really see the
downside of using floppies instead (except that the terminal don't get
to be really "diskless").
18. Check out http://www.etherbooRom-O-Matic.net and grap a "floppy
bootable ROM image" that matches the NIC on the terminal.
19. cat [boot_rom_img_matching_the_NIC] >/dev/fd0
Do NOT use 720Kb diskettes! They will not work in this case.
20. Boot the terminal with the floppy, and you are done.
I intend to submit this guide to debianplanet or something like that,
so any comments/suggestions/corrections are very velcome.
Hans Ekbrand
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