How to create a Ubuntu 12.04 LTSP server with 32bit thin clients

This guide is intended as a relatively easy step by step mostly graphical (GUI) guide to:

• Set up a basic Ubuntu LTSP server on Ubuntu 11.04, 11.10 and 12.04 x64 (64bit)
• Configure Ubuntu 32bit thin- and fat clients with internet access.
• Last updated : 15-04-2012

Requirements:

• Ubuntu 11.04/11.10/12.04 x64 machine with two network adaptors to act as your main LTSP server.
• 1 x Network switch / hub
• 1 x Router with internet connection
• Thin client computer. This can be any network boot enabled machine, or a Virtual machine like VirtualBox. See How to create a VirtualBox Ubuntu LTSP Thin Client.

Setup:

• Connect the Ubuntu 11.04/11.10 x64 machine to the internet on one network adaptor. (in this case a wifi connection to internet)
• Connect the other available network adaptor to a Network switch / hub. (This is where thin clients will connect)

---

1. Change your available network adaptor IP to a fixed entry.

• Most local network already use the 192.168.0.xx range of IP addresses, but the default install of LTSP relies on this range being available. In this tutorial we will set up the LTSP network on the 192.168.1.xx range.
• You also need a separate network adaptor with internet access during the install process.
• The LTSP server install wants to install it's own DHCP server, so if you have a router with it's own DHCP server it could cause conflicts if in the same network IP range.
• So what to do is change your unused LAN port's IP address to a fixed IP in another IP range. For example my setup has a router with a DHCP server running on 192.168.0.1, and provides the Internet access on the system.  I changed my other LAN adaptor's IP to 192.168.1.1 , this will be used for the LTSP network.
• NOTE: For some reason the DHCP server does not want to start correctly on system startup if the network adaptor's IP is not set in the network interfaces config file. (see 1d. below)

1a. Go to Network Connections and select the LAN network adaptor you intend to use for your thin client network and click edit.

1b. Change your adaptor to use Manual IP and set a new fixed IP for the adaptor and save.

This will be your LTSP server IP.

1c. Set the fixed IP for the network adaptor the classic way to ensure the DHCP server starts correctly.

• Add the information for your network adaptor that you selected in 1c. as shown below. 
• We added eth0 with a static IP of 192.168.1.1
• Open the Terminal Window and enter :

sudo gedit /etc/network/interfaces

1d. Change the Network Manager config file to allow control of your network adaptor with fixed IP.

• For some mysterious reason if you enter the IP manually in the interfaces file, Network Manager ignores them and you cannot use the Network Manager to control the adaptor any more. So we have to enable it.
• Change the "managed=false" to "managed=true" as seen below.
• Open the Terminal Window and enter :

sudo gedit /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf

2. Install the LTSP server.

• Open the Terminal Window and enter :

sudo apt-get install ltsp-server-standalone openssh-server

​

3. Edit the DHCP configuration for your LTSP server to match your chosen IP range.

• In this case 192.168.0.xx changes to 192.168.1.xx.
• Open the Terminal Window and enter :

sudo gedit /etc/ltsp/dhcpd.conf

​4. Select the network interface/s for the DHCP server

• Add the network devices you would like the DHCP server to run on. In this case we changed the value of INTERFACES to include eth0
• Open the Terminal Window and enter :

sudo gedit /etc/default/isc-dhcp-server

​5. Restart the DHCP server

• Open the Terminal Window and enter :

sudo /etc/init.d/isc-dhcp-server restart

Tip: previous ubuntu versions need to use : sudo /etc/init.d/dhcp3-server restart 

6a. Optional step to configure a Fat Client not a Thin Client before build

• This step is only needed if you intend to use your LTSP server for Fat clients, rather than Thin clients or both. For more information between the differences between Thin and Fat clients and configuration see UbuntuLTSPFatClients 
• This step edits the LTSP build client configuration file to install Ubuntu desktop and create LTSP Fat client image. 
• NOTE: only software installed in the Fat client image will be available to the client, and internet access for each client needs to be configured as the clients will not share the server network connection to the internet as is the case with the thin clients.
• Open the Terminal Window and enter :

sudo gedit /etc/ltsp/ltsp-build-client.conf

• Here you can customize your installation image for Fat clients.
• We will only install the standard Ubuntu Desktop system to run on the client side for now. We can install more software to the image later, this is to get a basic Fat client image built.
• Add the following to the file and save.

# ltsp-build-client.conf - many other options available 
# The chroot architecture.
ARCH=i386

# ubuntu-desktop and edubuntu-desktop are tested.
# Ubuntu 12.04 LTS working perfectly with Unity and Unity 2D.
FAT_CLIENT_DESKTOPS="ubuntu-desktop"

6b. Optional step to disable NBD compression

• NDB compression is enabled by default in Ubuntu 12.04 to speed up client disk access and boot times, but takes a much longer to generate a compressed image file. During development work is might be easier to disable this feature and re-enable it when the setup of the client image is complete. 
• Open the Terminal Window and enter :

sudo gedit /etc/ltsp/ltsp-update-image.conf

• Add NO_COMP="-noF -noD -noI -no-exports" line to disable compression. Enable the compressing by adding the # symbol, or delete the line completely
• Make sure the file now looks like this example below and save.

# Configuration file for ltsp-update-image
# Do not compress the client image. Comment out the line below to enable again.
NO_COMP="-noF -noD -noI -no-exports"

6c. Build the i386 (32bit)  LTSP Thin/Fat Client

• This step builds the 32bit Thin Client Ubuntu 11.04 image needed to boot the thin clients on the network.
• This step downloads and installs all the 32bit Ubuntu client elements. Could take a while.
• Open the Terminal Window and enter :

sudo ltsp-build-client --arch i386

​​Tip: to set up 64bit thin clients  leave out the '--arch i386' part and enter: sudo ltsp-build-client 

7. Reboot your new LTSP server to complete LTSP server install

• At this point your Ubuntu LTSP server should be up and running. 
• You should be able to boot a Thin Client via the network.
• You could also set up a Virtual Machine to act as a thin client for testing your server. See: How to create a VirtualBox Ubuntu LTSP Thin Client.

Tip: After reboot make sure that the DHCP is running correctly. Open a Terminal Window and enter:

sudo /etc/init.d/isc-dhcp-server status

Tip: If after this point you change your IP address on the LTSP  server you need to enter the following :

sudo ltsp-update-sshkeys

sudo ltsp-update-image --arch i386

 

8. Set up Thin Client Admin user 

• Replace the adminname with your admin user name.

sudo -s -H
chroot /opt/ltsp/i386
useradd -m adminname -G sudo
passwd adminname
exit
exit

• Lock the admin account's password

sudo chroot /opt/ltsp/i386 passwd -l adminname

• Update the client image

sudo ltsp-update-image --arch i386

 

9. Set up a Thin Client User Account

9a. Open Users and Groups

• Make sure you have gnome system tools installed as this has been removed in Ubuntu 12.04.

sudo apt-get install gnome-system-tools

• In Ubuntu 12.04 search for Users and Groups under applications after installation.

9b. Click Add to add new user account

9c. Add new username details

9d. Add new user password

9e. Change User Advanced Settings -> User Privileges

10. Boot your Thin Client from the Ubuntu LTSP server

• Connect your Thin Client computer or Virtual Machine to your LTSP network Switch/Hub.
• Alter the Thin Client Machine BIOS Boot settings to boot from LAN / Network.
• Boot the machine.
• If all is set up correctly you should see the following Ubuntu LDM login screen on your Thin Client.
• You will be able to login with your newly created Thin Client username and password.

thin server

In the computer industry, a thin server is a PC that contains just enough hardware and software to support a particular function that users can share in a network, such as access to files on a storage device, access to CD-ROM drives, printing, or Internet access. According to the first companies who have used the term, a thin server can be quickly added to a network and costs less than providing the same service through a more general-purpose computer server. Usually, a thin server contains an abbreviated version of one or more operating systems, such as Windows 95, Macintosh, or UNIX, and necessary network protocols, such as TCP/IP and NetBEUI. Typically, it also includes Hypertext Transfer Protocol so that it can be configured, administered, and used through a Web browser user interface. The hardware processor sometimes uses reduced instruction set computer processing.
Some thin servers are designed and marketed for use on local area networks in businesses. A newer development is a thin server intended for home use. Data General makes a thin server for the home or small office that performs the single function of providing access to the Internet. Other desktop and notebook computers and possibly other electronic appliances can be hooked up as clients and share the thin server's connection or connections to the Internet.
The thin server and the thin client concepts arise from the same idea: why pay for the function in a computer that you don't need? Whereas the thin client is a constrained personal computer that gets applications and data the user needs from a shared and usually full-function server computer, the thin server serves the client requests of other computers and their users by doing one thing well without needing to provide any other service. A thin server is similar to a thin client in that both may be thought of as single application, special-purpose computers, almost always with a very limited storage capability and with "trimmed-down" operating systems.

How do I install an expansion card?

There are many types of expansion cards that can be installed in a computer, including sound, video, modem, network, interface card, and a number of others. In many cases, these expansion cards will fit in a slot in the computer called a PCI slot. However, in the case of video cards and a few others, they may fit into other types of slots, like an AGP slot or a PCI Express slot. Before purchasing and installing an expansion card, make sure you know which slots your computer has available on the motherboard. In the below picture, is an example of a motherboard with six expansion slots; two PCI Express slots, three PCI slots, and one AGP slot.

ESD Warning: While working in your computer and with an expansion card make sure you're aware of ESD and its potential dangers. We recommend using a grounding strap while working on the inside of the computer.

To install an expansion card, turn off your computer, unplug the power cord from the back of the computer, and remove the side panel from the computer case. You should be able to see the motherboard in the computer case. The expansion card slots are typically located on the bottom half of the motherboard (see example above).

• Additional information and help with opening your computer.

Find the expansion slot that is of the same type as the expansion card. Remove the metal bracket slot cover on the computer case that corresponds to the expansion or if you're upgrading an older expansion card unscrew and remove the expansion card.

Handle with care: When handling an expansion don't touch the gold plated connectors. Any grease or dirt on these connectors can cause corrosion. It is best to handle expansion cards by the metal back plate.

Gently insert the expansion card into the slot at a 90-degree vertical angle, making sure the connectors on the back of the card are sticking out through the computer case and that its connections are accessible. Apply a gentel pressure to push the card into the slot completely.

Secure the card in place by using the locking mechanism on the computer case (screw, plastic or metal locking brackets, etc.).

Plug the power cord into the computer and turn the computer on. Once the computer has loaded into the operating system, install any necessary hardware drivers and software needed for the expansion card to function properly.

How do I disable my computer BIOS splash screen?

When your computer starts up, a splash screen will be displayed for a few seconds. This splash screen usually displays the computer manufacturer's logo or some other image or information. For example, in the below picture is an example of a Dell computer BIOS splash screen that appears as the computer loads.

If you want to disable the BIOS splash screen, so that it no longer is displayed when your computer starts up, most motherboards provide a setting option in the BIOS setup to turn off the splash screen.

• Steps on how to enter the BIOS (CMOS) system setup.

There are a number of different types of BIOS versions that your motherboard could have. To determine where the setting is in your computer's BIOS, check the motherboard user manual. In most cases, it should be mentioned there. If you don't have a manual for your motherboard, access the BIOS and look through all settings for anything that refers to turning on on/off or showing the splash screen (the wording of this option may differ by BIOS version). Set the option to either disabled or enabled, whichever is opposite of what it is currently set to. This should disable the splash screen.

When the splash screen is disabled the POST screen will be shown instead. The POST screen displays some technical specifications about your computer, like memory (RAM), CD/DVD drive, hard drive, and video card information and details.

How to create a bootable Windows USB drive.

A common use of a bootable USB flash drive is to use it for booting into Windows. This can allow you to perform diagnostics on a computer that has hardware issues or can't boot into Windows. You can also use the flash drive to install Windows, instead of using the Windows installation CD.

This guide will outline making a bootable USB flash drive with Windows XP, Vista, and 7. Before we begin, it's important to note that the computer you want to use your bootable USB drive in will need to have the capability of booting to a USB drive. Most recent computers built since Windows Vista was released are capable of booting to a USB device. Prior to the Windows Vista timeframe, it's hit or miss with motherboards.

To determine if a computer is capable of booting to a USB device, access the computer's BIOS and check the bootable device list. If a USB device is listed, set the USB drive to be the first boot device. If you do not see a USB device in the list of bootable devices, your BIOS is not capable of booting to a USB device. (NOTE: You may need to have your USB flash drive plugged in when you access the BIOS).

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users
Windows XP users

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users

To make the bootable USB drive for Windows Vista or Windows 7, you need to have Windows Vista or 7 installed on your computer. It is recommended that you have a flash drive of at least 4 GB in size, in order to store all the necessary files.

Note: Before you start, plug in the USB drive and backup any files you have stored on the USB drive. The drive will be formatted during this process and all files on it will be deleted.

Tip: You will need a Windows Vista or Windows 7 disc for these instructions to be successful.

1. Open an elevated Windows command line window by clicking Start, typing in cmd in the search text field, then pressing CTRL + Shift + Enter on your keyboard (at the same time). You can also access this by navigating to Start, All Programs, Accessories, right-click with your mouse on the Command Prompt menu item and select Run as Administrator.

2. At the command prompt, type cd c:\windows\system32 to change the directory to the Windows system32 directory. Ensure your USB drive is plugged in and type DISKPART and press Enter. Then type LIST DISK and press Enter.

• See our diskpart command page for additional information on this command.

3. You will see a listing of the disk drives connected to your computer. Find the disk number of your USB drive and type SELECT DISK [USB disk #], where "[USB disk #]" is the disk # for your USB drive. It should now state that your USB drive is the selected disk. If you're not sure what disk is the USB disk, eject the USB drive, perform step number 2 again, connect the USB drive again, and compare the results. Usually the USB drive will be the last drive.

4. Type in the following commands, one by one, pressing Enter after each command.

CLEAN

CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY

SELECT PARTITION 1

ACTIVE

FORMAT FS=NTFS
(may take a couple minutes, depending on the USB drive size)

ASSIGN

EXIT

Keep the command prompt window open, but you can minimize it for a little bit.

5. You will now need your Windows Vista or 7 Installation DVD. Put the DVD in your computer's DVD drive. Open up My Computer and note which drive letter is assigned to your DVD Drive and your USB flash drive.

6. Go back to the command prompt window and type in D: CD BOOT (substitute your DVD drive letter for "D:" if necessary) and press Enter. Type CD BOOT again and press Enter. Lastly, type BOOTSECT.EXE /NT60 H: (substitute your USB flash drive letter for "H:" if necessary) and press Enter.

7. The last step is to copy the entire contents of the Windows DVD to your USB flash drive.

Your USB flash drive is now set up to be a bootable USB drive for Windows Vista or 7.

Windows XP users

To make the bootable USB drive for Windows XP, it is recommended that you have a flash drive of at least 4 GB in size, in order to store all the necessary files. You will also need to download Windows Server 2003 SP1 and a program called PE Builder (also known as Bart PE).

• Windows Server 2003 SP1
• Bart PE

Before you start, plug in the USB drive and backup any files you have stored on the USB drive, to ensure you do not lose any of them.

1. Install PE Builder on your computer. For the sake of ease, install the program to a C:\PEBuilder folder. After you've installed PE Builder, create a folder titled SRSP1 in the PEBuilder folder.

2. Now you need to extract two files from Windows Server 2003 SP1. The filename is quite long, so it is recommended that you rename the file to something shorter, like WS-SP1.exe. Open a command prompt (Start > Run, type cmd and press Enter) and use the cd command to change to the folder where you downloaded the Windows Server 2003 SP1 file to (i.e. cd c:\downloads to change to the c:\downloads folder). Then, type WS-SP1.exe -x to extract the files. A window will open, asking where to extract the files. You can enter the same folder where the file was downloaded.

3. A new folder titled i386 will be created by the extraction process. Type cd i386 to change to that folder. You now need to copy the setupldr.bin file to the SRSP1 folder you created in the PE Builder folder. Type copy setupldr.bin c:\PEBuilder\SRSP1 to copy the file.

4. You also need to expand the ramdisk.sys file to the SRSP1 folder.
Type expand -r ramdisk.sy_ c:\PEBuilder\SRSP1

5. Open My Computer and navigate to the c:\PEBuilder\SRSP1 folder and verify the two files are there.

6. Next, you need to create a compressed version of Windows XP using PE Builder. Make sure you Windows XP Professional CD is in your computer's CD drive, then launch the PE Builder program. In the Source field, type in the drive letter assigned to your CD Drive (you can check in My Computer if you are not sure) (e.g. "d:"). In the Output field, type BartPE. Make sure the None option is selected in the Media output section. Then click the Build button.

A progress report will be displayed, showing the progress of the bootable image build. When the build process is complete, click the Close button.

7. Now, you can create the bootable USB flash drive. Open a command prompt again and type cd c:\PEBuilder to change to the PEBuilder folder. Make sure your USB drive is plugged in to your computer and type pe2usb -f e: (change "e:" to the drive letter assigned to your USB flash drive, if necessary) to create the bootable drive. You will be prompted to type YES to begin the process. When the process is complete, press any key to exit the program.

Your USB flash drive is now set up to be a bootable USB drive for Windows XP using the Bart PE interface.

window xp secrets

Windows XP Secrets Notepad Secrets Create a log Open Notepad On the very first line, type in ".LOG" (without quotes) then press Enter for a new line Now you can type in some text if you want, then save the file. Next time when you open the file, notice its contents. Notepad automatically adds a time/date log everytime you open the file. Text becomes unreadable Open Notepad On the very first line, type in "dont eat the donut" (without quotes) then save and close the file. Note: the file should have only one line of the text above. Now, open the same file. You'll notice the text becomes unreadable squares. (try this with different text with the same format and length). Paint Secrets Create a trail image Open Paint, then open an image. Right-click on the image and select "Select All" Now hold the "Shift" key and move the image around. The image will be drawn with trail. 10x Zoom Open Paint, then open a small image. Select the zoom "Magnifier" tool. Windows Paint lists out the zoom options from 1x to 8x, but there is a 10x... After selecting the Magnifier tool, point the mouse right at the border line right under "8x" and left-click. There you go.. the hidden 10x. Other Secrets Where is the relaxing music that you've heard during Windows XP Installation? The file is in: C:\Windows\system32\oobe\images\title.wma Game Secrets  Solitaire: Instant Win Press Alt + Shift + 2 to instantly win  Solitaire: Draw only 1 card (instead of 3) Hold down Ctrl + Alt + Shift then click on unopen cards to draw.  FreeCell: Instant Win Hold down Ctrl + Shift + F10 while playing, then click Abort. Now move one card.  FreeCell: Hidden Game Modes Go to "Game" menu choose "Select Game" Here you can choose from game mode 1 to 1,000,000. But -1 and -2 will also work (hidden modes)  Hearts: Show All Card Warning! this requires a modification on your registry. Be sure you follow the steps carefully. Damage your registry might damage your Windows. Open the "Registry Editor" by: "Start" >> "Run" then type "regedit" and press Enter Expand to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Hearts Right-click on the right panel and create a new String value with the name "ZB" Double-click to open this key "ZB" to edit its value. Then enter "42" and close the Registry Editor. Start Hearts and Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F12 to show all the cards  Minesweeper: Stop The Timer When you start to play a new game, the timer is ticking... Press Windows Key + D to show desktop. Now come back to the game by selecting it from the taskbar. The timer is stopped.  Pinball Unlimited Balls: Type bmax at a new game to get unlimited balls (no notification). Extra Balls: Type 1max at a new game to get extra balls. Gravity Well: Type gmax at a new game to activate Gravity Well. Promotion: Type rmax at a new game or while playing to get instant promotion and raising rank. Extra points with partial shots: Partially shot the ball just to pass the yellow light bars. There are 6 bars. With the first bar, you'll get 15,000 points, 2nd: 30,000,... Extra points with partial shots: Partially shot the ball just to pass the yellow light bars. There are 6 bars. With the first bar, you'll get 15,000 points, 2nd: 30,000,... Test Mode: Type hidden test with a new ball or new game. Now you can use your mouse to drag and move the ball where you want.

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