I currently use a Fedora Core Server as a Server for XP clients using samba.
I have decided to move to Suse and use Terminal Server.
The new server is for educational use in a classroom situation and I need to be sure that I can create an environment which pupils can use to run certain applications but within an environment they cannot change. I have no experience of using Terminal Server, so if anyone can enlighten me as to whether I can lock the user environment down I would be grateful.
I understand the old setup: a Fedora computer sharing ifles and perhaps print resources to xp client workstations.
I’m having trouble understanding the new configuration. I think it will involve an openSUSE machine serving Linux remote desktops to xp client workstations over a LAN (using rdp). Is that right?
And an extra two questions:
Will the openSUSE server also share resources like files to the xp workstations or will that work now be done solely by remote xrdp connections (xrdp – terminal services for Linux).
Please elaborate with some examples of what you might like to allow and what you might like to disallow regarding the quote:
The Kiwi-LTSP implementation on openSUSE follows pretty closely the standard LTSP setup so you can get more info on LTSP from their wikis or forums. I’m sure it is possible to lock down the config. LTSP doesn’t use RDP though (unless you are logging to a Windows machine). The client terminals run an X server and users run programs on the server that display to the X server. Check out the LTSP website.
Many thanks for the comments. I shall investigate all of them, and kiosk tool sounds like it might be just the ticket.
The problem with the current configuration of XP clients using Samba is really with the XP side of things. I use a class of 30 machines with a number of groups, and therefore it has different users on an hourly basis. With minimal tying down of XP they will attempt to change anything, and of course save onto the internal drive in any location they think fit, irrespective of their internal folder.
I am aware of the changes that could be made at the client end to tie XP down, and have used software to help with this, but it’s just another problem.
So then, I intend to use LTSP on each client after disconnecting the internal drive, but one of the first things I will want to do as per the original message is to restrict users to running the Open Office or other applications given to them, and of course making sure they only go where I want them to and have no capacity to change their desktop.