How to Create a Ubuntu 12.04 x64 LTSP Server With 32bit Thin Clients | How to | the Fan Club | Dynamic Design Solutions

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How to create a Ubuntu 12.04 x64 LTSP server with 32bitthin clients

This guide is based on the comprehensive LTSP documentation done by the Ubuntu Community- Ubuntu Community Documentation - UbuntuLTSP

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 LTSPserver.1 x Network switch / hub1 x Router with internet connectionThin client computer. This can be any network boot enabled machine, or a Virtual machinelike 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 thiscase a wifi connection to internet)Connect the other available network adaptor to a Network switch / hub. (This is where thin

Submitted by The Fan Club on 13 July 2011

How to create a Ubuntu 12.04 x64 LTSP server with 32bit thin... http://www.thefanclub.co.za/how-to/how-create-ubuntu-1104...

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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 installof LTSP relies on this range being available. In this tutorial we will set up the LTSP networkon 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 withit'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 IPrange. For example my setup has a router with a DHCP server running on 192.168.0.1, andprovides the Internet access on the system. I changed my other LAN adaptor's IP to192.168.1.1 , this will be used for the LTSP network.NOTE: For some reason the DHCP server does not want to start correctly on system startupif 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 adaptoryou intend to use for your thin client network and click edit.

1b. Changeyouradaptor touseManual IPand set anew fixedIP for theadaptorand save.

This will beyour LTSPserver IP.

1c. Set thefixed IP forthenetworkadaptorthe classic

way to ensurethe DHCPserver startscorrectly.

Add the


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information foryour networkadaptor that youselected in 1c. asshown below. We added eth0with a static IP of192.168.1.1Open the TerminalWindow and enter:

sudo gedit /etc/network/interfaces

1d. Changethe NetworkManagerconfig file toallow control

of your network adaptor with fixed IP.

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


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Open the Terminal Window and enter :

sudo gedit /etc/NetworkManager/NetworkManager.conf

2. Install the LTSP server.


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

3. Edit the DHCP configuration for your LTSP server to matchyour 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


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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 wechanged the value of INTERFACES to include eth0Open the Terminal Window and enter :

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


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5. Restart the DHCP server


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 Clientbefore build

This step is only needed if you intend to use your LTSP server for Fat clients, rather thanThin clients or both. For more information between the differences between Thin and Fatclients and configuration see UbuntuLTSPFatClients This step edits the LTSP build client configuration file to install Ubuntu desktop and createLTSP Fat client image. NOTE: only software installed in the Fat client image will be available to the client, andinternet access for each client needs to be configured as the clients will not share the servernetwork 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.AARRCCHH==ii338866

# ubuntu-desktop and edubuntu-desktop are tested.


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# Ubuntu 12.04 LTS working perfectly with Unity and Unity 2D.FFAATT__CCLLIIEENNTT__DDEESSKKTTOOPPSS==""uubbuunnttuu--ddeesskkttoopp""

6b. Optional step to disable NBD compressionNDB compression is enabled by default in Ubuntu 12.04 to speed up client disk access andboot times, but takes a much longer to generate a compressed image file. Duringdevelopment work is might be easier to disable this feature and re-enable it when the setupof 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 thecompressing by adding the # symbol, or delete the line completelyMake 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.NNOO__CCOOMMPP==""--nnooFF --nnooDD --nnooII --nnoo--eexxppoorrttss""

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 onthe 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.


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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 andenter:

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 thefollowing :

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 -Hchroot /opt/ltsp/i386useradd -m aaddmmiinnnnaammee -G sudopasswd aaddmmiinnnnaammeeexitexit

Lock the admin account's password

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

Update the client image

sudo ltsp-update-image --arch i386


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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 Ubuntu12.04.

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


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9c. Add new username details

9d. Add new userpassword

9e. Change UserAdvancedSettings -> UserPrivileges

10. Boot yourThin Client fromthe UbuntuLTSP server

Connect your ThinClient computer orVirtual Machine toyour LTSP networkSwitch/Hub.

Alter the Thin ClientMachine BIOS Bootsettings to boot fromLAN / Network.Boot the machine.If all is set upcorrectly you shouldsee the followingUbuntu LDM loginscreen on your ThinClient.You will be able tologin with your newlycreated Thin Clientusername andpassword.

11. How toconfigure,update andauto login Thin


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/ Fat Clients

Click here for How toconfigure, update andauto login Ubuntu 12.04LTSP Fat Clients


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Tags: Ubuntu 11.04 Thin Client Fat client Ubuntu LTSP Ubuntu 11.10 Ubuntu 12.04

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Comments

shareshare

Hi, I'm trying to install and I have a error: "No ip... No ip ...". Could anyone help me?><

Hi, I'm trying to install andSubmitted by fabbaraujo (not verified) on 22 August 2012

Make sure that the DHCP server is running on your LTSP server before you boot thethin client. See instructions number 3-5 above. The problem is most likely with theDHCP configuration.

Make sure that the DHCPSubmitted by The Fan Club on 23 August 2012

It's a pity you don't have a


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(http://www.ubuntu.com/)All Rights Reserved. Copyright The Fan Club ©2001-2013.

It's a pity you don't have a donate button! I'd without a doubt donate to this fantasticblog! I guess for now i'll settle for book-marking and adding your RSS feed to myGoogle account. I look forward to new updates and will share this site with myFacebook group. Talk soon!

Submitted by Mielno domki do... (not verified) on 19 April 2013

Hi, after reading this amazing article i am too cheerful to share my knowledge herewith colleagues.

Hi, after reading thisSubmitted by Anonymous (not verified) on 20 April 2013

I set this up in VirtualBox. The ThinClient gets the right IP and starts to boot. But afterBoot i just see a black Screen! What could be the reason for that?

I set this up in VirtualBox.Submitted by Benjibuntu (not verified) on 12 March 2013

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