gutsy and regular PCs on edubuntu lan

[Jay Perez]

Philippe,
I spent several weeks trying to get my Edubuntu server configured to allow both thin-client and non-Linux machines to be able to access the Internet.
Several people on this and other forums tried to help me but the answer was so simple I just didn't get the point they were trying to help me understand.
I eventually just reinstalled the software from scratch using the single network card topology that Gavin refers to in his note below and with all devices and the server plugged into one switch. The switch was plugged into my cable modem which was connected to the Internet.
The only configuration changes I had to do after reinstalling Edubuntu was to setup my router to NOT provide DHCP (This is done by the Edubuntu server) and to make sure the Gateway address on the server was set to the IP address of my router. (Actually, I set my router's IP address to match the Default Gateway address on the server which I believe is 192.168.0.1)
In this setup, the router is providing NAT services and a hardware firewall. (I don't recall having to do anything on the server to prevent it from also providing a firewall ...)  It was also providing wireless access for my laptop.
This worked wonderfully and I could then boot any PC on the network normally as a full client PC, or, using the network bootup routine to boot as a thin-client off the Edubuntu server. Ohhh, the rapture !
All the computers in the house could get to the Internet without any problems and I could share files across all the machines on the network using SAMBA.
The only significant problem I had afterwards was people's profiles getting corrupted. I think this was caused by trying to log into two different machines with the same user login. The symptom I experienced was not being able to logoff or shutdown from that account once it was damaged.
I'd love to be able to take credit for figuring any of this out but all I really did was plug in the disk and make a few very small changes people told me to make.
There are some very talented people out there...  Whoever figured all this stuff out and did all this programming is WAY smart !!!
Hope your project goes well.
Jay

-- Gavin McCullagh <gmccullagh at gmail.com> wrote:
Hi Philippe,

On Tue, 30 Oct 2007, Philippe Rousselot wrote:

> It is apparently impossible (out of the box) to get regular PCs 
> connected to the edubuntu lan to access internet. it is only possible 
> for thin clients.

There are (as I understand it) two possible network topologies for
edubuntu:

1. Single network interface.  Edubuntu and all thin clients sit on the main
  network like all other machines.  Edubuntu runs dhcp for all machines,
  and thin client services for thin clients.
2. Two network interfaces.  Edubuntu sits on the main network, thin clients
  sit behind it, connected by a separate switch to its second network
  interface.

In [1], all machines can see the internet directly.  In [2], you can put
your desktops directly on the main network and they will get internet
access _or_ put them behind the edubuntu server which must then have
ip_forwarding switched on.

It's possible the above situation has changed recently.  I'm open to
corrections if it has.

> remarque: as the primary vocation for edubuntu is to be used in schools, 
> it is quite domageable not to get out of the box  :
>     1. parental control with GUI to modify white/black list
>     2. access to internet for regular PCs connected to the server

What you seem to be describing here is a firewall/content filtering server.
Edubuntu (again, as I understand it) provides a desktop OS for schools, not
a firewall.  You probably don't want to plug things together as though it
were the firewall and it doesn't attempt to provide content filtering
(which is usually best done at/near the firewall).

I would suggest a firewall/filtering product is required for this need.
Maybe edubuntu should try to provide it, I don't know, but the current
product is really not aimed at that.

.... or such is my understanding.

Gavin


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