Request for help implementing Edubuntu and LTSP

[mlb at imparisystems.com]

You might want to look into Likewise - open source version that ties your
Linux machines to AD http://activedirectorylinux.com/ 

On Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:45:08 +0100, "G. T. Stresen-Reuter"
<tedmasterweb at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Steve,
> 
> First and foremost thank you very much for taking the time to reply. I'm
> finding it difficult to find a "vibrant" user community, which makes
> finding answers to such questions difficult!
> 
> On Apr 11, 2011, at 5:52 AM, Rippl, Steve wrote:
> 
>> Integrating Edubuntu LTSP into an existing AD network is certainly
>> possible, but if you want the kind of tight integration you seem to be
>> driving at it isn't trivial.  If it's the best route for you to go down
I
>> can't answer, it's certainly great when it's all up and running but it
>> can be a trial getting it to do exactly what you want if you don't have
>> some technical aptitude, I'll answer some of your other stuff in line
>> below...
> 
> In reality, all I *really* need is an authentication mechanism that maps
> to *a* user on the local system. I don't need quite the kind of
integration
> I seem to have suggested. My goal is to avoid having to duplicate our AD
> users.
> 
>> On Sun, Apr 10, 2011 at 4:46 PM, G. T. Stresen-Reuter
>> <tedmasterweb at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Can a single user have concurrent sessions from different machines and
>>> if so, what negative side-effects does this have? I'm asking because
for
>>> the youngest users it is a logistical nightmare to ask them to
remember
>>> their own username and password and we'd like a single username and
>>> password we can use for all of them.
>>> 
>> If they are running off the same central server so these concurrent
>> sessions (single user) are sharing a home folder, then yes, you'll have
>> problems with applications like OpenOffice and Firefox.  However, it is
>> really easy to create individual local accounts for each client and
have
>> them autologin with that account so the Elementary school kids can just
>> sit and have at it!
> 
> That crossed my mind and it may end up being the solution but there is a
> small logistical problem: when users other than the elementary and
> preschool users come in (about 50% of the student body), they'll have to
> turn on the computers, log off and then log back on again. Our classes
are
> only about 54 minutes long and that process alone can take 10% of the
class
> time!
> 
> I shall ponder...
> 
>>> I need to run Windows games that are 10 or more years old. How well is
>>> Wine supported?
>> 
>> Wine is supported well enough, if an app works on stand alone it will
>> work under LTSP as far as I know.  Where it gets tricky is that the
free
>> version of Wine installs everything in the users home folder, which can
>> be bad for space and maintenance reasons.  We've never followed it up
but
>> the paid for CrossOver version seems to have better support for
>> deployment and central installation for multiple users.  Conversely,
you
>> may be better off ditching the old apps and trying to find native
>> alternatives.
> 
> Yeah, out of habit I frequently fail to consider for-pay solutions even
> when they genuinely are the best choice. I use CrossOver on my own
machine
> so it should have been obvios. Thanks for the idea.
> 
>>> On a similar note, if I install a Windows virtual machine will it have
>>> the same configuration for all users? Will video display properly
>>> running across a network via LTSP?
>>  
>> Don't know, never tried it!
> 
> I ask because we have lots of Windows software we use for teaching and
we
> aren't in a position to shelve those materials. However, if we can
reduce
> support to a single virtual instance (rather than 20+ real computers)
we'll
> be vastly simplifying our lives. I'll just have to try and report my
> findings somewhere, it seems.
> 
>>> Can I really use Active Directory to authenticate users as described
in
>>> this article? I tried following the instructions with no luck at all.
>>>
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuLTSP/ActiveDirectoryIntegration
>> 
>> We stay away from Likewise and simply use the various Samba and Pam
>> parts we need (as I mentioned above, Winbind is probably your best bet
>> for the tightest AD integration).  The authentication part really isn't
>> that hard, any how-to on Linux/Winbind authentication with AD will work
>> for you, it doesn't need to be LTSP specific.  How/if you decide to
>> integrate Networked home holders of some kind may prove more
challenging!
> 
> Challenging indeed! Having spent 20 years as a technical person
> (developer) I'm shocked by how hard it is to do any kind of meaningful
tech
> work while holding a full-time teaching position!
> 
> Like I said above, I'm really only looking to avoid maintaining two
> databases of usernames and passwords. Access to their home folders would
be
> nice, I suppose, but can definitely be considered a version 2 type of
> detail.
> 
>>> Can anyone comment on their own experience in a similar situation?
>>> Should we be looking at alternative solutions (we've considered
>>> installing basic Linux distros with VMWare and making 3 Windows images
>>> available: one image for each group of students).
>> 
>> Really depends on you and your IT support staff's
>> knowledge/interest/enthusiasm I would think...
> 
> We have about 400 students and 30 something teachers. We have roughly 50
> computers (more outside the lab than in it), a Windows AD server and a
few
> file servers. Our tech support staff (outsourced) comes twice per week
for
> 4 to 6 hours each day. Just general maintenance is nearly impossible.
I'm
> pretty much on my own on this (well, there are a few students who might
be
> interested in helping). My interest is high (long-term solutions
ultimately
> benefit everyone) but my time is so limited I can't really do much more
> than teach... and I suspect I'm representative of a lot of IT teachers
and
> schools so it's a little surprising more hasn't been written about how
to
> do all of this - I guess that's my calling!
> 
>>> And finally, where else can I go for help getting this set up
>>> (logistics, not so much technical)? Most information seems to be very
>>> technical but what I'm looking for is practical help on higher-level
>>> topics (like, does ltsp make sense in my situation).
> 
> Any thoughts on this last question? Are there any lists anyone can
> recommend?
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> Ted S-R