Ubuntu Server with LTSP in real life

[Eberhard Roloff]

Michael T. Richter wrote:
> On Fri, 2007-30-03 at 03:37 -0500, Brian Fahrlander wrote:
>>     Second, Paul, that's very cool; I started in LTSP back when
>> Etherboot had just changed over, probably about 1996-97. I had 12 users
>> running old tired 486's in a lumber yard, and only a couple of things
>> caused me grief:
> 
> Aren't diskless workstations just another word for "single point of
> massive failure"?  

While this might be ture, LTSP is more focused on very good server
hardware that runs very cheap diskless clients from one central location.
Potentially very good servers very rarely fail, especially compared to
PC standards.
Add the easy install and administration on just one machine against
dozens, add the financial calculation and many people are sold.

I've never understood the appeal in this day and age
> where you can get old P/P2 (and even P3) hardware *complete with disk*
> for a song and a dance.  What am I missing?
> 
It's not the disk, it is the associated administration that makes things
horrible, especially if networks are larger and admin work is costly.

Also: Imagine your "got it for a song" disk fails, what will you do?
-get a new disk (well, it is cheap)
-open the case and change old against new
-prepare the disk for the OS
-install the OS
-upgrade the OS
-get your data back (oh, when did I lastly backup my files?)
-try to make the best of it after some hours, some days... of
frustration and anger.

Imagine, a LTSP Client fails:
-you either go to another one and
-continue your work

-or you connect a "new one"
-and you continue to do your work

It is a simple as this. I love it!

regards
Eberhard


> -- 
> *Michael T. Richter* <ttmrichter at gmail.com
> <mailto:ttmrichter at gmail.com>> (*GoogleTalk:* ttmrichter at gmail.com)
> /We should sell bloat credits, the way the government sells pollution
> credits. Everybody's assigned a certain amount of bloat, and if they go
> over, they have to purchase bloat credits from some other group that's
> been more careful. (Bent Hagemark)/
>