VMware

[Eric Dunbar]

On 21/02/07, Patton Echols <p.echols at comcast.net> wrote:
> This is not really a Ubuntu specific question, but a pointer in the
> right direction would be great.  I've looked around the web about VMware
> but I think my questions are so basic that the answers are assumed . . .
> or I could be looking in the wrong places.
>
> I read an article recently about maintaining a network of windows
> desktops by running linux on each desktop and then using Vmware to load
> windows on each one from a single windows XP image maintained on a server.
>
> I volunteer with an educational non profit that maintains a computer
> lab.  The lab computers are quite old (and have been "ridden hard") and
> need replacement.  Because of the need to reimage the drives when
> students break the windows install, our computer guy says it is
> important to keep a number of identical boxes, rather than replace them
> as needed the way non profit organizations are likely to do.

Why don't you lock down the Windows XP images? It's quite possible to
lock Windows XP Pro down tighter than fort Knox. You should be able to
specify what apps the users can run and where they can save, and,
prevent such things as FireFox from auto-installing themself (that's
not to say you shouldn't be running FF, but, unfortunately, it's
easier to lock IE down than FF to prevent plug-ins from installing (at
least, that's been my experience... can you lock down FF that way?)).