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ted_munga
03-29-2003, 11:32 AM
Hi,

I am very new to both Knopppix and linux, so I hope I'm not asking the obvious as I haven't found the answers in this forum section.

I have managed to remaster knoppix with plip and eth0 automounted with NFS between 2 CDs one server one client.

What I need to do is be able to add users to the remastered CDs and have the client CD force a X-windows login. I have added users by chrooting to the knoppix remaster environment and adduser, after creating the remastered copy and runnning it I can login with the new user but starting X-windows by 'startx' or '/etc/init.d/xsession' fails yet starting it with root works fine.

I would really appreciate any help that anyone could give me.

thanks
ted

A. Jorge Garcia
03-29-2003, 04:09 PM
I would like to do something similar. As I don't have the resources for remastering, how about this?

I'll have my students boot the KNOPPIX CD and then log-in to one PC on the LAN which I will permanently knx-hdinstall and always keep running KNOPPIX (well, Debian actually...). How do I have my students login remotely without xdm? Can I set this up for them to log-in remotely and save their files on the one PC that is installed?

Thanx,

RockMumbles
03-29-2003, 05:42 PM
A.J.G.

On your installed system (your application server) either setup kdm (gdm or xdm, I use gdm) to allow xdmcp, add some user accounts then use knoppix (or morphix, etc.) on your remote terminals.

You would start knoppix on the X-terminals with:

knoppix 2

and then use the command:

X -broadcast

to tell your X-terminal (X-window client) to connect to your application server (installed machine) where your applications are installed and your home directories are located. With this approach you only need one capable server machine with ample hd space and memory, the X-terms can easily run with 32MB of ram. This way all swap, etc. is on the server machine, and no swapping is done over the network, you will notice a bit of network lag, and cd lag running X-terms from cd. The other nice feature is you only install software to one machine, upgrade one machine, and backup settings and home directories on one machine.

I've been thinking about customizing morphix for an X-terminal only system, because of its modular nature, and size, and also the fact that it is easy to do multisession cd's with morphix, so cd's can be reburned if necessary.

HTH

rock

A. Jorge Garcia
03-29-2003, 11:47 PM
Yup, this sounds like a good way to set up my new lab at least until I figure out how and if I want to knx-hdinstall every PC. As you say, I only have to maintian one machine this way.

I will have 30 gigs per PC to play with for linux partitions (the school insists on infecting half the hdd with M$ WINDOZE :cry: ). So I may want to make a complete linux lab after all.

You say the CD option with gdm will have poor lag time? How slow can it be with 100mbps ethernet and Pentium IVs running at 2GHZ with 512MB RAM??

Regards,

RockMumbles
03-30-2003, 12:43 AM
It won't be as fast as running a local hd install (ie; on the machine itself), because (1) you are running from cd and there is a bit of cd lag, running from cd is not as fast as running from hd, and (2) there will be some network lag, if you have good NIC cards and a good switch that can run at 100 full-duplex that would help a lot and the network lag may be almost unnoticable, especially if most of what you are doing is writing code.

Running X-terminals the memory and processor won't affect the speed very much, my 64MB p200MMX is just as fast as my pIII-550 w/256mb (with the same network card), the main difference I see in my machines, is the p-III has a much better video card.

As far as your CS lab, are your students doing a bunch of processor intensive compiling? If so then you would probably be best to do an install on each computer, or have more than one server per lab (which would maybe be a really good idea anyway, if one has problems you have a backup).

HTH

rock

ted_munga
03-30-2003, 08:34 AM
Sounds like a good project guys. Have either of you had experience with adding users and forcing the kde login screen?

ted

A. Jorge Garcia
04-01-2003, 02:25 AM
I did this years ago with Slackware Linux installed to the hdd via DOS partition - believe it or not. I just have no clue right now how I did it.....

I'll get this working with Xterminal if it kills me! But I can't even begin to experiment with this until my new lab is installed in September :cry:

Regards,

probono
04-01-2003, 03:33 AM
How can I set up Knoppix (running from CD) to show the kdm on remote machines, that is, to act as the server? I uncommented the following lines in /etc/kde3/kdm/Xaccess:

* #any host can get a login window


* CHOOSER BROADCAST #any indirect host can get a chooser


when I connect to the Knoppix box with
X -query ipaddressofserver
it only gives me the grey X background, but kdm does not appear.

What do have to config?

true1ever
04-03-2003, 05:02 AM
After a lot of fiddling I got it working. I am writing this from a "thin client" off my main computer. I think what would be useful is if in addition to the Knoppix Terminal Server menu entry, a new one was also created called Knoppix remote xdm (or some other fitting name) that would set up the proper configuration for connecting remotely via a thin-client. Also, perhaps using a cheatcode of "knoppix thinclient" on a cd or pxe bootup, one would automatically connect to the closest xdm display. This way, depending on how you boot up, you can be a "fat-client" or a "thin-client". What do you guys think?

Jim

true1ever
04-03-2003, 05:05 AM
na

RockMumbles
04-03-2003, 04:42 PM
probono,

Check out this thread about how to setup knoppix as a network X login server:

http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6873#6873

rock

true1ever
04-03-2003, 08:59 PM
Hi everyone,

I set up a script to do this automatically. It will set up kdm to accept sessions and makes the required changes to allow you to add new users to the system. Run this in a root shell (you can get a root terminal in the KNOPPIX menu).

On the client machine, boot knoppix up with "knoppix 2" cheatcode and then type "X -broadcast" when you get the # prompt.

Here's the script:

#!/bin/bash
cp /etc/kde3/kdm/Xaccess /ramdisk
cp /etc/kde3/kdm/kdmrc /ramdisk
rm -r /etc/kde3/kdm/Xaccess
rm -r /etc/kde3/kdm/kdmrc
sed 's/^#\*/\*/g' < /ramdisk/Xaccess > /ramdisk/Xaccess1
mv -f /ramdisk/Xaccess1 /ramdisk/Xaccess
sed 's/^Enable=false/Enable=true/g' < /ramdisk/kdmrc > /ramdisk/kdmrc1
mv -f /ramdisk/kdmrc1 /ramdisk/kdmrc
ln -s /ramdisk/Xaccess /etc/kde3/kdm/Xaccess
ln -s /ramdisk/kdmrc /etc/kde3/kdm/kdmrc
/etc/init.d/kdm restart
cp /etc/gshadow /etc/gshadow1
mv -f /etc/gshadow1 /etc/gshadow
echo To add users: adduser username

true1ever
04-04-2003, 04:39 AM
Some strange behaviour (bugs?) I have encountered is that if you log in as knoppix on the client machine, when you log out it logs the server out and reboots it also.
The other thing I noticed is that if you create additional users using adduser, you can log in as them through remote kdm but the language on all the icons/programs is German. Anyone else have this happen?

regards,
Jim

RockMumbles
04-04-2003, 03:59 PM
What knoppix version are you running on your server?

On my 3.1 1-20 (I think) I can log out of my X-terminal and get the kdm login window back. Did you boot your server in runlevel 5 or runlevel 2, maybe something else to do in your script is to:

chmod -x /etc/init.d/xsession

you will need to start in runlevel 2 then run your script, then everything should be OK, if xsession is ran at all you I would expect that you would reboot at logout.

as far as your language problem, after you do the adduser, delete all of the files in the users home directory, if you start with an empty directory you'll get the correct language or maybe the kde setup wizard and you can select the language from there. I just tried my system and "kontrolzentrum?" control center crashed so I had to delete the contents of /home/user then kde started up in english, /etc/skel is set up to be ran only by user knoppix and when you create another user the home directories get messed up, a very documented problem with hd installs.

rock

probono
04-04-2003, 09:56 PM
Thanks a lot. That sholud bring some old 586s to life :)

probono
04-05-2003, 03:38 AM
After a lot of fiddling I got it working. I am writing this from a "thin client" off my main computer. I think what would be useful is if in addition to the Knoppix Terminal Server menu entry, a new one was also created called Knoppix remote xdm (or some other fitting name) that would set up the proper configuration for connecting remotely via a thin-client. Jim
Great idea! Could you please adjust your script so that it's point-and-click and send it to Klaus Knopper? I'm confident he will include it.

true1ever
04-05-2003, 03:59 AM
Rockmumbles,

The newest version 3.2 03-30. I booted the server up normally in level 5, then ran the script at a root prompt. I wanted to be able to run Xwindows on both the server and the thin-client. Your suggestion is to boot server in level 2 and then startx, right?

Thanks for your explanation of the language problem. Now that we know what it is, should be easy to fix...
Jim

true1ever
04-05-2003, 04:04 AM
Probono,

Thanks for your vote of confidence :)... Anyway, if you would like, feel free to suggest to Klaus about including something like this, I imagine he might write a script that might be a little bit better than the one I put together, I am still amazed at his insight and coding abilities in getting knoppix to where it is now.

regards,
Jim

RockMumbles
04-05-2003, 04:46 AM
On the server machine boot up in runlevel 2 and run your script, the script line:

/etc/init.d/kdm start

(you have " restart " as long as kdm gets started that's all that matters) will start the kdm login screen on display :0

You don't need to run startx unless you want to run a local X session on that machine (server), then you will have to startx -- :1 ( startx space dash dash space colon one) to start the local server on vtt6 (your second virtual terminal) Note: if you log out of the remote machine you may also get logged out of your local session.

rock

true1ever
04-05-2003, 05:19 PM
That gives me an idea... Perhaps it would be cool to also have cheatcodes to do this automatically, perhaps as:
knoppix thinclientserver
and
knoppix thinclient

that would start it as either a server or a client? what do you guys think?

A. Jorge Garcia
04-05-2003, 06:29 PM
OOO, I like this cheat code!!!

Klaus, are you listening?

If you are,

TIA,

true1ever
04-06-2003, 03:08 AM
If anyone else would also be interested in the above mentioned cheatcodes, leave a post here so we can gauge the interest level and perhaps Klaus would implement it in the next release. (I certainly hope so as it would be a very useful feature :)

probono
04-06-2003, 03:31 AM
thanks for your vote of confidence :)... Anyway, if you would like, feel free to suggest to Klaus about including something like this, I imagine he might write a script that might be a little bit better than the one I put togethertrue1ever, I tried your script and it worked just perfect. How could it be better?

probono
04-06-2003, 03:32 AM
If anyone else would also be interested in the above mentioned cheatcodes, leave a post here so we can gauge the interest level and perhaps Klaus would implement it in the next release.I am absolutely interested!

true1ever
04-06-2003, 03:52 AM
true1ever, I tried your script and it worked just perfect. How could it be better?

Who knows, perhaps Klaus could reduce it all to a one-line script :), I wouldn't be surprised...

A. Jorge Garcia
04-06-2003, 04:15 AM
Does Klaus read this forum too?

Regards,

Henk Poley
04-06-2003, 01:20 PM
Does Klaus read this forum too?
Now and then. I saw a post by him two days ago, when I checked his acount he had 7 posts.

You could sign up for this mailinglist he is running and bring it to his attention.

A. Jorge Garcia
04-06-2003, 02:21 PM
Yup, I saw he had a few recent posts, but is that really him?

BTW, what mailing list are you referring to?

Regards,

Henk Poley
04-06-2003, 02:53 PM
This: http://www.knoppix.net/docs/index.php/MailingList

true1ever
04-06-2003, 06:28 PM
Rock,

You were correct, if the files in the user home directory are deleted, the language comes up right. I modified the script to do this automatically for all added users. Here is the new script:

#!/bin/bash
cp /etc/kde3/kdm/Xaccess /ramdisk
cp /etc/kde3/kdm/kdmrc /ramdisk
rm -r /etc/kde3/kdm/Xaccess
rm -r /etc/kde3/kdm/kdmrc
sed 's/^#\*/\*/g' < /ramdisk/Xaccess > /ramdisk/Xaccess1
mv -f /ramdisk/Xaccess1 /ramdisk/Xaccess
sed 's/^Enable=false/Enable=true/g' < /ramdisk/kdmrc > /ramdisk/kdmrc1
mv -f /ramdisk/kdmrc1 /ramdisk/kdmrc
ln -s /ramdisk/Xaccess /etc/kde3/kdm/Xaccess
ln -s /ramdisk/kdmrc /etc/kde3/kdm/kdmrc
/etc/init.d/kdm start
cp /etc/gshadow /etc/gshadow1
mv -f /etc/gshadow1 /etc/gshadow
while [ "$usr" != none ]
do
echo To add users enter username or press enter to quit adding users
read usr
if [ "$usr" != "" ]
then
adduser $usr
rm /home/$usr/* -rf
rm /home/$usr/.* -rf
else
usr="none"
fi
done

true1ever
04-06-2003, 08:28 PM
So as I was playing around on the thinclient PC, I got the idea that it would be nice to be able to save the settings of each user so they can be restored next time, kind of like a persistent home for all the new created users. Apparently this is pretty simple to implement.
Here is a script to save all the password settings and the contents of all new user's home directories, let's call it save_tcph:

#!/bin/bash
tar -cvvf /home/knoppix/tcph.tar /home/* /etc/passwd /etc/shadow /etc/group /etc/gshadow --exclude /home/knoppix
gzip /home/knoppix/tcph.tar

Once all your X-terminals are logged out, on the server you can run save_tcph and it will create a file called tcph.tar.gz in the knoppix home directory. At this point, you can run the regular "Save knoppix configuration" to save the knoppix user's settings to whichever media you prefer. Since the tcph.tar.gz file is in the knoppix directory, you are also tranparently saving all the other user's settings and all the passwords you created when you set up the new users.

Next time you boot up when you are ready to resume the X-terminal sessions, use the regular script in the previous post that enables thinclients but don't add any users. Then all you need to do is run the following script, let's call it restore_tcph:

!#/bin/bash
cd /
tar xfvz /home/knoppix/tcph.tar.gz

All your users that you previously created are instantly there again and you are able to log from any X-terminal as any user and see that user's desktop, along with any files they had in their home directory and any settings are exactly as they were when they logged out.

How about that? :)

regards,
Jim

true1ever
04-06-2003, 08:39 PM
BTW, in case you were wondering, tcph is just an acronym for thin client persistent home in case you were wondering how I came up with the file names :)

A. Jorge Garcia
04-06-2003, 08:59 PM
I was just reading the Desktop articles by Michael C. Barnes on desktoplinux.com. He mentions that the latest version of KNOPPIX includes LTSP for thin clients booting off a server. How does this work? Is this different from the solutions you all are advancing here in this thread?

TIA,

true1ever
04-06-2003, 09:08 PM
I think that article has some of their facts incorrect. AFAIK knoppix does not include LTSP, he may have mistakenly thought that the knoppix terminal server function is thin-client.

regards,
Jim

true1ever
04-06-2003, 09:12 PM
By the way, I discovered a bonus function when using the above scripts, any password that you may have set for root or the knoppix user carries accross re-boots so you don't need to set it again :)

P.S. This post typed from a Pentium200 w/ 32 MB RAM thin client, and it performs surprisingly fast

RockMumbles
04-07-2003, 12:59 AM
From my experiences the difference between running X-terminals and remote-terminal sessions is:

When running X-terminals logged into a server, especially if you are not running a local X-session on your server, the server resources are used for running the OS, desktop environment or window manager, applications, and the sever part of the X-window system. Your X-terminals are running the OS and the display interface (X-window system client). So each part of the system has it's own task, and the only network data transmission is information regarding the X display.

When running something like LTSP or knoppix remote-terminal sessions the thin-client is actually running the OS, you are booting from a remote computer but running on the local system. If you are running PXE or LTSP thin-clients, applications are loaded from the server's hard drive or cd, also your swap is on the remote computer as most thin-client do not have a hard drive at all, this is a whole bunch more network activity that running X-terminals and requires that all computers have capable enough hardware to run the full linux system.

A 16mb 486DX with a capable video card can function as an X-term (maybe not a great one but it will function), the same computer cannot login to a knoppix remote-terminal session or LTSP server and run X, it does not have the resources to run a 'complete' linux system, the OS, X, desktop environment or window manager and applications.

HTH

rock

true1ever
04-07-2003, 02:58 AM
Another way to explain it, when you are using knoppix terminal server, you are basically just connecting the cdrom of the server to your local PC via the network. All applications still load and execute locally at the speed of the local CPU and the memory requirements are the same as running from CD. Your home directory is on the local ramdisk. If you reboot unexpectedly you will lose files and settings in your home directory.

When running thin-client mode, you are running the applications on the server. Applications load and execute at the speed of the server's CPU. (There is some overhead for the screen rendering and network transmission but it's not too significant for most applications except for some games or video intensive applications). Since the local machine only needs to draw the screens received from the server and send mouse and keystrokes to the server, the requirements on memory and CPU speed is much, much less than the other option. You don't need to have local swap either. The home directory is on located on the server If you reboot, you will not lose any files saved in your home directory since they are stored on the server.

A. Jorge Garcia
04-07-2003, 01:58 PM
In other words, using the thin client model, a user could login to the remote server and save work there under their login name in a remote /home, right? BTW, I'm assuming an hdd install for the server and CD boot for the clients.

This would not tax the resources of the client PC, however, you'd need a lot of resources on the server if you have more than a few concurrent users, no?

If so, I think I can try the thin client approach in my new lab next year. I'm confused as to setting that up. What has been discussed above relates to XTerm (taxing to the client) instead.

TIA,

RockMumbles
04-07-2003, 02:55 PM
When I use the term X-terminal I am talking about running a (small) local OS on a machine that basically has a base linux system, networking and X. It is NOT booting off of a remote computer it is running as a terminal that is running X (therefore the name X-terminal) that is operating only as a display device. With X-terminals all applications and storage are on your server, which I like to call the application server.

When true1ever uses the term thin-client he is talking about the same thing as I am, in linux or unix terms what we are doing is generally called running X-terminals. I think that the term thin-client can actually be used in both an X-terminal system and also a LTSP or knoppix terminal-session for the terminal device.

The difference is X-terminals are functioning as display devices attached to a remote computer, the application server.

With remote booting LTSP or knoppix terminal-server, the terminals are more than just a terminal, they are running the full linux operating system (which is on the server), they are not just display devices, they have to be capable of running the entire OS.

A.J.G. I've gone through this before with you about hardware, it depends on how many users and what you are doing. A 1GB machine with 512MB of ram and a large swap partition 256 or larger on a fast network should easily support 12 or so users depending on what you are doing, you'll have to experiment. A friend's business which uses star-office for microsoft office docs, netscape, etc. runs at least 6 users and is running off of a 200Mhz machine with 160MB of ram.

In an hour you could set up one of your existing labs with knoppix runnning entirely from cd doing what we are discussing here. Try it and see how it works, that would be the best thing for you to do at this point. Then realize that with a hd install it would be faster.

rock

true1ever
04-08-2003, 07:53 PM
Typically in the windoze world, the O/S and software is programmed to always expect the CPU, display, keyboard and mouse, swap file, etc to be on the same machine.

In X-windows the process is more modular, the display doesn't necessarily have to be on the machine that is running the process. Basically you have the Xserver which typically runs on the client machine (yeah, I know it's a little confusing but the Xserver software is what allows you to view the GUI), then you have the windows manager (kde, icewm, gnome, etc) which can run on the same or a remote machine, and then the client applications which get their input and output through the Xserver.

aay
04-08-2003, 09:28 PM
I more or less tend to use Rock's approach. In fact I find it's pretty nice and easy to have the whole WM forwarded over to the client machine. It requires far less for the client's hardware. The only problem I have with this is figuring out a way to play music. I know that there are some nice console players out there to play mp3's on the local machine (or across your lan), but does anyone know of a way to play mp3 streams over the internet this way? I ocasionally play Real files too, but I think it would be impossible to play Real in the console.

RockMumbles
04-09-2003, 04:59 AM
Thst is definately one of the problems with X-terminals, a friend was talking about development of a sound system that is a client sever system that would operate similar to X, but I don't remember what he was talking about, I'll have to ask him about it.

rock

garyng
04-09-2003, 11:00 AM
Does it mean that a thin client(X-terminal) can't run applications like real player etc. ? X as far as I know didn't have sound designed in mind(it was a pretty old technology) but has it been changed to incorporate these things like sounds, cameras too ? I know this is conceptually not compatible with X(just like attaching local printer to X-terminal), just curious.


Thst is definately one of the problems with X-terminals, a friend was talking about development of a sound system that is a client sever system that would operate similar to X, but I don't remember what he was talking about, I'll have to ask him about it.

rock

Alextreme
04-09-2003, 01:12 PM
For networked audio I've used NAS with reasonably good results, but there are other soundservers (like ESD) that could do the job too. NAS is pretty cpu-intensive, and not really maintained, so ymmv.

I personally use the terminology remote-X clients or fat clients in contrast to thin-clients, where thin-clients boot from eeprom, etherboot (or GRUB, have to play with it some more) and fat-clients that have a more or less complete system installed and query for an Xserver. Then again, both are neat :P

true1ever
04-09-2003, 05:59 PM
I guess it depends what environment you are running in. For example in a company, a thin-client approach might be more suitable, sound is often not a requirement, but ability to make old hardware run X at a decent speed might be. Also you can do centralized backup of just the server since all the data is stored there.

Recently I came upon an article of how Home Depot started using thin client to gain efficiency, here is an excerpt:

Home Depot - Chain of 965 home improvement stores bringing in about $35 billion per year. - Using Linux for receiving, inventory management, store ordering and communications. This is a thin client based system, completely eliminating the problems of PC maintenance. If a station malfunctions, another is plugged in and it automatically downloads Linux and other software from a server. Ready to go in a couple minutes.


regards,
Jim

A. Jorge Garcia
10-19-2003, 01:40 AM
OK, so how do I go about setting up x-clients and an x-server? I need my students to boot their linux boxes and see a login screen from the remote server where they will do, save and retrieve their work. I have a knx-hdinstalled server and the students are booting the CD (well "poor man's dual boot"). If its easier to setup with the clients installed on the hdd, I can do that too.

Regards,

A. Jorge Garcia
10-25-2003, 07:22 PM
I think that article has some of their facts incorrect. AFAIK knoppix does not include LTSP, he may have mistakenly thought that the knoppix terminal server function is thin-client.

regards,
Jim

I think it does! Has anyone gotten Knoppix Terminal Server to work?

Regards,

aay
10-25-2003, 10:07 PM
Has anyone gotten Knoppix Terminal Server to work?


Yes. Some time ago. My only frustration was that you can no longer use it after a hdinstall.

A. Jorge Garcia
10-26-2003, 03:58 AM
Oh, and why's that?

TIA,

aay
10-26-2003, 08:24 PM
Oh, and why's that?

TIA,

Well I'm not completely sure, but I have some ideas if anyone wants to work on it. I forget the exact error that I got, but it was some kind of nfs failure to find the boot image. The terminal server uses nfs to share the boot image, but if you look at /usr/sbin/knoppix-terminalserver, you'll see that it has sections like this:

mkexports(){
[ ! -f /etc/exports"$TMPSUFFIX" ] && mv -f /etc/exports /etc/exports"$TMPSUFFIX"
awk '{if(/^#/){print}else{exit}}' /etc/exports"$TMPSUFFIX" >/etc/exports
echo "/cdrom ${NETWORK}.0/${NETMASK}(ro,no_root_squash,async)" >>/etc/exports
awk '{if(body || /^[^#]/){body=1;print}}' /etc/exports"$TMPSUFFIX" >>/etc/exports
}

What is exported? /cdrom. But since you're not running from the cd the image is no longer located at /cdrom.

AFAIK this is just one of many corrections that needs to be made to /usr/sbin/knoppix-terminalserver.

I messed with it once, but didn't have much time to work with it. If you, or anyone else is able to successfully modify it to get it to work, i'd be happy to see how it works.

locutus
11-09-2003, 09:03 PM
I've got LTSP running from a HDD based Knoppix system and without mod'ing /etc/init.d/knoppix-terminalserver. I did this to get it to run:

1)copy the Knoppix CD to /cdrom
mkdir /cdromISO
mount -t iso9660 -o ro,loop=/dev/loop0 /pub/KNOPPIX_V3.3-2003-11-03-EN.iso /cdromISO
cp -a /cdromISO/* /cdrom
umount /cdromISO

2)tar up the /tmp/tftpboot directory on a system booted from the CD and copy the tar file to that LTSP system

3) start LTSP on the server
/etc/init.d/knoppix-terminalserver start

4) overwrite /tmp/tftpboot with the data from the previous tar file. You might have to edit /tmp/tftpboot/pxelinux.cfg/default to make sure the IP address is correct for your LTSP server. Also, I've added myconfig=scan to the boot parms so that every workstation will find and load a previously saved configuration if it exists. This is great for getting the printers all on the network. BTW, my thick clients have 4GB HDs with a swap partition and a ext2 partition for the saved config files.

5) you should now have a running LTSP from a HDD installed Knoppix/Debian system.

Now, Here is why I'm here:
I'm searching these threads because I currently have thick clients booting from one workstation( running LTSP as described above ) BUT I want to have my thick clients using kdm with yellowpages-like login validation from the LTSP system AND have the thick client NFS mount the users home directory from the LTSP system into the thick client filesystem. I'd also like to have user specific knoppix.sh files execute on the users login for managed user configuration.

This is what I get doing it this way:
1) my users get full hardware access to the thick client, sound, peripherials, etc
2) my users get updated systems by just updating the KNOPPIX image on the LTSP server
3) my users get persistant user home directories
4) I get to manage my users home directories and runtime environment as I see fit.
5) I get to swap out hardware without worrying about pre-configuring much of anything.

This does require more hardware at the client but even old 500MHz celerons are good enough for this.