add new users that can login via X-windows

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

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,

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

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,

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

Sounds like a good project guys. Have either of you had experience with adding users and forcing the kde login screen?

ted

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,

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?

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

na