The beta version of thinstation has a permissions problem on some keymap files that does bad things to rdesktop sessions, at least with en-us. The arrow keys stopped working along with the page up, page down, home, end, etc. The number pad keys worked in navigation mode only.
Here is a simple fix, if you have a local build folder.
As root:
cd <path to thinstation folder>
find packages/keymaps-* -perm 0600 -print|sort|xargs chmod 644
./build
link
SourceForge.net:
Ubuntu Edgy (6.10) and Feisty (7.04) cause problems when building ThinStation images. Ubuntu changed sh to link to dash instead of bash, which causes odd problems with the build script. Here is an easy fix (you need root privileges):
cd /bin
rm -f sh
ln -s bash sh
This assumes you are already able to print with your thin clients in Server 2003 terminal server sessions, and need to add printing for a DOS application. DOS will see the remote printer as LPT1.
- Share the printer from the terminal server and give it a legal DOS name. (e.g. TEST1)
- Create a batch file in the user’s startup menu, startup folder. (e.g. DOSPRINT.CMD)
NET USE LPT1: /delete
NET USE LPT1:\\SERVERNAME\TEST1 /PERSISTENT:YES
When the user logs in the printer should now be mapped every time. This worked perfectly for users with Okitdata dot matrix printers connected to the parallel ports of ThinStation computers connecting to Windows Server 2003 over the internet.
I spent a while struggling with syntax in the thinstation.conf file to start a shell application. Backslashes in the application path were troublesome. Here is an example of the syntax that finally worked:
SESSION_2_TITLE="FileMaker"
SESSION_2_TYPE=rdesktop
SESSION_2_SCREEN=1
SESSION_2_SCREEN_POSITION=1
SESSION_2_RDESKTOP_SERVER=10.0.1.102
SESSION_2_RDESKTOP_OPTIONS="-g 1024×768 -u 'Administrator' -a 16 -s 'C:\\\\\\\\Program Files\\\\FileMaker\\\\FileMaker Pro 7\\\\FileMaker Pro.exe'" SESSION_2_CUSTOM_CONFIG=OFF SESSION_2_AUTOSTART=OFF
SESSION_2_ICON=ON
That's a lot of backslashes!
Here are some group policy settings that solved some problems on a windows 2003 terminal server:
add local servers to:
User Configuration\Windows Settings\Internet explorer Maintenance\Security zones and Content rating\Local intranet
(kb article 815141)
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Terminal Services\Automatic Reconnection: Enabled
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Terminal Services\Client/Server data redirection\Allow audio redirection: Enabled
These are nice looking, quiet, quick machines for use as a light linux workstation or thin client to a terminal server. I’ve been using ThinStation with them with great success. Booting from the network is the way to go if you can, but CF works pretty well too. Of course these specs do not include monitor, keyboard, and mouse. The machines are so cheap you can splurge on those things and have happy users.
Low End, Network Boot:
MotherBoard Mini-ITX: VIA EPIA ML6000, 600MHz, Fanless [ $129 ]
Case w/ PSU: Antec Minuet II Micro ATX Low Profile [ $67.79 ]
Floppy – NONE
CD-ROM: NONE
HD: NONE
RAM: DDR PC2100 256MB [ $28.20 ]
GRAND TOTAL $224.99
Mid Range, CF Boot:
MotherBoard Mini-ITX: VIA EPIA ME6000, 600MHz, Fanless [ $151]
Case w/ PSU: Antec Minuet II Micro ATX Low Profile [ $67.79 ]
Floppy – 1.44MB Black [ $16.00 ]
CD-ROM: Lite-On Black 52x [ $29.00 ]
HD: Compact Flash IDE 256MB [ $54.50 ]
RAM: DDR PC2100 256MB [ $28.20 ]
GRAND TOTAL $346.49
We are setting up some thin client machines for use in remote offices away from the tftp server. We are using 256 MB IDE CF drives and syslinux to get them up and going, then they will immediately use ICA or RDP from there. To the users it basically appears to be booting into Windows, but it is on a terminal server in Iowa city.
The build workstation is an Ubuntu 5.1 machine with a ThinStation 2.1.3 build environment on it.
First time:
Install syslinux and mtools packages.
In terminal:
sudo mkdir /mnt/cflash
(to be safe, do this from the end workstation)
Boot from Win98 or ME boot floppy
Run fdisk
If there is not a valid partition, create one.
Mark partition active
Shut down
Put CF in ThinStation build workstation, and start up
Make any required changes to thinstation.conf.buildtime file
run build
In terminal:
sudo mount /dev/hdc1 /mnt/cflash
cp boot-images/syslinux/* /mnt/cflash
umount /mnt/cflash
syslinux /dev/hdc1
Shut down and move compact flash to workstation, and it should boot up.
You can do this in assembly line fashion easily. Waiting for Ubuntu to start up and shut down are the bottlenecks. If you had to you could use a few build workstations at once. The build takes a minute or two, depending on the speed of the workstation. If you don’t need to customize anything then you don’t need to do that often. It is the most convenient place at the moment to store the ICA/RDP client settings though.
I came up with a pretty nice low cost thin client solution for the First United Methodist Church in Iowa City. It is based on ThinStation, an open source solution. Those are diskless, fanless (pretty much) computers booting from TFTP and running terminal sessions on a Windows 2003 server. We have deployed one CompactFlash HD based system at SUI, and are in the process of deploying 5 more for testing different types of setups, probably including the TFTP boot option. Those should replace the WYSE terminals they’ve been using. It will be cheaper, faster, and more flexible.
