Jim Carter wrote:

> I need to be able to network boot some HP T5500 Thin Clients from a SuSE
> 10.3 Netserver. This thin client business is new to me so I could use some
> very basic help to start with.
>

This may not be exactly what you are looking for, but have a look at drbl



Install SUSE 10.3 (or Debian, Ubuntu, Mandriva, Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS) on
your thin client server, then install drbl, run it, and it will set up your
thin clients for you. If you have problems, contact the developers, they
are incredibly helpful
--
David WIlson Clarke

"David Wilson Clarke" wrote in message
news:dun685-gqc.ln1@pinguino.site...
> Jim Carter wrote:
>
>> I need to be able to network boot some HP T5500 Thin Clients from a SuSE
>> 10.3 Netserver. This thin client business is new to me so I could use
>> some
>> very basic help to start with.
>>
>
> This may not be exactly what you are looking for, but have a look at drbl
>
>
>
> Install SUSE 10.3 (or Debian, Ubuntu, Mandriva, Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS)
> on
> your thin client server, then install drbl, run it, and it will set up
> your
> thin clients for you. If you have problems, contact the developers, they
> are incredibly helpful
> --
> David WIlson Clarke
>

I'm sorry - I should've specified that the user community wants these thin
clients to run some version of Windows. I did install the drbl system as
suggested and other than tuning a few things it gave me a workable Linux
thin client. I just need to get them over to Windows... (and still serve
them from the SuSE 10.3 server.)


--
Jim Carter
Rogers, Arkansas

Jim Carter wrote:

> "David Wilson Clarke" wrote in
> message news:dun685-gqc.ln1@pinguino.site...
>> Jim Carter wrote:
>>
>>> I need to be able to network boot some HP T5500 Thin Clients from a SuSE
>>> 10.3 Netserver. This thin client business is new to me so I could use
>>> some
>>> very basic help to start with.
>>>
>>
>> This may not be exactly what you are looking for, but have a look at drbl
>>
>>
>>
>> Install SUSE 10.3 (or Debian, Ubuntu, Mandriva, Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS)
>> on
>> your thin client server, then install drbl, run it, and it will set up
>> your
>> thin clients for you. If you have problems, contact the developers, they
>> are incredibly helpful
>> --
>> David WIlson Clarke
>>
>
> I'm sorry - I should've specified that the user community wants these thin
> clients to run some version of Windows. I did install the drbl system as
> suggested and other than tuning a few things it gave me a workable Linux
> thin client. I just need to get them over to Windows... (and still serve
> them from the SuSE 10.3 server.)

Ok, probably a lot more complicated than I'm used to. Sorry I couldn't help.
--
David Wilson Clarke

On 2008-02-13, Jim Carter wrote:
> "David Wilson Clarke" wrote in message
> news:dun685-gqc.ln1@pinguino.site...
>> Jim Carter wrote:
>>
>>> I need to be able to network boot some HP T5500 Thin Clients from a SuSE
>>> 10.3 Netserver. This thin client business is new to me so I could use
>>> some
>>> very basic help to start with.
>>>
>>
>> This may not be exactly what you are looking for, but have a look at drbl
>>
>>
>>
>> Install SUSE 10.3 (or Debian, Ubuntu, Mandriva, Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS)
>> on
>> your thin client server, then install drbl, run it, and it will set up
>> your
>> thin clients for you. If you have problems, contact the developers, they
>> are incredibly helpful
>> --
>> David WIlson Clarke
>>
>
> I'm sorry - I should've specified that the user community wants these thin
> clients to run some version of Windows. I did install the drbl system as
> suggested and other than tuning a few things it gave me a workable Linux
> thin client. I just need to get them over to Windows... (and still serve
> them from the SuSE 10.3 server.)
>
>

I think then what you need is FreeNX.
Follow the link in my sig and browse to my notes about installing
FreeNX in Suse.
--
I'm remodeling my site to train new things:
http://waxborg.servepics.com
"The only thing more expensive than training is the lack of it"
Henry Ford

Jim Carter wrote:
> I did install the drbl system as suggested and other than tuning a
> few things it gave me a workable Linux thin client. I just need to
> get them over to Windows... (and still serve them from the SuSE 10.3
> server.)


If that worked, then all you need to do is to dole out licensed copies
of the HP T5500 Thin Client Windows image, rather than a Linux image.
Were the clients not accompanied by these?

"Gary Gapinski" wrote in message
news:61lih0F1v9lcjU1@mid.individual.net...
> Jim Carter wrote:
>> I did install the drbl system as suggested and other than tuning a
>> few things it gave me a workable Linux thin client. I just need to
>> get them over to Windows... (and still serve them from the SuSE 10.3
>> server.)
>
>
> If that worked, then all you need to do is to dole out licensed copies
> of the HP T5500 Thin Client Windows image, rather than a Linux image.
> Were the clients not accompanied by these?

AFAIK, The T5500 came with Windows CE in ROM and expects the consumer to
provide their selected Windows version of choice on the server.



--
Jim Carter
Rogers, Arkansas

"Vahis" wrote in message
news:20080214160451@usenet.waxborg.local...
> On 2008-02-13, Jim Carter wrote:
>> "David Wilson Clarke" wrote in
>> message
>> news:dun685-gqc.ln1@pinguino.site...
>>> Jim Carter wrote:
>>>
>>>> I need to be able to network boot some HP T5500 Thin Clients from a
>>>> SuSE
>>>> 10.3 Netserver. This thin client business is new to me so I could use
>>>> some
>>>> very basic help to start with.
>>>>
>>>
>>> This may not be exactly what you are looking for, but have a look at
>>> drbl
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Install SUSE 10.3 (or Debian, Ubuntu, Mandriva, Red Hat, Fedora, CentOS)
>>> on
>>> your thin client server, then install drbl, run it, and it will set up
>>> your
>>> thin clients for you. If you have problems, contact the developers, they
>>> are incredibly helpful
>>> --
>>> David WIlson Clarke
>>>
>>
>> I'm sorry - I should've specified that the user community wants these
>> thin
>> clients to run some version of Windows. I did install the drbl system as
>> suggested and other than tuning a few things it gave me a workable Linux
>> thin client. I just need to get them over to Windows... (and still serve
>> them from the SuSE 10.3 server.)
>>
>>
>
> I think then what you need is FreeNX.
> Follow the link in my sig and browse to my notes about installing
> FreeNX in Suse.
> --
> I'm remodeling my site to train new things:
> http://waxborg.servepics.com
> "The only thing more expensive than training is the lack of it"
> Henry Ford

I looked at the docs on FreeNX which describe a Full Screen Graphical
Interface over networks - i.e. remote desktop in the Windows world.

Again, my request is to serve the Windows O/S to diskless thin clients from
a Linux server.


--
Jim Carter
Rogers, Arkansas

Jim Carter wrote:

> "Vahis" wrote in message
> news:20080214160451@usenet.waxborg.local...
>> On 2008-02-13, Jim Carter wrote:
>>> "David Wilson Clarke" wrote in
>>> message
>>> news:dun685-gqc.ln1@pinguino.site...
>>>> Jim Carter wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I need to be able to network boot some HP T5500 Thin Clients from
>>>>> a SuSE
>>>>> 10.3 Netserver. This thin client business is new to me so I could
>>>>> use some
>>>>> very basic help to start with.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> This may not be exactly what you are looking for, but have a look
>>>> at drbl
>>>>
>>>>

>>> I'm sorry - I should've specified that the user community wants
>>> these thin
>>> clients to run some version of Windows. I did install the drbl
>>> system as suggested and other than tuning a few things it gave me a
>>> workable Linux thin client.

>> I think then what you need is FreeNX.
>> Follow the link in my sig and browse to my notes about installing
>> FreeNX in Suse.

> I looked at the docs on FreeNX which describe a Full Screen Graphical
> Interface over networks - i.e. remote desktop in the Windows world.
>
> Again, my request is to serve the Windows O/S to diskless thin clients
> from a Linux server.

So can't you simply run rdesktop or krdc on the server from the Thin
Client as a terminal? Or do I miss something here?

Günther

"Günther Schwarz" wrote in message
news:3384128.ldopx7sxeg@news.individual.de...
>
....
> So can't you simply run rdesktop or krdc on the server from the Thin
> Client as a terminal? Or do I miss something here?
>
> Günther

I'm sorry Gunther, I must be missing something also. Running krdc will give
me a SuSE desktop on the thin client won't it? I'm trying to run Windows
2003 (or at least XP Pro) on the thin clients so I can run MS Office and all
the associated VB programs the users have.

I'll check into krdc because I've not used it before, but if it won't
flawlessly emulate windows (there's an oxymoron) then it probably won't be a
solution.

--
Jim Carter
Rogers, Arkansas

On 2008-02-15, Jim Carter wrote:
> "Vahis" wrote in message
> news:20080214160451@usenet.waxborg.local...
>> On 2008-02-13, Jim Carter wrote:
>>> "David Wilson Clarke" wrote in
>>> message
>>> news:dun685-gqc.ln1@pinguino.site...
>>>> Jim Carter wrote:
>>>>
>>>
>>> I'm sorry - I should've specified that the user community wants these
>>> thin
>>> clients to run some version of Windows. I did install the drbl system as
>>> suggested and other than tuning a few things it gave me a workable Linux
>>> thin client. I just need to get them over to Windows... (and still serve
>>> them from the SuSE 10.3 server.)
>>>
>>>
>>
>> I think then what you need is FreeNX.
>> Follow the link in my sig and browse to my notes about installing
>> FreeNX in Suse.
>> --
>> I'm remodeling my site to train new things:
>> http://waxborg.servepics.com
>> "The only thing more expensive than training is the lack of it"
>> Henry Ford
>
> I looked at the docs on FreeNX which describe a Full Screen Graphical
> Interface over networks - i.e. remote desktop in the Windows world.
>
> Again, my request is to serve the Windows O/S to diskless thin clients from
> a Linux server.
>
So your server must run Linux and it must boot your clients which must run
windows?

OK. Then I think you need a virtual machine(s) on that server.

I would do openSUSE 10.3 server with DRBL and VMware Server.
Obviously VirtualBox could be used instead of VMware but I have
experience only of VMware.

Vahis
Remodeling my site to train new things:
http://waxborg.servepics.com
--
"The only thing more expensive than training is the lack of it"
Henry Ford

Jim Carter wrote:
> [...]
> Again, my request is to serve the Windows O/S to diskless thin clients from
> a Linux server.

The OS you serve is not the same as the desktop you provide. You serve
an OS in order to provide the thin client with software it can use to
establish a remote desktop. The remote desktop is the OS that *runs* on
the server. The OS you *serve* does *not* run on the server, it only
runs on the thin client.

You can serve any OS to the thin client; it's just a bunch of files
served over FTP. However, the desktop that will be displayed remotely
on the thin client, does not run on that thin client; it runs on the
server. You serve the graphics of the desktop, not the OS.

That is the nature of remote desktop. To provide a Windows remote
desktop, the server must run Windows. If it's a Unix/Linux server, you
need to run Windows on top of Unix/Linux. With VMWare, for example.

Jim Carter wrote:

> "Günther Schwarz" wrote in message
> news:3384128.ldopx7sxeg@news.individual.de...
>>
> ...
>> So can't you simply run rdesktop or krdc on the server from the Thin
>> Client as a terminal? Or do I miss something here?

> I'm sorry Gunther, I must be missing something also. Running krdc will
> give me a SuSE desktop on the thin client won't it? I'm trying to run
> Windows 2003 (or at least XP Pro) on the thin clients so I can run MS
> Office and all the associated VB programs the users have.

So I did misunderstand it. You do not have a Windows Server running
somewhere where people can get their Windows session from?!

> I'll check into krdc because I've not used it before, but if it won't
> flawlessly emulate windows (there's an oxymoron) then it probably
> won't be a solution.

It will open a remote session on a Windows computer or any other machine
that supports the protocol, there is no emulation involved.

Günther

On 2008-02-15, Jim Carter wrote:
> "Gary Gapinski" wrote in message
> news:61lih0F1v9lcjU1@mid.individual.net...
>> Jim Carter wrote:
>>> I did install the drbl system as suggested and other than tuning a
>>> few things it gave me a workable Linux thin client. I just need to
>>> get them over to Windows... (and still serve them from the SuSE 10.3
>>> server.)
>>
>>
>> If that worked, then all you need to do is to dole out licensed copies
>> of the HP T5500 Thin Client Windows image, rather than a Linux image.
>> Were the clients not accompanied by these?
>
> AFAIK, The T5500 came with Windows CE in ROM and expects the consumer to
> provide their selected Windows version of choice on the server.

In my case the version of choise would be any windows OS in a virtual
machine like VMware:

http://waxborg.servepics.com/english...vmware.en.html

Vahis
Remodeling my site to train new things:
http://waxborg.servepics.com
--
"The only thing more expensive than training is the lack of it"
Henry Ford

Vahis wrote:

> On 2008-02-15, Jim Carter wrote:

> In my case the version of choise would be any windows OS in a virtual
> machine like VMware:
>
> http://waxborg.servepics.com/english...vmware.en.html
>
> Vahis
> Remodeling my site to train new things:
> http://waxborg.servepics.com

Just a note about VMWare on openSUSE in combination with Thin CLients:
Depending on the overall scenario it might become very tricky to make this
work. Reason: All VMWare products (Server, Workstation, Viewer) may cause
Windows blue screens while resizing the VMWare window when executed from a
thin client. This is not on a regular base (> 50%), but definitly not
stable enough to run a production system.

One of my customers had the following scenario:
Server running openSUSE with NX server
Thin Clients running any kind of OS plus NX CLient software

Running any kind of Software (except VMWare) was just fine. Due to some old
Windows based Software there was a need to run WinXP (i.e. Wine did not
fit).
As soon as we started VMWare (Server, Workstation, Player - we've tested
them all) from the thin client and resized the guest OS window (or,
depending on the setup, it was resized by VMWare itself: Autosize option),
VMWare crashed causing a blue screen on Windows. This is not a windows
problem - its VMWare crashing the X windows for its virtual machine.

We also tested VirtualBox: It was much more reliable than VMWare but still
not stable enough for a production environment.

Finally we gave up: For this very special environment the customer is
using "normal" PCs (openSUSE) and runs VirtualBox on the local machine.

Such scenario might not apply in your case, because we had a mix of
openSuSE, thin clients, vmware products and WinXP. It might help others
running into similar problems.

Chris

"Günther Schwarz" wrote in message
news:1677963.MInoQBsbEp@news.individual.de...
> Jim Carter wrote:
>
>> "Günther Schwarz" wrote in message
>> news:3384128.ldopx7sxeg@news.individual.de...
>>>
>> ...
>>> So can't you simply run rdesktop or krdc on the server from the Thin
>>> Client as a terminal? Or do I miss something here?
>
>> I'm sorry Gunther, I must be missing something also. Running krdc will
>> give me a SuSE desktop on the thin client won't it? I'm trying to run
>> Windows 2003 (or at least XP Pro) on the thin clients so I can run MS
>> Office and all the associated VB programs the users have.
>
> So I did misunderstand it. You do not have a Windows Server running
> somewhere where people can get their Windows session from?!
>

No - I do not have a Windows server running anywhere in the environment, but
now have a requirement to put up some Windows thin clients that boot from my
Linux server.


--
Jim Carter
Rogers, Arkansas

"Nikos Chantziaras" wrote in message
news:fp61c5$hnt$1@volcano1.grnet.gr...
> Jim Carter wrote:
>> [...]
>> Again, my request is to serve the Windows O/S to diskless thin clients
>> from a Linux server.
>
> The OS you serve is not the same as the desktop you provide. You serve an
> OS in order to provide the thin client with software it can use to
> establish a remote desktop. The remote desktop is the OS that *runs* on
> the server. The OS you *serve* does *not* run on the server, it only runs
> on the thin client.
>
> You can serve any OS to the thin client; it's just a bunch of files served
> over FTP. However, the desktop that will be displayed remotely on the
> thin client, does not run on that thin client; it runs on the server. You
> serve the graphics of the desktop, not the OS.
>
> That is the nature of remote desktop. To provide a Windows remote
> desktop, the server must run Windows. If it's a Unix/Linux server, you
> need to run Windows on top of Unix/Linux. With VMWare, for example.

So you're saying that I can not pxeboot a Windows image that resides on a
Linux server?

My understanding of Thin Clients is that they boot their own O/S from a
network server then execute that O/S locally. Doesn't that mean that the
network server does not necessarily have to run the same O/S as what is
booted by (served to) the Thin Clients?

--
Jim Carter
Rogers, Arkansas

Jim Carter hatte geschrieben:

> "Günther Schwarz" wrote in message
> news:1677963.MInoQBsbEp@news.individual.de...
>> Jim Carter wrote:
>>
>>> "Günther Schwarz" wrote in message
>>> news:3384128.ldopx7sxeg@news.individual.de...
>>>>
>>> ...
>>>> So can't you simply run rdesktop or krdc on the server from the
>>>> Thin Client as a terminal? Or do I miss something here?
>>
>>> I'm sorry Gunther, I must be missing something also. Running krdc
>>> will give me a SuSE desktop on the thin client won't it? I'm trying
>>> to run Windows 2003 (or at least XP Pro) on the thin clients so I
>>> can run MS Office and all the associated VB programs the users have.
>>
>> So I did misunderstand it. You do not have a Windows Server running
>> somewhere where people can get their Windows session from?!
>>
>
> No - I do not have a Windows server running anywhere in the
> environment, but now have a requirement to put up some Windows thin
> clients that boot from my Linux server.

So I'm still confused. What are your users supposed to do with a Thin
Client running Windows CE or whatever and without any applications
other than a web browser or a terminal emulation which might be
included in the client's software? If they want to use Word or such
software there has to be a Windows Computer somewhere in the system.
The Thin Client is too small to run such applications by itself.

Günther

Günther Schwarz wrote:
> So I'm still confused. What are your users supposed to do with a Thin
> Client running Windows CE or whatever and without any applications
> other than a web browser or a terminal emulation which might be
> included in the client's software?

It could be that they use a website that forces them to use IE. Where I
work we have at least one site that works only with IE6¹
Or it could be that they must run an aplication that only runs on
Windows.

Sure that can be a bad idea and all that, yet you do not always have a
choice. e.g. the whole IT department where I work would not mind one bit
of going over to Linux. However it is not up to them.

And that with 80% of the PC's only run the following: IE for webmail to
an Outlook server (No Outlook or Outlook Express, webmail), a printer
and a telnet to an AS 400 billing service

¹That sites gives some strange things running under IE7, like no
pictures sometimes. Also we have a site that does NOT run with IE, so
we have Firefox as well. Then there are sites that are on a special part
on Intrabet, so we can only access it through
Yeah, it is a mess.
houghi
--

You are standing at the end of a road before a small brick building.
Around you is a forest. A small stream flows out of the building and
down a gully.

houghi wrote:

> Günther Schwarz wrote:
>> So I'm still confused. What are your users supposed to do with a Thin
>> Client running Windows CE or whatever and without any applications
>> other than a web browser or a terminal emulation which might be
>> included in the client's software?
>
> It could be that they use a website that forces them to use IE. Where I
> work we have at least one site that works only with IE6¹
> Or it could be that they must run an aplication that only runs on
> Windows.
>
> Sure that can be a bad idea and all that, yet you do not always have a
> choice. e.g. the whole IT department where I work would not mind one bit
> of going over to Linux. However it is not up to them.
>
> And that with 80% of the PC's only run the following: IE for webmail to
> an Outlook server (No Outlook or Outlook Express, webmail), a printer
> and a telnet to an AS 400 billing service
>
> ¹That sites gives some strange things running under IE7, like no
> pictures sometimes. Also we have a site that does NOT run with IE, so
> we have Firefox as well. Then there are sites that are on a special part
> on Intrabet, so we can only access it through
> Yeah, it is a mess.
> houghi

Have you tried the IE only website using Firefox with the User Agent
Switcher? That works many times except when the web site insists on using
ActiveX.

I don't know about laws where you live, but in the US a website requiring a
program that can cause damage like ActiveX is legally liable for any
damage, or even virus infection that causes damage.

One of my clients was one of the largest travel agencies in the world with
offices everywhere. They started sending viruses in email and documents to
clients, many of which were major players in the corporate world. Their
legal department told them to fix the problem fast.

There is no reason whatsoever for a website to require an IE only browser.
The only is excuse is the incompetence of the programmers or they want more
control of the visitors computer than they should have.

--
Later,
Darrell Stec darstec@neo.rr.com

Webpage Sorcery
http://webpagesorcery.com
We Put the Magic in Your Webpages