Dual Booting Devices and Controlling LINUX

[deano]

Hi,

 

Looking to dual boot a number of windows devices to allow access to Linux like most colleges/universities do for coding. However my issue is how to manage the LINUX environment like we do with Windows with GPOs. I have seen some text on using a LINUX domain controller and using WINBIND.

 

Has anybody got any experience or ideas for this? We are not looking at using virtual machines or separate devices such as Pis etc.

[2ilent8cho]

Puppet maybe ? https://puppet.com/product/open-source-projects

[3s-gtech]

Have you thought of using VMs to run Linux instead? You can run them centrally or on each workstation, but there's less need to manage the clients because they can be easily replaced from a good disk image. We give students full admin access to (network isolated) Windows and Linux VMs this way.

[Stuajnht]

LTSP? - Linux Terminal Server Project - Welcome to LTSP.org

 

You boot the PC's from PXE and get them to connect to one of your servers running Linux. We did this for our computing students where they log in with their domain credentials and have access to their files, but not full admin access (local disk or ability to access only certain sudo commands). Have some sort-of instructions if you'd like...

[TomClay]

Hi Stuajnht,

 

I'm looking into LTSP and I would appreciate a few pointers. I'm not hugely savvy when it comes to crossing over between the two OS. I found LTSP and thought "bingo".

 

Am I right in thinking that:

1. Any PC with PXE will boot the image without touching the windows C:\

2. Users get their credentials for the LTSP server from AD on the windows domain

3. Files are all kept separate, windows on windows - linux on linux.

 

This could be a great way to give our students a linux lab but at no extra hardware cost.

 

Thanks,

Tom

[Stuajnht]

Hi Stuajnht,

 

I'm looking into LTSP and I would appreciate a few pointers. I'm not hugely savvy when it comes to crossing over between the two OS. I found LTSP and thought "bingo".

 

Am I right in thinking that:

1. Any PC with PXE will boot the image without touching the windows C:\

2. Users get their credentials for the LTSP server from AD on the windows domain

3. Files are all kept separate, windows on windows - linux on linux.

 

This could be a great way to give our students a linux lab but at no extra hardware cost.

 

Thanks,

Tom

 

Hi,

 

No problem, I'll try and help if I can.

 

 

1. Yes, the computer will PXE boot and run everything from RAM / network. In essence, all programs are run on the server and the output is "streamed" to the client PC. If you log in with a Linux admin user, the C:\ drive is available. Otherwise, from any other user account, it asks for the admin password before the C:\ drive is mounted
   
2. It can be set up this way, with a program to link the usernames and password to your AD ones
   
3. By default, yes. However, there are programs that can be installed to mount the users home directory on the Linux computer
   

 

Here's a link to some instructions that I wrote (seems to big to upload here): https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B47e54Z2vPd-Mi01ZDlJQ2RiU1U/view?usp=sharing

Download it as most of the instructions are written in the notes section for each slide. Don't worry about the initial "notes" slide, as this is just for reference if needed. Also, usual rules apply: this is provided as is, use your best judgement if needed.

 

Hope this helps.