VirtualBox/ThinStation - how to setup?

[jamesfed]

Good morning all,

 

I’ve been using Virtual Box for some time now using it to VM Windows XP, Server 2003 and Server 2008 however I have now reached the limit of what I know and could use a little help.

At work (a smallish secondary school in Oxfordshire) we are looking to use VirtualBox (running Windows XP) and ThinStation as a server hosted/thin client solution for about 10 PCs in our 6th form common room.

I have managed to get a basic testing machine setup using ThinStation but once I get onto using USB devices (which I understand requires a modified version of rdesktop) or setting up ThinStation so that it automatically logs into a particular virtual machine I find myself at a complete loss (mainly due to lack of knowledge working with compiling/using Linux).

I have found the wonderful ThinStation O Matic tool but can’t quite get it to work the way I envision. Essentialy the way I see it-

Student goes to thin client PC, its turned off so they boot it up, without additional interaction with the PC the ThinStation OS loads (ideally with a custom splash screen) and automatically displays the Windows XP desktop/login window of the copy of Windows XP that is being virtualised on a remote server. The student then plugs in a USB stick into the PC and gets their work off it.

Just to clarify I have very little experience with Linux and it would help if any explanations were in as simple a format as possible.

 

Thanks,

James