Thinclients, RIs, TFTPD server on windows domain

[tosca925]

After seeing peoples interest on thin client i thought it was about time i had a look into it all as wee now have quite a few old machines that users complain about.

 

I set up a test domain with 2 PCs, one as a 2003 server and the other as a workstation.

After a few errors (mainly mine) i got the thin station files working as i wanted. I know want try it out on our domain but i have a little concern. I have read a few documents about TFTPD servers and RIS on the same network. From what i can gather its not straight forward.

 

Can some one give me a few ideas or tell me what to do? I am still at work at the moment have had a lot more questions from my testing today but will leave the longer post till i get home.

[CyberNerd]

see the thinstation and MSRIS howto

http://thinstation.sourceforge.net/MSRIS-HOWTO.html

 

I did use this method but found it a PITA editing the adsi edit just to add a workstation - now I do without RIS server as we have mostly thin clients and a few laptops.

[wesleyw]

If it does cause problems you could just disable RIS during term time then reimage only at end of term or after school hours when the thin clients wouldn't be used?

 

 

Wes

[Geoff]

You could also keep your thin clients on a separate subnet/VLAN to your normal fat (and thus RISable) clients. That way you'd keep things separate.

[Kyle]

You could also keep your thin clients on a separate subnet/VLAN to your normal fat (and thus RISable) clients. That way you'd keep things separate.

 

I too have been trying to test this over the last week or so (when i get chance) and this is a question that has crossed my mind. I have not real networking skills so could you help me out here.

 

In no geeky terms could you please explain your solution as simple as possible please?

[CyberNerd]

@kyle. A separate network means a network with a different IP address ranges to your normal network which is joined together by a router (this can be a computer with 2 network cards). A separate network may involve re-wiring the building. If your switches are managed and support VLANs, then this is the way forward as Virtual LAN's are a separate network that uses the same wires as the normal network by tagging frames for each particular LAN.

 

 

In any case, RIS and Thinstation can live together provided you go through the extra hackery described in TFA -it's probably the easiest option for a trial.

[wesleyw]

just to clarify you don't need to use VLAN or re-wire to create seperate network subnetting can do this for you as Geoff had stated, second NIC and a some plaing with settings can get you seperate subnetted networks this would then allow you to do everything you eed to do to use RIS and Thin Station simultaneously.

 

Wes

[Ric_]

I use RIS and TFTP on the same network, at the same time, with no problems

[tosca925]

I use RIS and TFTP on the same network, at the same time, with no problems

 

Come on then Ric let us into your world and show us the light ;-)

[Ric_]

@tosca925: It just works... no clever set up... like I said... no problems.

 

My TFTP server for the thin clients is a different box to my RIS server and the thin clients use Etherboot rather than PXE mind.

[CyberNerd]

thin clients use Etherboot rather than PXE mind.

I think this is the trick... we found a conflict with both on PXE without the prestaging/adsi modification

[tosca925]

I got this working today. I went through the prestaging method of add the computer to the domain (guide on thinstation.org. I then downloaded the correct file from etherboot (finally got the right one for the card) and it worked. I told the managed computer to boot from the pxr rom file and it worked.

 

I have still got a few things to test out now so there will be more question to follow. ;-)