What to do with my aging eeepc 901's

[pooley]

They only have a 4 gig and 8gig patrition, too small for W7, they are too small really for anything other than web browsing.

 

We have about 10 - 15 still working and they need a new lease of life.

 

What have you done with yours ?

[cpjitservices]

PM Sent.

[dhicks]

What have you done with yours ?

 

Installed Debian along with XFCE and Chrome. Have them configure wireless via command-line only tools at boot time so there's nothing for the childen to tinker with and have Chrome open in kiosk mode on boot. Chrome should auto-update itself and has Flash and PDF viewers embedded. We provide a custom homepage for the web browser to open to with a simpl list of links and a Google search box.

Edited April 30, 2012 by dhicks

[mavhc]

chromium os?

[ricki]

HI

 

I would talk to your special needs department. They might have students with learning difficulties and can type better than writing.

 

If windows is too big for them put one of the smaller linux versions on and allow them to use them for typing up work. They might not have access to the domain but if that can take notes on them and type up work it might solve a problem for a student that you did not know you had.

 

Richard

[FN-GM]

PM Sent.

 

Can you not share with us?

 

You could turn them into wireless thin clients....

[SYNACK]

Can you not share with us?

 

Perhaps they are secret plans for world domination

[cpjitservices]

lol noooo - it's exactly what we are after for our guys out in the field.... All they need is something to use for web access... and we have 8 guys that leaves a few spare!!

 

Would quite happily pay the postage if @pooley would be kind enough to let us have them!

Edited April 30, 2012 by cpjitservices

[dhicks]

chromium os?

 

You'll have more control over the environment if you install Linux and Chrome - Chromium OS is keen on you using Google's services. With Debian I found support for all the extra buttons on the EeePC, too, which comes in handy for volume control and screen brightness adjustment.

[dhicks]

If windows is too big for them put one of the smaller linux versions on and allow them to use them for typing up work. They might not have access to the domain

 

Linux clients will quite happily join a Windows domain these days, but remember you'll need a client access license for each client machine.

[pooley]

Thanks guys, I'll try 1 with Debian and chrome running as a Kiosk and another as a wireless thin client.

 

Anyone got a guide on setting up a thin client on one of these? Already have a 2008r2 Remote desktop services server running.

@cpjitservices sorry mate, not looking to get rid, all IT equipment is heavily in use here.

[FN-GM]

Thanks guys, I'll try 1 with Debian and chrome running as a Kiosk and another as a wireless thin client.

 

Anyone got a guide on setting up a thin client on one of these? Already have a 2008r2 Remote desktop services server running.

@TheScarfedOne has made lots of posts on the blogs to do this

[TheScarfedOne]

Oooh.... someone called??!! Anything I can do to help?

[dhicks]

Anyone got a guide on setting up a thin client on one of these? Already have a 2008r2 Remote desktop services server running.

 

Unless something else has come along more recently, the most up-to-date way of doing Windows RDP-based remote desktop access from Linux still sems to be rdesktop. I'd set it up in the same way I'd set up the above browser-only laptops - install Debian, have wireless networking sorted out before the GUI even starts and run RDesktop in full-screen mode so it looks just like a standard Windows desktop login. Last time I did this I seem to remember having to make a script that restarted RDesktop on a loop as it times out every 10 minutes or so if no one logs in. Remember to set your Windws Server 2008 R2 Remote Dekstop Services to allow all clients and remember to pay for a RDS CAL for each client.

 

For a more up-to-date RDP experience you could try a trimmed-down Windows client - either Windows XP with the excess bits removed, if that's possible (and if the machines have Windows XP licenses), or whatever the trimmed-down version of Windows 7 is called. You would just use the machine as a full-screen RDP client, either way.

 

Other non-RDP based solutions might be available - someone posted a story a few weeks ago about VMWare doing a browser-based virtual desktop client, or you could use Citrix or a similar solution.

[mavhc]

You'll have more control over the environment if you install Linux and Chrome - Chromium OS is keen on you using Google's services. With Debian I found support for all the extra buttons on the EeePC, too, which comes in handy for volume control and screen brightness adjustment.

 

I never really found an answer as to whether you can use Chromium OS with the google apps enterprise stuff

[pete]

Use them as brains for robots in DT?

[dhicks]

Unless something else has come along more recently

 

And now it has: FreeRDP

 

This would seem to support an up-to-date RDP version and features such as RemoteFX and so on.

[SYNACK]

And now it has: FreeRDP

 

This would seem to support an up-to-date RDP version and features such as RemoteFX and so on.

 

 

Looks like they have implemented a huge ammount of the stuff and has completely eclipsed the NT4 style way that rdesktop was using.