CHAPTER 38

Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP)

IN THIS CHAPTER

LTSP    Requirements

LTSP    Installation

Using   LTSP

References

Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) is an add-on package for Linux that

enables you to run multiple thin clients from one main server. A thin client is
a small, energy-efficient, and generally lower-powered system designed to be
used in conjunction with a more powerful server. A thin client has limited
processing power and speed and limited storage, making it very inexpensive.
It is used for receiving input from a device such as a keyboard or mouse,
communicating with a server, and displaying output to a screen.

Processing of information and the actual running of programs are offloaded to
the server, which means the server does all the hard work and is the only
system in the network that has strong requirements for processor power and
speed, memory, storage, and so on. Thin clients are also generally smaller in
size and quieter, which also make them more convenient to use when space
and noise are potential issues. Those of us who have been around some time
or who have worked in enterprise environments will see an immediate
relationship to big metal servers and dumb client terminals, and it is
reasonable to think of an LTSP setup this way. In the case of LTSP, the server
isn’t as big or as powerful, and the thin clients aren’t as dumb and weak, but
the idea is the same.

Thin clients are great in places such as classrooms and computer labs where
strict control and strong security are desirable, where money for a room of
full-powered systems might not be available, and where installing and
maintaining core software on one server is preferable to doing so on many