setting up internet terminals... how? (can't think of a better way to say it) - edit: thin-clients?

[Booty]

Here's what we want to do... have somewhere around 10 terminals with access to the internet while minimizing the actual number of PCs we're using. It's for a staffing company that wants to have stations for applicants to fill out forms and take tests. The only thing any of these terminals really needs to be able to do is browse the internet. I figured this could be done fairly easily, but wasn't sure of what hardware it required. I know I've read in places about essentially sharing one computer's resources between 2 users at different terminals, so that's basically what we want to do, except we want 10 terminals. Whether these can all run off one machine, and what that machine needs to be (PC, server, ?), I didn't know... the goal is just to reduce the ammount of hardware since all these things need to be able to do is browse the web. OS doesn't matter... linux or windows would be fine. Anyone know anything about doing this?

edit: Is a thin-client/server setup what I'm looking for?

 

[LiLithTecH]

Thin clients are just as expensive to purchase as a full blown PC.

You can get used P3 900's cheap these days to use as terminals which
are more than sufficient to use for Internet/Intranet Access.

It all depends on how big a budget is allocated by the client.

 

[Booty]

I'm seeing thin-client devices for around $200, but I can see used machines being just as cheap. I'm also looking at exactly how we want this to all come together on both the software and hardware side of things. The only real issue with cost is to try to minimize it... so we know that, worst-case, we'd be looking at the cost of 10 PCs. Since they're only going to be used for their internet browsers, we're looking for ways to reduce costs by either having less physical machines or less powerful machines, as well as reducing software costs wherever possible. I'm completely open to suggestions on the best way to do this... I just came up with the thin-client thing while searching google.

 

[drag]

X windows is a easy way to do this. It was designed for this sort of thing.

You have a central "X client". (Since X windows is so old it's terminology is a bit queer). The X client has all the resources that you need to run programs. This is the computer that will have the browser.

Then you have the "X servers". These are the terminals, the things that have the keyboards and the monitors that all of your users will use.

You see, X windows is a networking protocol. It's like FTP, or HTTP. It's a networking thing. On top of that you have a window managers that run inside X that do all the gui stuff. Then you have on top of that desktop managers like Gnome and KDE that have all the programs, handle the panels, and icons and all that stuff. X windows buy itself is a nasty looking gray screen with a X for a cursor.

This website is about creating "real" terminals. These are completely diskless terminals, then boot from a nic mount the entire OS from a network server start a X server and then log into a X client. All completely from the network.

Lots of times you can boot from a floppy to start the boot up proccess.

It's a little bit complicated, but it's the best way to do something like this.


Now the EASIEST WAY would be like this:

You set up X client (the part with all the apps) with 2 nics. One goes to the outside world, the other goes to a switch. From the switch you attatch all the X server worstations (the part with people sit at.) Set up a webbrowser user.

Then on each workstation very minimal disk install. Using something like Slackware.

You get the smallest, cheapest harddrive you can find. Hook a cdrom up to it and install slackware 9.0 (or redhat, or mandrake, or debian, or anything you want) with X windows support. Then get rid of the cdrom drive.

Then set it up so that each workstation when it boots up it accesses the graphical login manager running from the main machine.

 

[drag]

Drag's reply part 2. I wanted to make sure that you realised this was a new reply incase you read my previous post.

With a secure network that has no access to the outside world and visa versa (like the network I described were the only way to get out was thru the "X client" server's 2nd nic card you want to set up using regular XDMCP if you go with the X terminals with the small harddrive with a minimal OS installed.

If it's a more insecure network you want to set up SSH X forwarding and that will keep everything encrypted and safe, even over the open internet.

Here is part of the mini-howto dealing with setting up a simple X terminal with a old PC

 

[lowtech1]

It depends on if you want Windows, Linux or Unix?

Thin clients on Unix is very expensive, unless you go with freeBSD, or the alike. Windows licensing will also be expensive because you will need server licensing for TS service. Linux is the most inexpensive solution if your users don't mind using better non MS browsers.

You can try the pre package K12LTSP that is quite good for terminal services, with $200 diskless client suggestions.

 

[Booty]

It's going to take me a little while to wade through Drag's responses and links, but this definately sound like it's along the lines of what I'm thinking of... I'll post back after I read through it all.

As far as the users of these terminals are concerned, well, they don't matter. For these particular terminals, all we need is a webbrowser. Yes, it is going to connect to the web outside of the company's network (although, at this point, it's only going to need to go to one site). I can get more details as far as the software they want to use, etc., if it'll help... it's some kind of application software for the temp. employees that this staffing company deploys... it uses a web interface. That will be internal. The outside website is for testing purposes for the same users...

Anyway, I have a meeting to get to, but I'll be back to post more. As always, thank you all for the help and suggestions. AT OS forum rules!