Alden Labs & The Linux Terminal Server Project

The Linux Terminal Server Project was implemented in one of our computing labs to utilize aging PC resources. The lab is equipped with over half a dozen custom-built 2.4 Ghz Pentium 4 based PCs and an equal number of old Dell Dimension XPS D233s. In an effort to reclaim some usefulness from the older systems, we used LTSP to paired a Dell workstation with each P4. Two NICs were installed in the P4s; one was connected to the network, the other to the Dell via a crossover cable. By using a crossover, we noticed greater gains in performance than a switch-based solution. Due to the age of the NICs in the Dells, we were unable to successfully set up network booting. As a result, we rely on boot floppies created using Marty Connor's www.rom-o-matic.net website, a nice tool for generating Etherboot rom images. After successfully setting up one server, we cloned its drive for the rest of the lab, then altered individual server settings accordingly.

The result of implementing LTSP have been amazing. The client workstations perform nearly as well as the host machines and the host machines'. Department members can access accounts from any machine in the lab and experience. The LTSP has allowed us to utilize hardware resources far more effectively than standalone machines.