Linux Terminal Server Project
The Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP ) is a Linux program package that serves users of terminals to provide access to the terminal server can be run from applications and controlled by means of the terminal. Areas of application are, for example, Internet cafes or offices, where the same applications are available at each work available and the cost per job should be kept low. The effect of cost minimization arises from the fact that for the terminals no quick systems and sometimes no disks need to be retained. LTSP is free software and its publication is licensed under the GPLv2.
Terminals
The terminals can of old, inefficient computers exist (eg Pentium I with 90 MHz, without HDD, 100 Mbps network card, graphics card, an existing PCI bus used simplifies the hardware detection ) or dedicated thin clients. As the host operating system is any Linux distribution. Booting the terminals through PXE-enabled network card, with the floppy or CD -ROM.
Technology Used
X server
Simplified Technically LTSP exploiting the capabilities of the graphical X server to disconnect any Linux program in the two part program execution and display. The program execution is carried out on a powerful server while the display can be done together with the input from the keyboard or mouse on any number of terminals. The number of thin clients is determined here by the transfer rate of the network and the performance of the server.
Local devices
For the use of local devices to the LTSP thin client uses its own development, a mixture of udev and FUSE. With this it is possible to connect USB mass storage devices, CD-ROMs and diskettes to the clients and read them on the server.
Pros and Cons
LTSP has the same advantages and disadvantages, which brings each Terminal Server installation with it.
Other specific benefits:
- Support for local ( ie in the thin client built-in) sound cards and local storage media such as a USB stick or CD -ROM.
- Way cheaper equipment of schools and Internet cafes. An example of a Linux distribution for schools with pre-installed Linux Terminal Server is Edubuntu.
- The thin clients do not need any software other than the BIOS, so no other systems or programs in a ROM. You do not need to be updated and therefore can be used for decades. It can also serve old PCs as thin clients.
- Administrators can also graphically perform almost all administrative tasks on the system on the thin client.
3D and Video
Since the actual applications running on the server and the presentation of the output is realized on the client via a remote X server to the client via an Ethernet connection, there will be problems, such as the use of OpenGL technology. Custom graphics card driver set DRI ( Direct Rendering Interface) ready can be directed through the applications 3D instructions directly via the internal computer bus to the graphics card. Is the graphics card is physically separate from the application, not in the same computer system, this fast method of 3D display is not possible. This is the case in LTSP systems. Nevertheless, the X -server system provides the ability to conduct 3D instructions to the graphics card without having to calculate the result locally. Course requirement is an X server with drivers, the 3D features supported (proprietary NVIDIA and ATI).
3D applications are entirely imaged on the thin clients, however, depends on the Ethernet connection, as all OpenGL commands are sent over the network.
Games with relatively simple 3D requirement as xmoto are over a 100 Mbit connection quite viewable.
3D modeling applications are not covered entirely in this field because the final 3D calculation is accomplished by software rendering engines. The OpenGL functionality of the XServer is but during the modeling process itself use. Blender can be, for example, operate well via LTSP and reasonable graphics card drivers.
For the video representation is similar. Supported by the X server with the appropriate driver modules, a suitable protocol such as video xvideo ( is about the standard VESA module not supported) is to expect a good video presentation depending on your connection rate. With a 100 MB connection the reputation of a SVCD is quite possible HDTV content on demand, however, even a gigabit network.
LTSP version 4
Older versions of LTSP set by their own project software packages on the Linux environment for the clients available (kernel, libraries, x -server, etc). These are optimized for minimalism, size and speed. A post-installation of programs on the clients (or their NFS environment ) is already preparing itself by the lack of package management like RPM or APT difficulties.
Over time, not only the performance of the servers and desktop computers, but also of the thin clients grew. Clients with a capacity of less than 300 MHz are now rather uncommon. So it is but usually at least continuous monitors with a resolution > = 1280 x 1024 to use, for which, in turn, a graphics card with AGP slot is accessible.
Thus arise for the client even larger areas of work, such as " video decoding on the client side", Irda control ( infrared remote control ), installing proprietary graphics card drivers ( for AIX, TV-Out, OpenGL, for example), use of local devices such as TV cards etc.
LTSP version 5
The current versions of LTSP provide the clients an environment that corresponds to a regular Linux distribution. This allows the user to expand the Linux system of thin clients as desired and install packages for customization. This allows the clients with better support for ACPI, Irda, etc. expand. Since this has little in common with the original LTSP project, it was code- named ' muekow '.