From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Received: from pigeon.gentoo.org ([208.92.234.80] helo=lists.gentoo.org) by finch.gentoo.org with esmtp (Exim 4.60) (envelope-from ) id 1RrnQg-0003MP-El for garchives@archives.gentoo.org; Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:21:38 +0000 Received: from pigeon.gentoo.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by pigeon.gentoo.org (Postfix) with SMTP id CEBC0E08A1; Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:21:19 +0000 (UTC) Received: from mta-2.ms.rz.rwth-aachen.de (mta-2.ms.rz.RWTH-Aachen.DE [134.130.7.73]) by pigeon.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 4AC9DE0864 for ; Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:19:17 +0000 (UTC) Precedence: bulk List-Post: List-Help: List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: List-Id: Gentoo Linux mail X-BeenThere: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org Reply-to: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org MIME-version: 1.0 Content-disposition: inline Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Received: from ironport-out-1.rz.rwth-aachen.de ([134.130.5.186]) by mta-2.ms.rz.RWTH-Aachen.de (Sun Java(tm) System Messaging Server 6.3-7.04 (built Sep 26 2008)) with ESMTP id <0LYL00EKYTW02270@mta-2.ms.rz.RWTH-Aachen.de> for gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org; Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:19:12 +0100 (CET) X-IronPort-AV: E=Sophos;i="4.71,591,1320620400"; d="scan'208";a="161250860" Received: from relay-2.ms.rz.rwth-aachen.de (HELO relay.rwth-aachen.de) ([134.130.7.75]) by mx.rz.rwth-aachen.de with ESMTP; Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:19:12 +0100 Received: from numa-i.igpm.rwth-aachen.de (numa-i.igpm.RWTH-Aachen.DE [134.130.161.252]) by relay.rwth-aachen.de (8.14.4+Sun/8.13.8/1) with ESMTP id q0U9JC4A022706 for ; Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:19:12 +0100 (CET) Received: from numa-i (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by numa-i.igpm.rwth-aachen.de (Postfix) with ESMTP id 810501BD6 for ; Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:19:13 +0100 (CET) Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2012 10:19:13 +0100 From: Helmut Jarausch Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] Multiseat -- LTSP? To: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org In-reply-to: X-Mailer: Balsa 2.4.11 Message-id: <1327915153.9336.1@numa-i> Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable X-Archives-Salt: 7203e53a-4638-4c38-8d8f-e6ae77cb2886 X-Archives-Hash: 15f2333cebaab06319a79697e6f8eecb I've been in the same situation a short time ago. Finally I decided to buy a cheap notebook (ASUS AMD 1GHz, 8 Gb RAM) for 265 Euro, only -- running Gentoo, of course. I've installed a private wireless network. So my wife can sit anywhere and she can still connect to our "family=20 server" if she likes. If I had to buy a monitor, graphics card, keyboard and a better power supply, that would have beeen more expensive.=20 Furthermore the notebook solution is more flexible. Helmut. On 01/30/2012 12:29:37 AM, Grant wrote: > >> I'd like to have multiple users working from separate monitors, > >> keyboards, and mice, but all connected to a single Gentoo=20 > computer. > >> The main purpose is to minimize sys admin duties but hardware and > >> power requirements would also be minimized. > >> > >> Apparently this is called "multiseat" and native support in Xorg > might > >> not be ready for primetime: > >> > >> http://wiki.x.org/wiki/Development/Documentation/Multiseat > >> http://vignatti.wordpress.com/2008/09/23/multiseat-roadmap > >> > >> There is a configuration tool for Xorg multiseat called MDM: > >> > >> http://wiki.c3sl.ufpr.br/multiseat/index.php/Mdm > >> > >> but from what I've read it isn't ideal. =A0Besides Xorg multiseat > I've > >> read about LTSP and a few others: > >> > >> http://www.ltsp.org > >> http://www.thinstation.org > >> http://automseat.sourceforge.net > >> http://www.openthinclient.org > >> > >> There are also a lot of proprietary options. =A0Is LTSP the way to > go? > > > > It may be, but as with all thin client models you would need a > terminal > > computer for each user. > > > > If you only have one machine and monitors, keyboards and mice for > each user > > then you'll need multiple video cards (and a strong power supply) > for your > > only PC. =A0In this case something like > http://automseat.sourceforge.net may be > > more appropriate. =A0However, I have not used anything like this set > up to offer > > an opinion on performance. > > > > At work we use thin clients running Debian to serve MSWindows=20 > server > desktop > > and apps to users. =A0This setup uses the Citrix ica protocol, but=20 > I'm > thinking > > that FreeNX coupled with VNC or relevant KDE or Gnome remote=20 > desktop > > implementation would probably work nicely and offer LAN and remote > connection > > security at the same time. > > -- > > Regards, > > Mick >=20 > If I throw out installing a separate OS on a separate machine for=20 > each > workstation and all of the proprietary thin-client protocols, I think > I have 3 options: >=20 > 1. Connect monitors, USB keyboards, and USB mice directly to a server > with multiple video cards. I found a motherboard with 6 PCI-E slots: >=20 > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=3DN82E16813128508 >=20 > 6 video cards could be installed for 6 workstations if the server=20 > goes > headless, and even more if multi-headed video cards are used. Xorg > requires some special configuration for this but this discussion from > 2010 sounds like it's something that is actually done: >=20 > http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-836950-start-0.html >=20 > These guys got it working in 2006: >=20 > http://www.linuxgazette.net/124/smith.html >=20 > 2. Set up a separate thin client for each workstation and run LTSP on > the server. This seems inferior to #1 because it requires setting up > and maintaining the LTSP server and client configuration, NFS,=20 > xinetd, > tftp, dnsmasq, and PXE-boot. Bandwidth would also be limited=20 > compared > to #1 and hardware and power requirements would be much greater. >=20 > 3. Run a Plugable thin client for each workstation: >=20 > http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004PXPPNA >=20 > This likely requires running "Userful Multiseat Linux" on my server > which is only packaged up for Ubuntu. The Plugable thin client > connects to the server via USB 2.0 which makes me wonder if it could > be made to work without Userful Multiseat Linux as a USB video card > and input devices, but I imagine drivers for the video card and > bandwidth over USB could be a problem. >=20 > I think #1 is the way to go but I'd love to hear anyone else's=20 > opinion > on that. Has anyone here ever set up multiseat in Xorg? >=20 > - Grant >=20 >=20 >=20 >=20 --=20 Helmut Jarausch Lehrstuhl fuer Numerische Mathematik RWTH - Aachen University D 52056 Aachen, Germany =