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K12LTSP is a terminal server appliance distribution
of RedHat Linux. It's easy to install and configure. It's distributed
under the GNU General
Public License
. That means it's free and it's based on Open Source software.
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Once installed K12LTSP lets you boot diskless
workstations from the server. You can use old PC's as diskless
clients or buy new ones for under $200 each. K12LTSP is based on
the LTSP project at www.ltsp.org
.
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We've have included many applications that
will be useful for classrooms:
StarOffice - Integrated Office Suite
AbiWord - Simple word processor w/spell checking
Gnumeric spreadsheet
Netscape & Mozilla web browsers
Gimp - Graphics & Photo Editing package
Graphing calculator & Scientific calculator
DrGenius - Geometry Sketching Program
Gnofract - Fractal Drawing and Manipulation
Ggradebook - For keeping track of grades...
ucbLogo - Turtle graphics anyone? - Beginning programming language...
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All applications run on the terminal server.
There is no software on the terminals at all. That means they are
easy to install and there is nothing to maintain. Terminals don't
even have hard drives. Since applications run on the server you
can use old PC hardware for workstations and still get good performance
from your server. All updates are made to just one computer. Say
goodbye maintaining individual PC's! ;-)
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What is K12Linux and LTSP?
K12Linux
is a group of educators using Linux in schools. We have a web
site and a
listserv
and we are from all over the world. LTSP is the
Linux Terminal Server Project
. They have worked hard to create reliable terminal server packages.
We (K12Linux) used their packages to create the terminal server
appliance (K12LTSP).
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What is a terminal server appliance?
It's a Linux based server running
Red Hat
software that is configured to support diskless workstations.
All the programs run on the server. The default installation creates
a ready to use server. You just plug your terminals into the hub
and turn them on. It's that easy! Take a look at our
K12LTSP toaster oven server
!
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What kind of workstations do I need?
The default configuration supports any computer with a PXE enabled
boot protocol. There are other supported boot protocols but we
have configured the server to support a PXE boot environment because
is is widely supported by newer hardware. See our
terminal hardware
page for the latest bids from approved vendors.
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Can I participate without buying new workstations?
YES! Many of your current workstations can be used as diskless
workstations. You can boot from a floppy disk or install Ethernet
cards with appropriate boot roms. See the
Legacy Hardware How-To
and the LTSP
site for more information.
