[Charlug] Single Serve (with OS) and multiple clients (each with different environment)

[Jason Edgecombe]

David Simmons wrote:
> > Are you wanting automated installs? automated upgrades? home directories
> > mounted from a central server? centralized host configuration management
> > from the server?
>
> Sorry I wasn't clear....was frustrated at the time...Here's what I'm 
> looking for:
>
> 1 Central server that will hold the OS image/etc (that way I only have 
> to update one machine)
>
> multiple client machines that will run their 'system' from the central 
> server - but have a networked /home directory...and different setup 
> per machines.  I'd like to have auto-logins based on MAC address.
>
> In a nutshell - this is for home....I have a computer for each of my 
> three kids - I'm tired of admin'ing three machines - I'd rather just 
> setup one, and run their machines diskless...BUT, each machine has 
> it's own setups (which shouldn't be a problem, because each would have 
> their own user accounts and /home directories)....BUT, I'd like two of 
> them to auto-login.....and all of the PXE stuff I'm finding is from 
> 1999?!
>
> Was wondering if other's ran into this....what are they using?....and 
> is 1999 data still accurate?
>
> Thanks in advance! - Dave
Hi Dave,

The diskless and PXE stuff should still be correct.

As I understand it, diskless clients can have different configs, but it 
can get annoying.

You have three options:
1. PXE boot w/diskless + nfs root + networked home (data remote, apps 
run local)
2. thin client (all stuff runs remote)
3. "dataless" client aka stateless. + networked home. OS & apps on hdd, 
everything runs local.

Of those options, I only have experience with #3.

We currently do #3 at work using automated kickstart with cfengine for 
config tweaking and AFS for home directories and holding applications. 
cfengine might be overkill for what you need, though.

Another option is to use something like system imager. You tweak a 
master image and blast it to the clients and run a few scripts to tweak 
client-specific settings.

Assuming your kid's don't have root, then you shouldn't need to 
reinstall too often with option #3. I manage Solaris & Linux machines 
for a University so I hope I'm not too wrong ;)

Here is another simple example. Do #3 and just copy a tarball or rsync 
over the network upon boot. The data transfered is the machine-specific 
bits.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely,
Jason