"Is there anybody out there!"- who can help me. We recently purchased 60 Asus eeepc with the Xandros OS. Unfortunately, we are having many problems with it. The main ones being;
- The children can access the network settings and mess up the wireless configuration.
- It cannot access the update repositories
- Adding new software is problematical
These problems are putting staff off of using them in class.
Has anyone any ideas how I can restict the pupils access to sensitive areas using Xandroxs ( I am no linux expert but am willing to try things)
I have experimented with an Easy Peasy install ( all problems are solved). But to install on all 60 eee's would be quite a task.
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I have not used the eeepc but the updates and issues sounds like it could be a proxy problem. if you are behind a proxy try. This maybe suitable for eeepc, but please check first.
sudo synaptic
setting > preferences
manual proxy configuration
http proxy: <username:password@proxyIPaddress> Port: <x>
FTP proxy: <username:password@proxyIPaddress> Port: <x>
Also add username:password into etc/bash.bash.rc
I am afraid not used Xandros so not sure on the restrictions.
Thanks will have a go with your suggestion. Your right it is a proxy problem. With eeebuntu and Easy Peasy you can set the network proxy from preferences-with Xandros I can't find this option unless I install the main desktop.
I put Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid on mine. The only issue is that the sound Front volume controls default to off so if you think the sound isn't working go to the sound icon, right click and open Volume control and slide the volume control up. MInd in a classroom defaulting to off might have some advantage. The only reason I can think Asus went for Xandros is that Xandros signed up for protection against Microsfts ridiculous claim that Linux violates 235 of its patents.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/05/28/100033...
Some people would say this is extortion - demanding money with menaces. If you are likely to be bankrupted by a lawsuit on patents you might pay up even if there is no evidence that the said patent claims hold any water. This is the sort of bullying that the anti-softwarewre patent lobby in Europe is trying to prevent. SCO tried to sue IBM for patent infringement on Linux. Their fundamental mistake was picking on someone that had far deeper pockets than they did and in these matters money is far more important than justice.
From the cli you do
export http_proxy=http://user:password@proxyip:proxyport
and simlarly for ftp
export ftp_proxy=http://user:password@proxyip:proxyport
note, your ftp_proxy is probably http://......... rather than ftp://.........
Brian Lockwood
Personally, I use EasyPeasy on my Asus. This is IMHO far superior to the Xandros installation.
As it is Ubuntu based, all of the advice for securing that distro apply. The only think about locking down the wireless connection is that, if you let the kids take them home, it will be difficult for them to connect to their own wireless networks.
As for repositiories, I guess that you have a proxy setting required - don't know how to do this with xandros, but it is easy in Ubuntu - Its under the Network tab in Synaptic - Settings - Preferences.
If you need any more advice please ask.
rgds,
Richard
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Thankyou Richard,
I am getting the vague impression that 59 installs are on the way.
Try it first using Unetboot and a memory stick to see if you like it.
rgds,
Richard
To clone and deploy your Linux PC image over the network use CloneZilla http://clonezilla.org/. It's opensource.
Regards you Proxy setting issues take a look at NTLMAPS http://ntlmaps.sourceforge.net/, this is a cleaner way of getting Linux to get through a MS Proxy server. It is in the Ubuntu repositories.
Personally I don't like the hack in hard coding username and password on clients. If you do use this approach, make sure that it is not an administrative account, a normal account with basic privileges should be sufficient. The problem is that the file which stores this information is located in /etc/apt/apt.conf (in Ubuntu distros) and whilst is can't be editied without SU, it can be read by default by an unprivileged user!
Mark
The proxy server stuff is, IMHO, best dealt with at the gateway, running squid in transparent mode. You then don't need to worry about proxy settings on any of the clients.
Squid is actualy a Proxy server, to set it up in transparent mode follow these instructions
http://www.cyberciti.biz/tips/linux-setup-transparent-proxy-squid-howto....
Having never used it myself, I would be interested in you results..
Mark
[quote=ictstbenedicts]Having never used it myself, I would be interested in you results..[/quote]
To install Squid as a transparent proxy we needed to compile it, we couldn't just use a package (so no simple "apt-get install squid"). Compiling on Ubunut can be a tad fiddly as the compiler tools / libraries aren't installed by default - you need to do "apt-get install build-essential" to get most of what you'll need. I need to sort Squid out a bit more - we need to fix the currently broken startup/shutdown script and properly rotate the access logs. You do still need to pay for a blacklist of sites, this is around £100 a year.
Sorry to hear you're having troubles. I too bought an EeePC 1000 with Xandros. Can't stand Xandros. Installed EasyPeasy 1.0 and after some tweaking, I love it.
As for quickly cloning, I can confirm that Clonezilla works, but found it complicated to use. There might be easier options.
Almsot forgot that my current Ubuntu Flavour of choice for home use is http://crunchbanglinux.org/, they have an eeepc version.
If it is as good as their main version, then it should be great :)
Interesting. We have done Fedora, ubuntu and some other installs however have come to the conclusion that the following is the esaiest way to a classroom machine.
We have developed a locked down build of the standard installed Xandros. If you install a different OS then you may have trouble with drivers for the hw that Asus use. This has been the case with our experiments.
I have done a case study for OSS Schools which is due out soon but briefly this is the way we work.
We have a locked down version of Xandros that quits the command line when opened by a student, we have the option of having webmin on board. We have not had to use it. The students cannot access any configuration options but we can by logging in remotely and launching the configuration script.
We have customised the menus so the students only see what the teachers wants them to see.
If they break them then our build is on a memory stick which you boot from to reinstall. We have not had to do this in the last 4 or 5 months. If the students have managed to log in then they are leaving everything very tidy.
They are locked to a local wireless point which travels with the machines so that they connect and stay connected.
Firefox settings are rewritten on boot by sa short script. The home page is the VLE and the expectation is that work is uploaded to the VLE.
We have not instituted smb connectivity because of the wireless load that results from editing documents over multiple wireless smb connections to servers. VLE and web load over a HP AP is fine for a class set.
The machine are managed by the science technicians with instructions to bring them to IT if the students break them. None have been brought since some initial teething problems with the build which we did last year.
We have just taken delivery of our third batch and have nearly got the new image done. Asus have changed some hardware.
We have put the whole process on a wiki and since even the Xandros is based on GPL, we can let you have copies of all the how to stuff.
If you want a copy of all this then let me know.
Brian Lockwood
Brian Lockwood
We've installed ubuntu 8.10 with the eee-pc kernel from http://www.array.org/ubuntu/index.html I'm currently working on some customisation of the ubuntu netbook remix launcher to allow a basic logon to our pupils network shares without the need for full logons for each user. There's a screenshot of this in my profile.
If you have some settings you don't want your students to mess up, just copy them to the read only SYSTEM partition (/dev/sda1) of your EeePC, they will stay there forever. I guess your students aren't so good at Linux to be able to change things in the read only partition.
In fact, it would be good to set up the EeePC to have all customisations in the read only partition. Then you can simply F9 restore in case of any problem.
Also, you can set those files to group/user=root. This will also add difficulty to the students to overwrite the files.
Did I mention that we got the build done for the latest version of the Asus. Also I had a word with Miles about the case study. We need a more dynamic place to put technical advice as it can change.
We have simplified the set up of the 'locked down' Asus and Miles suggested that we set up a Moodle on the site for this kind of stuff.
I am pretty sure that we can distribute our modified version of the OS under GPL.
We are working on a moodle based launcher for versions of the OS. The idea goes like this,
tecaher decides what software suite on the Asus' they want to use and makes a link visible in a Moodle course.
The default Asus build takes the kids to the Moodle page where they have to click the link, the script launches the appropraite software suite.
Comments on that and also on the case study, very welcome.
Brian L
Brian Lockwood
I don't really understand everything you are saying but what I do sounds fantastic. If the more technically able could come up with easily implementable solutions for the less technical. OS use I am sure would grow. I realise this would place a burden upon people like your self. In the long run however, those of us whose expertise lies more with the teaching using OS If we can share more information, then as a community we could all benefit.
While we await Miles project on mputting a moodle here, I will post our blow by blow account of how to here.
There are three parts, configuration, editing the simpleui.rc and finally, how to make a bootable stick to restore one that one of the littel darlings has managed to break. However, as I need to kae the tea and go to the gym. I will try to find time for a visit later.
Brian Lockwood
Moodle on this site is one of the things I have on my list for the Easter holidays - we've upgraded to 1.9 at school now, and I've been doing some work on this for another organization, so all should be OK, once I can get a long enough run up. Meantime, do keep posting, as this is all quite brilliant.
Miles.
The 701sd is not the same as the one we got originally which was a a eeepc-4G. I do have the equivalent of this lot for those models.
If you can improve on the following or you see a problem then please post.
This was a team effort with me doing the simpleui.rc stuff and contributing coffee & ideas. Jonathan our technician did a lot of fiddling about to get this to work and Mark sorted out the memory stick based installer for repairs.
If you are behind a proxy then you will need to do something like
export http_proxy=http://myusername:mypasswd@myproxyip:myproxypor
or your apt-get won't work. You can also edit apt.conf files or use the graphical thingy.
Also, where we have used egglescliffe, you may / probably want to use a different name.
Anyway, this is meant to be kept simple so away we go.
1. Set a bios passwd on boot.
2. Accept license agreement
3. Set name of machine, science<n> // Obviously you can call them anything you want.
4. Set up wireless. Note that you close the wizard once you have done the job.
5. Run a terminal,
sudo passwd root
to set a root password.
(Some people will object to setting a root password but they will be installing freebsd anyway :-)
6. su -
7. apt-get update (See proxy note above for this to work)
8. apt-get dist-upgrade
9. apt-get upgrade
10. create a folder /usr/share/egglescliffe (or /usr/share/whatyouwant
11. place the files below in to the folder
(get the files from here http://voyager.egglescliffe.org.uk/jc/eeepc/701sd/)
1. if-pre-up.sh
2. simpleui.rc
3. mozilla.tar
12. chown root:root /usr/share/egglescliffe/*
13. chmod 655 or +x the files in /usr/share/egglescliffe
14. ln -s /usr/share/egglescliffe/if-pre-up.sh /etc/network/if-pre-up.d/egglescliffe-autostart
15. mv /var/lib/AsusLauncher/simplui.rc /var/lib/AsusLauncher/simplui.rc.orig (strangely having a .AsusLauncher folder in yourprofile no longer takes precendence over this on
16. edit /home/user/.bashrc and add the following two lines to the end of the file
1. su -
2. exit
17. chmod -x /usr/bin/konsole
Brian Lockwood
In the above, you might like to cut and paste into a text editor because the CRs are a bit odd in places.
Anyway, I will do the next bit.
This site
http://wiki.eeeuser.com/
is where we started and is the place to go for general information and a mine of information about them. If you post to that forum then do link us to a post there sometime.
Anyway, to change the available software you need to edit the simpleui.rc file. I will post where there is loads of info on how to do it. Asus have change some stuff about how the launch process goes and so you may have to watch your file locations. We do not have models of every flavour of Asus Eeeeeeeeeepc!
Brian
Brian Lockwood
Backup and copy your current simpleui.rc
Open a Terminal window (Alt+Ctrl+t).
Copy your default simpleui.rc to a backupcopy
cp /var/lib/AsusLauncher/simpleui.rc /home/user/simpleui.rc.back
simpleuirc.back is in your home directory
mkdir /home/user/.AsusLauncher/
This creates a hidden working directory on your home folder if it doesn't already exist.
Start editing the file however you like but note that, if you muck it up you may have to do a restore to get your box back.
Edit the simpleui.rc file.
See here for info on the format of the file and what to write/delete
http://wiki.eeeuser.com/howto:customizeeasymode#adding_new_items
Brian Lockwood
Once you have your shiny new customised EePC, you want to be able to restore it when it gets broke. To do this you need a bootable USB drive, so here is how Mark has described the process of making one.
There maybe easier ways of doing this so if you are a wiz with a usb stick and even if you have to use windaz to do it then lets see how.
Knoppix 5.1.1 USB Installation process:
You should now be able to boot Knoppix 5.1.1 via your USB stick. Proceed to use the Knoppix Persistent feature to save your changes back to the stick
Brian Lockwood
Hi Brian ,
at step 15 "cd /cdrom" I am having problems. since i booted my system from a CD itself , The root partition doesn't shown up anything as cdrom under /.
Here's what i have ,
A dvd RO/cd RW drive. on an lenevo-t61 system.
1 pendrive of 4GB . that has been through steps 1 to 14 peacefully.
a SLax image (BT3 final) on a DVD disc. system got bootable through this itself.
Can you help me out here.
Sorry about delay, Ithought thread was dead. Anyway, the problem you have is that you used slax rather than knoppix where a soft link from /mnt/cdrom is used to make /cdrom appear.
The cd is probably to /mnt/cdrom instead.
Brian
Brian Lockwood
The following are two, near identical section except for steps which change you from making a backup of your eepc to restoring yourr eepc.
Backup Procedure
This method assumes that the 2 compressed image files are to be stored on the second partition of the bootable USB pen.
1. Enter Bios and allow Eeepc to boot from USB Knoppix device
2. Boot up knoppix.
3. If booting hangs on "Probing/Loading AGP modules" press ESC or Ctrl C to break into command prompt. In order to see the USB device partion a mount command must be run.
Type in "mount /dev/sdb2 /media/sdb2" and press return.
4. Type in "partimage" and press enter.
5. Highlight the "hdc1 partition" (this is the system partimage).
6. Tab down to the "Image file to create/use" box and type in the location of the system.gz file (in our case /media/sdb2/sys.gz.000)
7. Tab down to the "Action to be done" box using the up/down arrows to highlight the wanted action - "Save partition into a new image file".
8. Press F5 to continue. Leave all options as set and Press F5 to continue. A dialogue windown will open named "Extfs information".
9. Press "ok". Confirmation box opens. Press "Yes"to start restore.
10. Now wait without pressing anything until operation is finished. Don't panic if the screen saver kicks in, pressing the space bar once will return you to the partimage screen.
When completed a "Success" window will pop up. Press "ok" to return to command prompt.
11. Now repeat steps 4 onwards again but the partion is "hdc2" and the image filename is now your user.gz (in our case usr.gz.000).
Restore Procedure
This method assumes that the 2 compressed image files are on the second partition of the bootable USB pen.
1. Enter Bios and allow Eeepc to boot from USB Knoppix device
2. Boot up knoppix.
3. If booting hangs on "Probing/Loading AGP modules" press ESC or Ctrl C to break into command prompt. In order to see the USB device partion a mount command must be run.
Type in "mount /dev/sdb2 /media/sdb2" and press return.
4. Type in "partimage" and press enter.
5. Highlight the "hdc1 partition" (this is the system partimage).
6. Tab down to the "Image file to create/use" box and type in the location of the system.gz file (in our case /media/sdb2/sys.gz.000)
7. Tab down to the "Action to be done" box using the up/down arrows to highlight the wanted action - "Restore partition from a file".
8. Press F5 to continue. Leave all options as set and Press F5 to continue. A dialogue windown will open named "Extfs information".
9. Press "ok". Confirmation box opens. Press "Yes"to start restore.
10. Now wait without pressing anything until operation is finished. Don't panic if the screen saveer kicks in, pressing the space bar once will return you to the partimage screen.
When completed a "Success" window will pop up. Press "ok" to return to command prompt.
11. Now repeat steps 4 onwards again but the partion is "hdc2" and the image filename is now your user.gz (in our case usr.gz.000).
Brian Lockwood
Hi,
I've recently been working on getting a simple method for USB stick auto-restoring of a netbook. I've got a solution using Clonezilla Live which results in a **very simple restore process** (i.e. boot USB stick, press enter, type 'y', wait, reboot).
It works with an Ubuntu 9.04 build I am working on for my local school which is intendedfor 60 Dell Mini 10v netbooks. I actually intend to use these USB auto-restore sticks to deploy the customised build onto these netbooks. It will most likely work for all OSes including Vista/7/XP.
I've documented it on the Clonezilla forum here:
http://sourceforge.net/forum/message.php?msg_id=7557331
- Phil
The idea of this was to help weeter manage his specific situation in a particular school, I hope it works for them. It might be a good idea to link all this to the eeepc web site which I will do.
If you have improvements then let us know by posting here or probably on th eepc site and linking back to here.
All this stuff is a classical community effort, Jonathan Mark and I built on a load of stuff we gleaned from various places as a team and put something useful together for everyone to use. Those people who built all the bits we used, (Not least Knopix) deserve the credit.
Brian Lockwood
Mmmm I just read the new copyright stuff on EeePC, when we used it, it was creative commons. It isn't anymore so I won't bother posting a link. Wonder why they did that?
Brian Lockwood