Managing
Thin Clients & Sessions
Introduction
The 2X ThinClientServer Management Console allows you to
manage thin clients and view past and active sessions.
Managing
the thin clients
Some settings can only be managed on a ‘per-thin
client’ basis. For example, you can specify a resolution for a particular
lower end ThinClient.
Screenshot
47: List of thin clients available for management
To manage a thin client, click on the
”Managed” node under “Clients”. All thin clients will be
listed in the right pane.
If you want a setting to be used as a default by all thin
clients then you can click on the “Set Defaults” button and edit the
“Default Client”. Most settings are inherited from this template
client while others are used as initial default values.
You can use the search facility provided to filter by
keywords those clients you would like view. Simply type some text in the search
field and those thin clients that do not match the text entered will be filtered
out of the
list.
Screenshot 48: Search
Button
Clicking the search button will then show a new toolbar
with the following search fields:
- Name
- IP
Address
- MAC
Address
- Username
- Status
Setting
thin client defaults
When a machine boots with the 2X ThinClientOS for the
first time, it uses the default settings in the default client. This can be
accessed by clicking on the “Default Settings” button inside the
“Managed” node under
“Clients”.
The layout of the settings is exactly like that of a real
thin client. The difference is that those settings will affect all clients which
have no explicit custom settings.
The purpose of this option is to quickly set common
settings which exist in your current scenario due to a particular manufacturer
or country. First boot a test thin client and make sure that you have identified
all settings that are required to boot it correctly by editing the thin client
itself. Once you think you have a good template, copy the common settings to the
“Default Client” so that they will be automatically inherited by all
your other clients.
Editing
thin client settings
To edit any thin client settings, simply click on the
thin client name. This will load the details in the bottom frame of the
page.
You can alter any of the settings. To save, click the
“Save Settings” button.
General
settings
Screenshot
49: Edit thin client general settings
Name: Allows you
to enter a recognizable name for the thin client.
Hostname: Allows
you to set the hostname the machine will respond to on the network.
Printer: Allows
you to enable or disable a printer.
Timezone: Allows
you to configure the thin client’s time zone. The actual time is sourced
from the thin client machine’s BIOS. To automatically keep the time up to
date check the Preparing the DHCP server section at the end of the manual.
Preferred Boot
Server: Allows you to configure the server which the thin client will use
to boot with in case you have one or more 2X
ThinClientServer.
Operating
System Options
Screenshot
50: List of Boot Options available for customization
Version: Allows
you to specify which version of the 2X ThinClientOS to
use.
Kernel:
Allows you to specify which set of hardware support drivers the 2X ThinClientOS
will use. Version 2.6 provides new and updated drivers for the latest hardware
and has better support for USB attached devices. Version 2.4 is more suited for
clients with older/slower hardware which have had limited success in booting
with the newer kernel
version.
Enable
USB: Choose the level of USB support
available from your
hardware.
Enable
CD: This should be left in “Standard Mode” unless there are
any problems. If any problems occur when booting from the CD switch it to
“Safe Mode”.
Input Devices
Screenshot 51:
List of Input Devices settings available for customization
Mouse Model:
Specify the mouse attached to the thin client.
Keyboard model:
Specify the keyboard attached to the thin client.
Keyboard layout:
Select the appropriate keyboard layout.
Display
Settings
Screenshot 52:
Display Settings customization options
Use Default
Settings: This will use the default settings that can be set for all the
thin clients. By default this is
enabled.
Resolution:
Specify the resolution you would like 2X ThinClientOS to use.
Colour Depth:
Specify the number of colours used by 2X ThinClientOS. This is subject to the
memory available to the video card.
Refresh Rate
(Hz): The frequency in Hertz by which the monitor will refresh every
second. Please check the frequencies that the monitor supports.
Video Card
Driver: If the thin client has auto-detectable video hardware, the
appropriate driver is displayed. If necessary, you may set the video driver
manually for the thin client.
Display Manager:
The default setting for new thin clients is “Performance (Xorg)”. If
the thin client requires support for older hardware you can choose
“Compatibility (XFree86)”.
Dual Desktop: If
2X ThinClientOS detects hardware capable of supporting dual monitors, you will
be able to enable support for this configuration. You may also choose the
“Flip Screens” option if you would like to switch the monitors
between primary and secondary.
Screensaver:
Choose if you want to start the screen saver on the thin client after a
certain amount of time. You can also lock the desktop so that the user has to
enter his/her credentials upon return.
After configuring the “Display Settings”
click on “Test Display Settings” to make sure that the settings are
supported by the thin client and the display.
Screenshot 53: Start the
display test on the thin client
Click on “Perform Test” to start the display
test. You will be notified if the test was successful or not and the settings
will be applied once the thin client is rebooted.
Desktop
Appearance
Screenshot 54:
Desktop Appearance customization options
Use Default
Settings: This will use the default settings that can be set for all the
thin clients. By default this is enabled.
Background Color:
Set a color that will be used by the 2X ThinClientOS as a background color on
the desktop.
Background Text:
Set some text that will be displayed on the 2X ThinClientOS
background. Variables can be
used to include in the text. ‘%USERNAME%’ will display the username,
‘%HOSTNAME%’ will display the hostname and ‘%IP%’ will
display the IP address.
Sound
Settings
Screenshot 55: Sound
Settings
Use Default
Settings: This will use the default settings that can be set for all the
thin clients. By default this is enabled.
Enable Sound: If
enabled, this will allow the thin client to play sound.
Sound Volume:
This sets the sound volume for the thin client.
Software
Emulation: This should not be checked unless you hear any distortion
during sound playback. If you do hear any distortion try using this option which
introduces an intermediate sound engine that can help deliver a clear
sound.
Login
Screen
Screenshot
56: Client Login Settings
You can enable auto-login for Full Desktop connections
from this thin client and specify the relevant credentials in this
section.
Login
Banner
Screenshot 57:
Choose default banner
Use default
banner: Choose the banner that you want your thin clients to show during
login.
Desktop
Shadowing
Screenshot 58:
Setting shadowing parameters
You can enable session shadowing for the thin client and
specify the relevant password in this section. Click on the “Connect
Now” button to start a shadowing session to this thin client.
Advanced Options
Screenshot 59:
Advanced Options
Use Default
Settings: This will use the default settings that can be set for all the
thin clients.
Terminal: Enable
the user to access the 2X ThinClientOS terminal by using CTRL+ALT+F2 (to launch
the terminal) and CTRL+ALT+F7 (to exit the
terminal).
ACPI Auto On:
This option enables the auto configuration of your device using the data
integrated in the system.
ACPI Always On:
This option enables ACPI regardless of any configurations present on the
device.
ACPI Compatibility (Do
Not Manage Interrupts): This option enables the hardware using the data
provided by the motherboard but uses baseline defaults to configure them for
use.
ACPI Compatibility
(Balance Interrupts): This option enables the hardware using the data
provided by the motherboard together with what was detected by the OS
drivers.
ACPI OFF: Disable
the ACPI feature if your motherboard does not support a correct ACPI
implementation due to incompatibility with the Linux Operating System. Baseline
defaults will be used instead using legacy standard initialization.
Groups
A group can be created which defines a certain set of
settings that affect all the thin clients which are members of the group. The
settings are the same as those described in the previous sections but do not
apply to a single thin client. They apply to a number of thin clients that are
members of the “Group”
Create a Group:
Click on the “Groups” node under “Clients” and
click on “New Group”.
Screenshot 60: Adding a New
Group
Edit Group: Any
group can be edited by selecting the group you want to edit and changing the
settings from the frame that loads below.
Screenshot 61: Edit a
group
Delete Group: Any
group can be deleted by clicking on “Delete Group”. Note that when a
group is deleted the clients will adopt the standard default setting and they
will NOT be deleted.
Auto Assign
Rules: Allows you to add the MAC and IP address of a client so that when
it is booted for the first time the thin client is immediately added to the
specified group.
Add a client to a
group: To add a client to a group simply drag and drop the client(s) from
the “Managed” node onto the chosen
group. You can also use the
“Add to Group” button on the toolbar and select the group you would
like the client(s) to join.
Deleting a thin
client
You can use this facility to eliminate from the list of
thin clients available for management those thin clients that are obsolete
because they are no longer connected to the network. A thin client can be
recovered at any time by clicking on the “Recover Client” button in
the “Deleted Node”.
Setting
default settings for all thin clients
You can use this facility to provide system-wide defaults
for all thin clients connected to this 2X ThinClientServer.
All parameters described in
“
Managing the thin
clients” (except for those parameters that are individual
thin-client related) can be applied as system-wide defaults in this section. To
view the default settings click on “Default Settings”. When you are
done editing the settings and would like to save click on “Save
Settings”
Power Options
Screenshot 62: Power
Options
Switch on a Thin
Client
You can use this facility to switch on a thin client by
sending a Wake-On-Lan signal to this thin client over the network.
Shutdown a thin
client
You can use this facility to force a thin client to shut
down.
Rebooting a thin
client
You can use this facility to force a thin client to
reboot to enable debugging features, or to enable a new version of 2X
ThinClientOS for the thin client.
Managing Printers
Screenshot 63: A list of all
the printers available
2X ThinClientServer supports printing to printers
connected to a thin client. In order for this to work, an administrator must
install the drivers for the printer connected to the thin client in the
“System” > “Printer Management” node. To do
this:
Screenshot 64: Install Printer dialog
- Click
on the “Printers Management” node
- Specify
the name of the printer, the
manufacturer, the model and
the port to which it is connected.
- If
your printer is not
listed:
- Obtain
your printer driver .INF
file.
- Return
to the main Printer Management
screen.
- Click
on “Upload Printer Driver”
- Click
on the “Browse” button and select the appropriate .INF file
containing the setup information for your printer. The
“Manufacturer” field and the “Model” field will now list
the information contained in the .INF file selected. Select the appropriate
manufacturer and printer and click “OK”.
- You
will be returned to the “Printer Management” node. The newly
installed printer can now be added using the steps
indicated.
Screenshot 65:
Assigning a printer to a thin client
- Now
you can select the printer from the “Managed” thin client settings
section.
- Click
on the thin client to which the printer must be connected.
- Select
the printer you just created in the “Printer” drop down list in the
“General”
section.
- Click
“OK” to confirm.
- At
the next thin client log-on, the printer will be
available.
Managing
Banners
2X ThinClientServer allows the system
administrator to specify the default banner for all thin clients which have not
been allocated a custom banner.
Managing the 2X DHCP
Helper
2X ThinClientServer allows the system
administrator to specify which thin clients are allowed to connect using the
configured connections, by applying selection rules that work by thin client MAC
address.
Enable DHCP
Helper Service: Will forward new thin clients on the network to the 2X
ThinClientServer to provide the relevant information for the thin clients to
boot up.
Clients must be
approved: The administrator must first approve any new clients for them
to be able to connect to 2X ThinClientServer and boot.
Screenshot 66: Enabling DHCP Helper
Pending: Will
show all the MAC addresses that are waiting for the administrators to decide if
they will be approved or denied.
Blocked: Will
show those MAC addresses that are blocked. Any known MAC address can be blocked
by clicking on the “Add MAC Address” button. To unblock a MAC
address select the one(s) you would like to unblock and click “Unblock MAC
Address”
Approved: Will
show those MAC addresses that are approved. MAC address can be added by clicking
on the “Approve New MAC Address” button. To block a MAC address
select the one(s) you would like to block and click “Remove MAC
Address”
Screenshot 67: A list of
Approved MAC Addresses
Views
With Views, you can filter the thin clients according to
a certain property. You can select to view clients that are currently online or
those that are in debug mode.
Screenshot 68: Views
Booth Method
“Booth Method” will group the thin clients to
show those that booth with 2X ThinClientServer via PXE, hard-disk and
CD-ROM.
Screenshot 69: Booth
Methods
Setting default settings
for all thin clients
You can use this facility to provide system-wide defaults
for all thin clients connected to this 2X ThinClientServer. All you need to do
is click on the “Clients” node and then click on the “Default
Settings” button.
All parameters described in
“
Editing
thin client settings” (except for those parameters that are
individual thin-client related) can be applied as system-wide defaults in this
section.
Sessions
The “Sessions” node shows you the
users that are or have connected to a terminal server. There are 3 sub-nodes for
currently active sessions, past sessions and erroneous sessions. “Clean Up
Session Data” in the Information node will clear any data stored about
past sessions.
Screenshot 70: Accessing
Sessions and Reporting
Active:
The session log shows the username,
connection applied, thin client name & IP address, terminal server connected
to, and start and end of session (if terminated). If you want to terminate any
open sessions, select the sessions to be terminated and click on
“Terminate Sessions”. 2X ThinClientServer will close the selected,
open sessions. Once a session is terminated, the user(s) will be logged out and
redirected to the 2X ThinClientOS login screen. “Client Details”
will show you information about the thin client.
Archived:
The session log shows the details of
previously-terminated sessions. “Client Details” will show you
information about the thin client.
Erroneous:
The session log shows the details of
previously-terminated sessions that generated an error. “Client
Details” will show you information about the thin client.
Reporting
You can use this facility to view graphical usage reports
by username or by thin
client
, specifying the time
ranges you would like to examine.
Screenshot 71: User
Reports
Support
The highest node which is the
“ThinClientServer” node shows a link to documentation and support
relative to the day-to-day usage of 2X
ThinClientServer.
Screenshot 72: Support
Link
Download
Server Debug: This button will allow
the user to manipulate options for debugging and logging of session events for
2X ThinClientServer and 2X ThinClientOS for subsequent submission to the 2X
Support Centre for effective resolution of support issues.
Send
the resulting zip file as an attachment to the support ticket via the link
provided in the Management Console.
Manual:
The default installation of 2X
ThinClientServer will include the user manual (this document) in PDF version for
reference. Please note that you will require a PDF reader to view the manual.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is a free application that will allow viewing of PDF
documents, and can be obtained from http://www.adobe.com.
Licensing
This node will allow you to activate 2X ThinClientServer
Enterprise Edition. You should enter the license key that was sent to you via
email. The “Offline
Mode” allows you to activate the product without an internet connection.
The application will create an attachment which you will then need to send to
support for activation.
Screenshot 73: Licensing
Administrators
This
node will allow the user to manage credentials for access to the Management
Console and the parameters assigned to each administrator.
Screenshot
74: Administrators Frame
New
Administrator: Click the “New
Administrator” button to add an Administrator to the list, specifying the
username, password and session timeout duration. Click “OK” to save
the new administrator.
Screenshot 75: New
Administrator Form
Delete
Administrators: Click the “Delete
Administrator” button to delete the selected administrators.
Edit
Administrators: Click an
administrator’s username to display the “Edit Administrator”
form to adjust the parameters assigned to the selected
administrator.
Backup Servers
2X
ThinClientServer can be used to set up a slave server which is used for backup
and redundancy purposes in the event that the master server is down. This will
allow your thin clients to operate with a connection to the backup server until
the master server is restored. Once the master server is restored any changes
that occurred (session logs, etc) will be updated. Note that the management
console is only available on the master server so until the master server is
restored, the settings cannot be changed. When installing 2X ThinClientServer on
the slave server, be sure to select “Join Farm” and enter the
details of the master server. In “Server” > “Backup
Server” of the master server you will see a list with all the slave
servers that are connected.
Screenshot 76: Backup
Servers
Remove Slave:
will remove the selected backup server from the farm. The DHCP Helper on the
backup server will also be disabled. To reconnect the backup server to the farm,
you need to reinstall 2X ThinClientServer on the backup server.
Enable Slave:
will allow the master server to backup its data with the selected slave
server.
Disable Slave:
will no longer allow the master server to backup its data with the selected
slave server.
System Backup
This
node will allow the user to create backup files for disaster recovery
purposes.
Screenshot 77: System Backup dialog
Create
Backup: Click this icon to start the
backup procedure.
Screenshot 78: Backup Progress show in the bottom right
hand corner
Screenshot 79: List of stored backups
Restore
Backup: Select the backup set for
restore and click the “Restore Backup” button. Upon the completion,
the Management Console will resume from the login screen.
Download
Backup: Select the backup set for
download and click the Download icon. The Management Console will now prompt for
a location to save the file. This feature allows the creation of off-site
backups. This file may later be used to restore from off-site backup by clicking
the “Restore From File” button, browsing for the file to restore,
and clicking the “OK” button.
Restore
From File: Upload a backup file which
was previously downloaded from the server to be used to restore the system to an
earlier time.
Delete
Backup: Select the backup set for
deletion and click the Delete icon.
Auditing
Auditing
will log all the changes carried out on 2X ThinClientServer by any
administrator. Amongst the changes that are logged, 2X ThinClientServer can log
any thin clients that are approved or blocked, any new administrators added to
the system and any new 2X ThinClientOS uploaded to the server.
Screenshot 80: Auditing dialog
Clear
Audit Log: To clear the audit log click
on “Clear Audit Log”..
Settings
Screenshot 81: 2X
ThinClientServer settings
Require user
authentication on ThinClientOS: If enabled, users connect to 2X
ThinClientServer with 2X ThinClientOS must login with their credentials to be
able to use their thin client.
SNMP Community
String:
The community
string is used for read-only access to the standard hardware information of the
machine which can be accessed by monitoring services.
Thin
client user manual
Introduction
Connecting and working on a terminal server is
transparent compared to working on a normal PC. However there a few small
differences, which are detailed in this chapter. It makes sense to copy and
paste this chapter into an email and send to users who have been switched to
thin client desktops.
Logging
on to your desktop
Screenshot 82: 2X ThinClientOS booting up
When you switch on your thin client/computer, 2X
ThinClientOS will present you a logon screen. Enter your login name, hit tab and
enter your password. Now hit enter or click OK. A connection will now be
established with the terminal server and your usual desktop will be
loaded!
Screenshot 83: Logging
in
Logging
off the Terminal Server
If you want to shut down your session with the terminal
server, simply log off. You will be returned to the 2X ThinClientOS screen. To
power off the thin client/computer, select “Shut down”.
Accessing
local shares & storage devices
Users are able to use local storage available on their
thin client if the administrator chooses to allow access. Thin clients can be
equipped with CD-ROM drives, USB drives and local hard disks.
In Windows, these appear as a link called “Media on
thinclient” that is available from “My Computer”.
Screenshot 84: Accessing media on the thin client
Screenshot 85: Accessing media on the thin client in a
Citrix environment
It is important that the administrator enables the use of
local storage devices from 2X ThinClientServer. To enable the use of local
storage devices, click on Desktop Components > Remote Desktop >
desktop_name > Redirection and
enable Disk Drive redirection. Note that redirection settings are available for
Remote Desktops and Published Applications.
Screenshot 86 -Remote
Desktop Settings
Printing
to a local printer
Screenshot 87: Printing to a printer connected to the thin
client
If you have a printer connected to the thin client, and
if this printer has been installed and configured via the 2X Management Console,
then the printer will show up in “Printers and Faxes” and you can
print using this local printer.
