Re: [PLUG] Meeting Topic Request

[Matthew Rosewarne <mrosewarne@inoutbox.com>]

On Sunday 21 October 2007, Jeremy Kister wrote:
> I'm interested in learning more about multiseat capabilities of linux
> these days.
>
> if anyone would be interested in doing a presentation, i'd be the first
> to sign/show up.  i'd love to consolidate my kids' 7 computers into one
> PC with 7 seats (kvm+sound).
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiseat [old, outdated]
> http://www.linuxtoys.org/multiseat/multiseat.html [logout kernel oops's]

Being a bit more serious, there are a few ways to do this, each with pros and 
cons.

1. Get several PCI video cards, monitors, USB keyboards, USB mice, and USB 
sound cards (if sound is needed).  Modify xorg.conf to run as many sessions 
as you need, each with one video/keyboard/mouse.
	+ Cheap, standard hardware
	+ No additional software needed
	- All seats must be very close together (1-3m)
	- Requires manual configuration

2. Use a special hardware device, like the NComputing products.  These are 
designed for Windows, since UNIX/Linux can run multiple desktops without 
special hardware.  There is a very good chance that these will be problematic 
for Linux, since they require special (usually proprietary) drivers.
	+ Seats may be slightly further apart (5-10m)
	- Limitations on display resolution (probably 1024x768 maximum)
	- Non-existant or poor drivers !
	- Not very well-tested

3.  Use the Linux Terminal Server Project (ltsp.org) software with thin 
clients.  The LTSP has become the preferred choice for running multiple 
desktops on one Linux machine, particularly in schools.  On your desktop 
machine, you can either install the LTSP software (on Debian, ltsp-server) or 
use a pre-configured distro, such as SkoleLinux.  For the clients, you can 
either use old PCs or thin client machines.
	+ Free/Open source software
	+ Probably easiest to set up
	+ Old PCs can be gotten from an e-recycling center
	+ Thin clients are small, power efficient, and inexpensive
	+ Clients don't have to be close to each other
	- Network-intensive

Hopefully that info should help you figure out what fits your situation best.

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