Despite interest in moving to a full Linux commitment, sometimes you need to settle for a transitional position and that is where a program like Win4Lin can help a business or school system maintain a Linux base but still use aspects of Microsoft that are needed for special projects.

Noxon Schools is a rural school district in remote northwest Montana with a student body of about 270 students. The school uses 3 Linux Terminal Servers on separate networks to serve 125 Linux Thin Clients. An additional 50 computers run Windows 2000 or XP.

Technical Challenge
Noxon implemented a Web Based Learning Center for students who needed credit recovery and for students desiring to take college classes while in High School. Both organizations that provided the web based curriculum required Internet Explorer 6.0 to take classes. While Linux browsers provided a 85% solution, the use of special scripting and Authorware for courses prohibited the use of Linux browsers.

The arrow points to the Win4Lin icon on the Linux desktop.

The Win4Lin Server Solution
The school created a LTSP server (http://ltsp.org) using Win4Lin Server from Netraverse (http://netraverse.com) to provide a Linux desktop that could run an Internet Explorer 6.0 browser. Windows 98 SE was installed with licenses that were not being used as the school moved other Windows desktops to XP and reduced Windows licenses by moving to Linux. This decision makes sense for a lot of organizations that have a number of Windows licenses that are not being used. Currently, Netraverse is working on a port to Windows 2000. Using regedit.exe the Windows desktops were locked down so that students could only run the browser and a few minor programs. No applications were installed on the Windows desktop except Internet Explorer. This may seem strange but the reality is that this lessened possibilities of virus infection and configuration issues. All of the applications students needed were available in Linux, including OpenOffice, a calculator, and a Mozilla web browser for research.

Windows 98SE running on Suse 9.2.

Accessing Files from Windows and Linux
When you review the directory structure for a user account you begin to understand the well thought out construction of the home directory. Inside the /home/user directory are two important folders. The mydata folder which can be accessed from Linux gives the user a place to store documents, etc. and inside that folder is MyDocuments. The MyDocuments folder corresponds to MyDocuments in Windows and is read-write for both Linux and Windows providing a window between both systems and allowing users to use program like OpenOffice to interface between both programs at the same time. This provides a way for students to create all of their work in Linux, save and then post to their class using the Internet Explorer browser.

Directory Structure
/home/user
/mydata
/MyDocuments
/win

Windows directory, mydata is shared by both Linux and Windows.

mydata contains MyDocuments.

MyDocuments seen from the Linux file system.

The /win directory is the symbolic link folder to the Windows operating system. This folder by default cannot be changed by users and links to a full blown Windows installation. Because it is read only it does provide an avenue of safety against virus activity and spyware.

Creating a Profile
Profile-based provisioning enables an administrator to not only create a user account that is tweaked just right but also allows the administrator to deploy that account and the configuration to as many people as need be, quickly. The beauty of the program is that once you have configured the profile account each user will inherit a read-only copy of Windows and the applications by using symbolic links to the profile account. The use of symbolic links saves space on the system but more importantly it provides an easy way to manipulate all accounts via the profile account.

The process of completing this task is straightforward. Create a user account in Linux and then install Windows on that account with this command:
/usr/bin/wts-install

This will actually go through the process of installing Windows. For the purposes of a Windows browser and tracking problems the VNET network option made the most sense. Using the VNET option means that you must configure an IP Address, IP Mask, DNS and Host for the accounts. Most of this information is delivered to the accounts without repeating the process.

The profile account should be tested completely before you roll it out to other users. Once the Windows account is

Financial Solution
Noxon Schools has always had a strong commitment to technology but with State funding always a question mark the school needed a technology solution that would not only fit the current budget but that would be a long term solution despite a changing economic climate.

The goal of the project was to create an fully functional lab for about $200 a computer which had to factor in the cost of a server, software and a GB switch. A Windows based lab with XP was priced at $1748.30 per computer (includes server, software and switch) while the actual Linux solution cost only $216.30 per workstation. The cost savings was substantial and allowed the district to view the project as a long term solution based on price. In addition, because the solution was such a cost savings, the school went ahead and purchased flat screen monitors for each workstation which brought the workstation price to $545.

Several factors reduced the cost of the project. First, the school had access to 100 computers that were discarded because they would not run Windows any longer from the State of Montana. As a result the school decided to explore the idea of using thin clients for the solution. In fact, thin clients worked very well and were actually faster than the Windows alternative. The hard drives and CDROMS were removed and standard network cards were placed in each one.

A Linux Terminal Server was built and installed with the Win4Lin Terminal Server. One of the greatest aspects of Thin Clients is that configuration only has to be done on the server, thus saving a great deal of maintenance and upgrades. With the Win4Lin Terminal Server a master profile was created which then rolls out to each user as they log in making all the accounts the same so that the administrator only has to update the master profile and the rest receive those updates. In addition the master profile can be backed up for a restore if there are problems. Students are able to save files in Windows or Linux and use a common folder that can be accessed by both on the Win4Lin Terminal Server. This feature is extremely handy as students can actually have separate Linux and Windows desktops running concurrently and saving to the same directory.

As an illustration of how effective the Win4Lin Terminal Server is, both organizations which the school uses for Web Based Learning recommended XP with Office installed. The school was able to get the same results from a Linux setup for a fraction of the cost.

Benefits
Win4Lin Terminal Server provided an option to use Linux in a situation where all the school needed was a browser which saved the school money, thus providing options for long term use because of the cost savings. The Win4Lin Terminal Server provided features like the profile management which saved considerable time setting up accounts.

This image shows the Windows directory and the Linux directory at the same time.

Summary
Win4Lin Terminal Server provided a cost effective way to build a Web Based Learning Center and is now the basis of a project at the school to use Win4Lin to run CDROMs that will not longer run on XP but that the school purchased years ago, again giving the school district leverage in using limited resources.