[ale] Help needed for a Non-Profit project - if not Linux thenwill go Windows

Sat Apr 5 19:00:33 EST 2003

There is a KIOSK howto.  http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/Kiosk-HOWTO.html

I did this on a series of PII 233 MHz laptops w/32 & 48 MB of RAM using
Redhat 7.2.  I had 2 GB harddrives, so had more room to work, but think
it should be possible to strip down a RH7.2/7.3 installer to do the bare
minimums.

The boot-to-browser is trivial, once  you've configured X...and the
RH7.2 installer seems pretty good at configuring X.

What I did to make the "Kiosk" effect was to setup the box to boot to
run-level 3, have "auto-login" login as a standard user (testuser) and
had their .Xclients file launch Netscape in full screen mode (probably
want to use Mozilla, now).  Here is my /etc/sysconfig/autologin file:

USER=tester
EXEC=/home/tester/.Xclients
AUTOLOGIN=YES

If the person killed Netscape, it killed the session, and automatically
restarts.  To avoid switching to another console, disable Alt-F2 and up
in /etc/inittab.

# Run gettys in standard runlevels
1:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty1
#2:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty2
#3:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty3
#4:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty4
#5:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty5
#6:2345:respawn:/sbin/mingetty tty6

To avoid rebooting the box, reconfigure the Control-Alt-Delete trap to
do something other than reboot. (again in /etc/inittab).

# Trap CTRL-ALT-DELETE
ca::ctrlaltdel:/sbin/echo "Ctl-Alt-Del doesn't work here." > /dev/null

Once you have successfully completed a bare-bones custom install on one
machine, copy the 'anaconda-ks.cfg' file, and use it to automate the
other installs via Kickstart.  If you configure X-windows during
installation, that info will be in the anaconda-ks.cfg file.  If you
setup the filesystem in a special way, that info will be in there, but
commented out.  Remove the comments to auto-magically partition the
drive.

As part of the Kickstart installation, you can specify a series of
commands to run b/f the box reboots.  Here is where you can setup the
auto-login download and installation (if you have a network connection
available) and configuration of the /~/.Xclients file.  

Hope this helps. If you need more info, ask away, but I cannot promise
much.  I have two major projects going on right now, too.

Jonathan Glass

On Sat, 2003-04-05 at 17:50, Greg wrote:
>  I am helping out at a non-profit called Free Bytes
> (http://www.freebytes.org) that is providing support to the Atlanta Food
> Bank for an initial order of 30 computers - out of a possible future order
> of several hundred.  We are looking for an OS that can be installed on
> machines that will immediately dial up via modem to an ISP, have a web
> browser come up so folks can use a web based form for ordering food
> shipments, and the box must be configured so that it will not allow the user
> to get to a command line or otherwise play with the machine.  A working
> model must be done by this week and not only is there a time crunch, but
> since the first distro we went with (a Slackware derived version) failed
> miserably (only 1 successful install out of 4 machines and even then the
> modem is almost unconfigurable). We need a solid victory or Windows 98 will
> be installed on all machines (it is an all or nothing project - only 1 OS
> will be selected).  MS Windows is our back-up if a Open Source solution
> cannot be found.
> 
> Here are the HW requirements:
> 	RAM:	64 MG (sorry, we have little ram and the machines have varying slots)
> 	HD:	1 GB is the lowest size, we can put other hard drives in the PCs (all
> less than 1 GB, though)
> 	CPU:	Pentium 133 MHz
> 	Modem:	We need an easily customizable interface so we can easily customize
> it.
> 
> Here are the SW requirements
> 	Boot to a browser after the X windows comes up.
> 	GUI (for a browser and for a button to push that will do a shutdown/halt)
> Need to have good looking fonts on browser.
> 	A button to push that will do a shutdown/halt
> 	Can meet the HW requirements.
> 	Easily installable.  I understand that given enough time any one can figure
> out how to make a modem work, but we don't have the time or the folks who
> have a high level knowledge of a *nix to configure the modems to work.  Our
> installers have primarily Windows experience and work primarily on Saturdays
> for several hours.  A member of the Free Bytes staff will go out to the
> field to deliver, configure, and do a field test of the PC's as well as
> teach the end users and supervise the initial install and test.
> 
> 	Time Line:
> 	If I cannot find a easily configurable distro by Sunday night and no one
> steps up with a viable alternative/solution, then I will have to call the
> project manager at Free Bytes and tell them to go ahead with Windows 98.  We
> would like to do a demo this week to the customer with a Linux box and show
> how easy it is (think kiosk). If I can get a workable solution by Sunday
> night I will call and tell the Free Bytes project manager we can use Linux -
> with a demo box to follow by mid week.
> 
> 	Current Problems:
> 	* HD size: most modern Linux distro's are horribly bloated and we don't
> have the time to take out every single thing as well as the fact that the
> minimum for most distro's is about 1.7 GB anyway.
> 
> 	* Needs to be easily installable.  We may have to do several hundred of
> these boxen.
> 
> 	* Time.  We bet on a solution that has not worked out and does not have an
> easy way to automatically crank up the modem and easily configure the modem
> so we lost valuable time already.  A solution needs to be done ASAP - (in 2
> days) and a working model by this Wed (so I can have a working box in the
> project manager's hands by mid week).
> 
> 	What I need help with:
> 	Suggestions on a good distro. I intend to try several of my old ones this
> weekend.  The modern ones (RH and Suse bombed)
> 	An already scripted distro that can be installed that will provide a kiosk
> or even just simple window manager, browser and a method to easily configure
> the modem.
> 	Suggestions on good modem cards and/or external modems that work well with
> Linux.  I know about the Linux hardware compatibility list but I want real
> world advice.
> 	Any suggestions on how to EASILY configure modems. ( I only have experience
> with TCP/IP and Linux).
> 	Any help to come by next Saturday to put some boxes out the door - unless I
> have to recommend a Windows solution.
> 	Either Linux or a BSD solution is ok.  I know it can be done, I just don't
> have the time now (already spending 12 hrs at work daily) to do it and test
> it myself and Free Bytes needs it soon too.
> 
> 	What I don't need help with:
> 	Any politically motivated flames.  I don't have the time nor the mind.  The
> customer wants a simple computer solution and has already seen a Windows box
> and considers it the standard to beat. We need to have a solution that is
> realistic and will work.  The customer doesn't care about the how - just the
> what.  I will not hesitate to recommend a MS solution to help them feed
> people.
> 	I am sorry, but the hardware and other requirements are not negotiable.  I
> really wish we had modern boxes with already installed <distro here> that
> automagically just needed the phone # to work, but that is not the reality.
> What is in the requirements is all we have to work with (unless some one
> donates several hundred bigger/better/faster/newer computer's in the next 4
> days).
> 
> 	So, can any one help ?  in any way ? even advice on modems is needed.  It
> would be nice if several dozen or even a few were to come by next Saturday
> to help with installs too, but right now I need to get a demo working within
> the requirements. If it passes muster, then we will worry about the initial
> order of 30.
> 
> 	If you want to help, then please email me at runman at speedfactory.net  If
> anyone wants to seriously help take on this project AND CAN REALLY REALLY
> DONATE THE TIME then just ask and we can talk on the phone to night - but at
> any rate I need to give the project manager the word not later than Sunday
> night.
> 
> 	TIA,
> 
> 	Greg Canter
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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