A
Central Configuration: Automating
Configurations
This appendix describes how to set up your environment to provide your thin clients running Wyse Enhanced Ubuntu Linux with automatic configurations in three simple steps.
It includes:
•
"How INI Files are Employed"
•
"How to Set Up Automatic Configuration"
Tip
Wyse thin clients do not require device management software. They are configured to obtain their IP address, as well as the location of configuration instructions, from a DHCP server. However, you can use Wyse Device
Manager (WDM) for a more hands-on management of your thin clients. For information about configuring your thin clients to communicate with a WDM
server, see "WDM" and related INI parameters in Reference Guide: Wyse
®
Enhanced Ubuntu™ Linux INI Files.
How INI Files are Employed
INI files (created and maintained by the administrator) determine how the thin client is configured. The thin client accesses INI files from the server during the initialization process. Typically, INI files are accessed through FTP, HTTP, and HTTPS; if no protocol is specified, the default is anonymous FTP.
INI files are employed as follows:
• wlx.ini - This is the global INI file. One wlx.ini file is available to all users. It contains global parameters for all thin clients accessing the server. If the operating system cannot find wlx.ini, it defaults to wnos.ini.
• {username}.ini - This file is unique to each user. The {username}.ini file contains the connection profile for each user. Parameters in the user profile generally supersede the identically named global parameters.
• $MAC.ini - This file can be used for device-specific configuration. If the thin client locates this INI file (it is stored in the same directory as wlx.ini), wlx.ini is not accessed, unless you use the include=wlx.ini parameter.
When a thin client is initialized, it accesses the global wlx.ini file. When a user logs in, the thin client accesses the user’s unique {username}.ini file. For detailed information on constructing and using Wyse Enhanced Ubuntu Linux INI files, refer to Reference Guide:
Wyse
®
Enhanced Ubuntu™ Linux INI Files.
Tip
If both PNLite and a user profile are being used, the username must be defined in the Windows domain to be used, and the password must be the same for the domain and the profile.
54
Appendix A
How to Set Up Automatic Configuration
For a Wyse thin client running Wyse Enhanced Ubuntu Linux to successfully access INI files and configure itself from a server, you must set up the server with the correct folder structure (where the INI files and other files are located), direct the thin client to the server, and then reboot or start the thin client.
After DHCP and servers are configured and available, the thin client checks (at each boot up) to see whether or not any configuration changes are available on a predefined server
(DCHP Option #161 specifies the server URL, DCHP Option #162 specifies the root path to the server). If configuration changes are available, the changes are automatically installed.
Step 1: Prepare the Root Directory and Folder Structure on the Server
Set up the following folder structure on your server under the C:/inetpub/ftproot folder (for
FTP) or C:/inetpub/wwwroot folder (for HTTP or HTTPS) and place your INI files and other necessary files inside the structure as noted (this list describes the folder structure, starting with the root directory).
/wyse/ The root directory. It stores the wlx folder and the addons folder.
/wyse/wlx The main INI configuration folder. It stores the following:
• wlx.ini file or $MAC.ini file
• bitmap folder
• certs folder
• ini folder
/wyse/wlx/bitmap
/wyse/wlx/certs
/wyse/wlx/ini
/wyse/addons
The folder where you can place custom images you plan to use.
The folder where you can place the CA certificates that can be imported to a thin client.
Note: Use the Certs and ImportCerts INI parameters in the wlx.ini file to import the certificates to thin clients.
The folder where you can place the {username}.ini files.
The folder where you can place the add-ons you want to use.
It also stores the directory file and the *.deb packages available to be installed on the thin client. The directory file should list all available add-ons. The directory file is required in the addons folder to guarantee that add-ons are properly located.
NOTE: If you want to do an update with the Preserve changes option enabled, ensure that your addons folder includes a copy of your current add-ons. The system may require two reboots to fully update the add-ons while preserving local changes.
Central Configuration: Automating Configurations
55
Be sure to create/activate the two required MIME Types (.ini and .) under IIS (on a per site basis) to enable downloading. Also be sure your Web server can identify the file types used by Wyse thin clients.
To create/activate the .ini MIME Type:
1. On your IIS server, use the File Types menu to add a New Type.
2. In the File Type dialog box, enter the Associated extension .ini and Content type
(MIME) text/plain.
3. Click OK to apply the settings.
To create/activate the . MIME Type:
1. On your IIS server, use the File Types menu to add a New Type.
2. In the File Type dialog box, enter the Associated extension . and Content type (MIME)
text/plain.
3. Click OK to apply the settings.
For detailed instructions on adding the .ini and . MIME Types, refer to Wyse Knowledge
Base Solution #21581 (go to the Wyse Knowledge Base at http://www.wyse.com/kb and search for 21581).
56
Appendix A
Step 2: Direct the Thin Client to the Server
After you set up the folder structure and populate it with the correct files, you must then direct the thin client to the location of the server by one of the following ways:
•
DHCP (see "Using DHCP")
•
Manual direction (see "Manually Configuring the Server Location")
Tip
Using DHCP is strongly recommended.
Using DHCP
When using DHCP to direct the thin client to the location of the server (recommended), information about the server and root directory is obtained from the following DHCP options:
• 161 - The server.
• 162 - Root path to the server (ftp/http/https).
· If no root path is defined, /wyse is assumed.
· If a root path is defined, the additional path will be appended to the URL supplied by option 161.
• 184 - (Optional) Server username (to server specified in option 161).
• 185 - (Optional) Server password (to server specified in option 161).
Tip
Check-in for configuration changes is done early in the boot process. For that reason, changes in DHCP information may not be propagated to a unit until a full boot is completed. However, you can avoid this by forcing a renewing of the DHCP lease, which makes sure that the unit has the latest file-server location before the next check. Simply, right-click the Network Manager icon, click Enable Networking to disable it, right-click the Wireless
Manager icon, and then click Enable Networking to enable it again (the
DHCP lease is renewed).
Tip
For general instructions on adding DHCP Options #161 and #162, refer to
Wyse Knowledge Base Solution #16132 (go to the Wyse Knowledge Base at http://www.wyse.com/kb and search for 16132).
Use the guidelines shown in Table 3 when creating and adding the DHCP options you
need.
Table 3 DHCP Option Tags
2
3
Option
1
6
Description
Client identifier
Time Offset
Router
Domain Name Server
(DNS)
Notes
Always sent.
Optional.
Optional but recommended. It is not required unless the thin client must interact with servers on a different subnet.
Optional but recommended.
Central Configuration: Automating Configurations
57
Table 3 DHCP Option Tags, Continued
Option
12
15
28
44
51
52
53
54
55
57
58
59
61
161
162
181
182
Description
Host Name/Terminal
Name
Domain Name
Broadcast Address
WINS servers IP
Address
Notes
Optional string. The host name or terminal name to be set.
Optional but recommended. See Option 6.
Optional.
Optional.
Lease Time
Option Overload
Optional but recommended.
Optional.
DHCP Message Type Recommended.
DHCP Server IP
Address
Recommended.
Sent by appliance.
Parameter Request
List
Maximum DHCP
Message Size
Optional (always sent by thin client).
T1 (renew) Time
T2 (rebind) Time
Client identifier
Server (ftp/http/https)
Optional but recommended.
Optional but recommended.
Always sent.
Optional string. If this is an IP address or resolvable hostname, the protocol is assumed to be FTP; however, it may be the leading portion of a URL that specifies another protocol. If using the
URL form, it should not include a trailing slash
(for example, http://server.example.com or ftp://
192.168.0.1).
Root path to the server
(ftp/http/https)
Wyse PN Server
Wyse Admin List
Optional string. The relative directory starting from the root directory must be given. For example, on an FTP server, the full directory may be C:/Inetpub/ftproot/wyse, where wyse is the directory that contains the INI files. In this example, the correct string value for this DHCP option is /wyse.
On a Linux server, an FTP user-based directory might be /home/test/wyse. In this example, if the FTP user is test, then the FTP root path is
/wyse and not the full path (/home/test/wyse).
This value should use URL path notation (start with a forward slash, /, and use a forward slash as folder separators).
Optional string. IP address or FQDN of the
PNLite server.
Optional string. DHCP equivalent of the
DomainList ini file parameter.
58
Appendix A
Table 3 DHCP Option Tags, Continued
Option
184
185
186
Description
Server Username
Server Password
Wyse Device Manager
(WDM)
Notes
Optional string. Username to use when authenticating to the server specified in Option
161.
Optional string. Password to use when authenticating to the server specified in Option
161.
Optional binary IP address or FQDN of the WDM server. This option can specify up to one Wyse
Device Manager server.
Manually Configuring the Server Location
To manually configure the server location (not recommended), open the INI Settings dialog box (click System Settings icon and then click INI Settings), and enter the URL
(for HTTP or HTTPS; FTP URL is allowed for FTP) for the INI server in the INI Server
URL text box. For more information, see "INI Source Settings."
Step 3: Reboot the Thin Client
After you reboot (or start the thin client), the thin client will look in the defined root path for the latest available configuration changes if necessary. Additionally, it will check the
directory file in the addons folder to see if any changes for installed add-ons are defined.
Add-ons that exist in the addons folder but are not listed in the directory file, will be ignored during check-in.
Central Configuration: Automating Configurations
59
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Administrators Guide
Wyse
®
Enhanced Ubuntu Linux
Issue: 022412
Written and published by:
Wyse Technology Inc., February 2012
Created using FrameMaker
® and Acrobat
®
