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Localboot Installation USB Drive

TranslationUse pending.the installation USB drive as an alternative installation method for devices that require a local boot or that have limited network connectivity to the openthinclient Management Server.

In all other cases, use PXE installation, as it's simpler and more reliable.

How it works

The localboot installation stick application writes a functional copy of the running ThinClient to the USB drive.

When booting another device from this stick, the system initially starts up identically to the source device. Only during the installation of localboot, the system loads the specific settings for the target device from the openthinclient Management Server and applies them.

Prerequisites

The following conditions must be met to create and use an installation stick:

    Use a bootable USB drive with at least 8 GB of storage capacity. Use a PXE-bootable thin client with the same hardware type and client settings as the target devices. Ensure the target devices have network access (LAN or Wi-Fi) to the openthinclient Management Server. Manually register the target devices in the openthinclient Management Server.

    If the device lacks an Ethernet port, use the MAC address of the Wi-Fi adapter.

    Assign each target device a localboot application — select a different application than the one used to create the installation USB drive.

    Instructions

      Create a localboot installation stick application Assign this application to a PXE-bootable thin client. PXE-boot the thin client. Create the installation USB drive on an external storage device. Boot the target device from the installation USB drive. The installer guide will now launch and guide through the installation Complete the installation — After successful installation:
        Restart the thin client Remove the installation USB drive

        Configuration

        Below, find an overview of the application’s configuration and settings options.

        General Settings

        Setting
        Value
        Explanation
        Autostart

        Yes

        No

        Whether the localboot configuration should start automatically when the thin client boots up.

        Hide icon

        Yes

        Hide on desktop

        Disable

        Yes:

        Hide the application icon.

        Hide on desktop:

        Remove the icon from the desktop; it'll appear only in the menu and Run dialog.

        Show the application icon.

        Show the application icon

        Custom icon File name or absolute path on the ThinClient
        File name of the icon in <Manager-Home>/nfs/root/custom/icons After closing the application

        Do nothing

        Log out user

        Shut down the thin client

        Restart ThinClient

        Specify the action to take when the application closes.

        General settings

        Setting
        Value
        Explanation
        Unattended mode

        Yes

        No

        If this option is selected, the storage medium will be erased without prompting. 

        Hard drive to use

        Select during installation on ThinClient

        sda

        mmcblk0

        mmcblk1

        Manual entry, see next line


        Manual device name Device name

        To query the device name, open a shell on the thin client and enter the command lsblk .

        Use Hybrid MBR

        Yes

        No

        localboot creates a GUID partition table. Some thin clients with older BIOS versions require a hybrid MBR to boot. To address this requirement, create a hybrid MBR.

        Leave this setting unchanged whenever possible, and select Hybrid MBR only when encountering the issue described above.

        Wi-Fi Settings

        Configure settings for PSK or open Wi-Fi connections.

        After booting, the system attempts to connect to all specified Wi-Fi networks until it establishes a connection.

        Note, if a wired connection isn't available, all communication with the openthinclient server takes place via Wi-Fi.

        Wi-Fi Connection 1 - 3
        Setting
        Value
        Explanation
        SSID Name of the Wi-Fi network
        Password Wi-Fi network password

        If a password is specified, attempt a WPA (PSK) connection.

        If the password field's empty, the system attempts to connect to an open Wi-Fi network.

        Band

        Auto

        2.4 GHz

        5 GHz

        Client-side restriction to a specific frequency band, even if the access point offers multiple bands.

        Hidden SSID

        Yes

        No

        Enables connection to a hidden SSID. This uses a direct scan instead of the normal broadcast.

        Use this option only when required, as it slows down the scanning and, consequently, the connection process.

        Additional Options

        Expert settings: Option to add any options at the end of the network block.

        Roaming for Wi-Fi Connection 1 - 3

        Enables transparent switching to another access point with the same SSID if it provides a better connection.

        Setting
        Value
        Explanation
        Signal strength threshold (dBm)

        Enable roaming

        -85 dBm

        to

        -65 dBm

        Threshold at which the system attempts to switch access points.

        As a rule of thumb, -70 dBm or higher is considered good, while a signal strength below -80 dBm Maintain signal strength above this threshold for optimal performance.

        Short interval (s)

        Numerical

        Configure how often to search for better access points when the signal is below the threshold.

        Long interval (s)

        Numeric

        How often to search for alternative access points when the signal is stronger than the threshold.


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