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Localboot

TranslationThe pending..localboot application allows openthinclient OS and applications to be installed on a local storage medium to speed up booting and reduce network load.

Configuration data (e.g., screen resolution or RDP connection settings) is still loaded over the network from the central openthinclient server. Therefore, maintain a permanent connection to the openthinclient server.

This solution enables thin clients at remote locations with low bandwidth to retain central administration through the openthinclient Manager.

Prerequisites

    Ensure a functioning installation of thin clients that boot from the openthinclient server Local storage media with at least 8 GB of storage space

    Configuration

    Below is 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:

    It'll place the icon 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

    Configure the action that occurs when the application closes.

    General settings

    Setting
    Value
    Explanation
    Unattended mode

    Yes

    No

    If this option is selected, the system erases the storage medium without prompting. 

    Select the 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 .

    Partition scheme for hard drive size

    Automatically detect hard disk size

    32 GB or more

    16 GB or more

    8 GB or more (best practice: use larger capacity)

    Size of the partition scheme to be used.


    Allocate 82% of the selected size to the system partition for the openthinclient OS and files from the Custom folder.

    Allocate the remaining space to the boot partition and Persistent Home.

    To expand the space for the Persistent Home, select a smaller partitioning scheme — it's recommended to allocate sufficient space for the system partition first.

    Use Hybrid MBR

    Yes

    No

    localboot creates a GUID partition table. Some thin clients with older BIOS versions might not boot from it. To work around this issue, create a hybrid MBR.

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

    Settings for updating Localboot clients

    Setting
    Value
    Explanation
    Enable client update

    Yes

    Yes, even when booted over the network

    Select "No updates" to skip updates.

    If enabled, the client checks every 10 min for updates to client packages on the server and installs them automatically as needed.

    Bandwidth limit per second KB/s

    If set to 0 the system uses the maximum available bandwidth. 

    IP settings (cable connection)

    Setting
    Value
    Explanation
    Use DHCP

    Yes

    No


    Static IP
    Setting
    Value
    Explanation
    IP and subnet mask (CIDR format)

    IP and subnet mask

    Network settings when "Use DHCP" is disabled.

    With these settings, a single thin client can be operated with a static IP address. To do this, fill in all fields. Add the application directly to the thin client, not to the hardware type.

    If all fields are specified, the client boots with a network connection; specifying fewer fields lets the client boot without networking, which is useful when configuring Wi-Fi settings below.

    Default gateway

    Gateway IP

    Name server

    IP of the local DNS server

    Hostname

    ThinClient hostname

    Domain ThinClient domain

    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.

    Wi-Fi connections always use DHCP. Wi-Fi can operate alongside a wired connection. Alternatively, configure ThinClients to boot without a (wired) network — disable DHCP for the wired connection and leave the static IP field blank.

    Note, all communication with the openthinclient server occurs via Wi-Fi when a wired connection isn't present. Disable the update if required.

    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 value 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 can lead to significantly improved performance.

    Short interval (s)

    Numeric

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

    Long interval (s)

    Numeric

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

    Install localboot via PXE

    1. Determine the device name of the local storage medium

    The easiest option is "Select during installation on ThinClient." This displays (only) the detected devices on the ThinClient

    To preset the hard drive, open a terminal on the thin client (CTRL+ALT+T) and enter the following command:

    lsblk -apde7

    This is a shorthand for: ` lsblk --all --paths --nodeps --exclude 7` — a list of all block devices with full paths, including only independent devices.

    Identify the desired device in the output.

    NAME     MAJ:MIN RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
/dev/sda   8:0    0    10G  0 disk
/dev/sr0  11:0    1  1024M  0 rom

    2. Run / set up localboot

    2.1 Create a new localboot application. Configure the application and assign it to the desired thin clients.

    2.2 Use PXE boot to start a thin client assigned to the localboot application.

    2.3 The localboot application icon is located on the desktop.

    2.4 After the application starts, the local storage medium is configured and the necessary data is copied.

    3. Change the thin client’s boot settings

    Restart the thin client and open the BIOS/UEFI. Change the boot settings to boot the thin client from the local storage medium.

    To check which boot option was used, access System Information in the menu under System. Alternatively, read the environment variable `$localboot`, e.g., in a terminal window (CTRL+ALT+T):

    $ echo $localboot
true
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