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<H2><A NAME="s4">4. Setting up the Server side</A></H2>
<P>You found all the software you needed. Now let's install them.
<H2><A NAME="ss4.1">4.1 IBM Netstations using the AIX binaries.</A>
</H2>
<P>Before making the tarball on the aix machine, make sure you run
/usr/netstation/bin/agree in order to make the kernel in a usable format.
Probably you will have to do the same thing with the tarball you get from
the IBM website. So finding the kernel separatly might be another
solution.
Find a drive with about 25Mb of free diskspace, I use /usr/netstation/,
and unpack the tarbal either from the IBM website or from an AIX machine.
There is no need in using the approx 60Mb from /usr/netstation/doc on
the disk if you don't have enough diskspace.
<H2><A NAME="ss4.2">4.2 Not using the AIX binaries.</A>
</H2>
<P>This section has been contributed by Ken Collins and still have to be
crosschecked by me.
<P>
<P>
<UL>
<LI> Download nsmsetup.exe from
<A HREF="ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/network_station/nsmsetup.exe">ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/network_station/nsmsetup.exe</A> </LI>
<LI> I don't have NT set up, so I moved it over into a Win98 partition
and tried executing nsmsetup.exe. It extracted properly, then choked
on the install and removed all the install files. Then I tried opening
it with WinZip, and that worked. I just extracted everything into my
Windows partition under the directory C:/netstation.
</LI>
<LI> I then copied everything from C:/netstation/prodbase to my linux
box. I set everything up in /usr/netstation, which I think was a
mistake. I ran strings on parts of the package, and it looks like
/netstation/prodbase is compiled into various programs. I'm going to
try it again with installing in /netstation/prodbase
</LI>
<LI> Booting the kernel worked fine. I'm not sure how much of the rest
of it worked, since I've never seen a working netstation. I'm getting
a lot of error messages, but an X server comes up, and I'm able to
telnet and start Mwm. I was able to set up xdm and log into my Linux
server, until I botched something. Now I get an IBM login screen that
doesn't allow me to log in.</LI>
</UL>
<P>Some readers have helped out here. What you need to do is create a file
new file that will be included in your standard.nsm or modify that file.
<P>e.g.
<P>You can create a file called local.nsm with the following contents
(10.1.89.33 is your Linux Box)
<PRE>
set exec-startup-commands = { {"login 10.1.89.33"} }
set xserver-access-control-enabled = false
set tcpip-name-server-protocol = dns
set tcpip-name-servers = {{ 10.1.89.33 } }
</PRE>
and you add
<PRE>
read local.nsm
</PRE>
to standard.nsm.
<P>An alternative is to change
a single line in
/netstation/prodbase/configs/required.nsm from
{ actlogin }
to
{ login }
to get an xdm chooser or
{ login xx.xx.xx.xx }
to do a direct xdm query to your linux box. There's a
third way but we haven't got confirmation on this.
<P>{ actlogin -authserv xx.xx.xx.xx }
<P>
<P>
<P>Philip Tait wrote to tell us this :
"From the directory tree extracted from nsmsetup.exe using WinZIP
classic, copy the entire tree under "Prodbase" to /netstation. Export
/netstation, and proceed as for the following sections.
<P>Bram Piket wrote in with even a better version.
<P>After downloading the nsmsetup.exe file you should run this file.
There will be a probe to install the NetworkStation under this win-system.
That does not succeed (in my case?).
Don't click the last error-window away. Then there is left a tempory
NetStation-directory: "Ixp000.tmp".
Copy the subdirectories to the linux-dir "/netstation".
Rename "x11" to "X11", "en_us" to "EN_US".
Then edit the file
"/netstation/prodbase/configs/required.nsm" to reflect
<PRE>
set exec startup-commands=(
( mcuis )
( login vvv.xxx.yyy.zzz )
)
</PRE>
where vvv.xxx.yyy.zzz is the LINUX-server address.
<P>
<P>
<H2><A NAME="ss4.3">4.3 The Netvista Linuxversions</A>
</H2>
<P>Download the NetVistaLTC.tar.gz file from the IBM web pages., untar the
file and run rh_install.sh (we are going for the RedHat distribution here)
<P>(ftp://ftp.software.ibm.com/pc/pccbbs/network_station/netvistaltc.tar.gz)
<PRE>
Welcome to the IBM NetVista Thin Client RedHat Linux Installer
After the installation has finished, the install log files will be located
in ./tmp.
If there are problems, please look at the following files.
install.log - messages from the IBM install
rpm.log - messages generated during install of the rpm's
rpm.err - errors from the rpm install (most of these can
be ignored)
Please select Installation type:
1. Local CDROM
2. NFS
Enter Selection: 1
Mount Point for CDROM [/mnt/cdrom] ?
1) Caldera Open Linux 3) SuSe Linux 5) Other
2) RedHat Linux 4) TurboLinux
Which Linux distribution are you running on this server? 2
Client Installation Directory [/nstation/linux] ? /opt/NetVista
Client Installation Directory does not exist. Create /opt/NetVista? y
Client Machine Specific Directory [/nstation/machines] ? /opt/NetVista/machines
Client Machine Specific Directory does not exist. Create /opt/NetVista/machines? y
Machine specific directories based on MAC address or IP address [ MAC ] (IP/MAC) ?
1) Thin clients authenticate to server (DEFAULT)
2) No authentication to server
Select the mode you want for server booted clients? 2
Please insert the RedHat 6.2 CD
Press <ENTER> To Continue
Installation of Server Boot RedHat 6.2 Linux client for IBM NetVista thin
clientCurrent selections:
Server IP address: 192.168.10.61
Client boot directory: /opt/NetVista
Client SPECIFIC directory: /opt/NetVista/Machines
Client SPECIFIC directory type: MAC
Do you wish to continue, restart, or exit installation? (c/r/e) c
When it completes with 100% install it will show you a screen like this
Create /opt/NetVista/etc/fstab file
Modify /opt/NetVista/etc/inittab to call rc.sysinit.IBM_NS.sboot
Rename services not needed for IBM NetVista Thin Clients
Add new Common Files
Add RedHat 6.2 Specific Files
Link files to RAM disk
Backup var directory
Setup Xserver files - XF86_SVGA and XF86Config
Added /opt/NetVista to /etc/exports
Added /opt/NetVista/Machines to /etc/exports
Stripping binaries
Client Directory Setup complete
Installation is Complete
Starting NFS services: [ OK ]
Starting NFS quotas: [ OK ]
Starting NFS mountd: [ OK ]
Starting NFS daemon: [ OK ]
INSTALLATION IS COMPLETE !!!
</PRE>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<P>
<H3>Upgrade for the IBM Network station Boot Monitor.</H3>
<P>You can download the most recent bflash images from
http://service.boulder.ibm.com/dl/nc/priv/netsta-rd_linux
Just point the device to boot from the bflash images you downloaded and
your firmware will upgrade itselve !.
<H2><A NAME="ss4.4">4.4 The Linux Part</A>
</H2>
<P>
<P>
<H3>Setting up the nfs server</H3>
<P>Edit your /etc/exports,
add the line
<PRE>
/usr/netstation 10.0.0.50(rw)
</PRE>
Where 10.0.0.50 is the IP address you want to give to the NC.
Restart your nfs deamon.
<P>
<P>
<PRE>
[root@velvet sdog]# ps auxf |grep rpc
sdog 4145 0.0 5.8 828 384 p1 S 03:55 0:00 \_ grep rpc
root 3120 0.0 5.7 944 380 ? S Feb 27 0:00 rpc.mountd
root 3129 0.0 1.5 880 100 ? S Feb 27 0:10 rpc.nfsd
[root@velvet sdog]# kill -9 3120 3129 ; /usr/sbin/rpc.mountd ; /usr/sbin/rpc.nfsd
</PRE>
<P>or on a RedHat-like system easier (5.X)
<P>
<P>
<PRE>
[root@velvet init.d]# pwd
/etc/rc.d/init.d
[root@velvet init.d]# ./nfs restart
Restarting NFS services: rpc.nfsd rpc.mountd done.
[root@velvet init.d]#
</PRE>
<P>Your NC should now be able to mount the /usr/netsation by NFS.
<P>Bascially if you don`t need X-Windows this is as far as it gets. You can
easily telnet from your NC with nothing more installed. However the beauty
of this thing is it`s X capability.
<H3>Setting up the X server</H3>
<P>Next we have to set up the X server. Basically I didn't need to set up
anything, all of my machines that ran X-Windows were configured to accept
connections. I just started up the NC for the first time and it showed me
all the machines that ran an XDM (cfr running an X -indirect). So any
machine that can run xdm can be used as X Server. Just make sure XDM is
So any machine that can run xdm can be used as X Server. Just make sure
XDM is started.
<P>
<P>
<H2><A NAME="ss4.5">4.5 Setting up Automatic Client configuration</A>
</H2>
<P>This part has been contributed by
<A HREF="mailto:jjhill@comdisco.com">Josef Hill</A><P>what I'm including
is the line for using the NS1000 with no configuration done on the box.
(defaults.. everything is left blank)
<P>
<P>inetd.conf:
<PRE>
tftp dgram udp wait nobody /usr/sbin/tcpd in.tftpd /QIBM
</PRE>
<P>then create a directory /QIBM/ProdData/NetworkStation/
<P>and copy the contents of the prodbase directory in the winzip sfx nsmsetup.exe
which you can download from
http://techsupport.services.ibm.com/dl/nc/priv/netsta-rd_nsm (you may need to
create an account to access this.. it's free and requires no real information.)
note that this download is 90some MB
<P>At this point, if you've done the 3 requisite steps, your netstation will boot.
<UL>
<LI> set up DHCP</LI>
<LI> enable TFTP to the QIBM directory</LI>
<LI> copy the contents of the prodbase directory to the proper path</LI>
</UL>
Note: It will probably help an awful lot if you have xdm set up (speciffically
for xdmcp sessions).
<P>
<P>If you use this approach you can obviously skip the next part ! ;-)
<P>
<P>
<P> Everything on the server side should be setup now.
Lets try the NC side.
<P>
<P>
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