We use Windows 2000 Advanced Servers and Windows 2000 clients, with a "locked down" policy for the desktops.
Recently I've been looking at using a modified version of Knoppix to load X Windows, then launch RDesktop. This will save on the client side (like a previous poster said - glue the CD Drive shut, or perhaps just take off the front plate and mount it further inside?) You get a cheapy PC and boot off that.
From experience, the higher specified Server you have, the better... maybe even consider having several and using some form of load balancing?
Perhaps you could use IP Tables to load balance (even tentitively like this range of IP Addresses goes to Server A, that range to Server B etc.)
From experience, if you tie down the PC to any great amount, your clients will complain like nothing you'll have ever experienced... but it can be done. We use cascaded terminal server sessions to keep local drives separate from actual network availability, and to prevent external, unapproved activex controls from running on our network. We use Internet Explorer in kiosk mode to keep access to resources restricted to specific machines, and we use group policies to stop the local machines from being able to access 99% of all apps!
I didn't implement most of this (just support it) but it can be done, it can be done well, and it can look good as well. Good Luck!
If you plan to use Linux, I'd strongly advise looking at the K12LTSP project. I've used this in personal projects before, and it gives you a good implementation of the LTSP project on a Fedora Core 1 system.
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We use Windows 2000 Advanced Servers and Windows 2000 clients, with a "locked down" policy for the desktops.
Recently I've been looking at using a modified version of Knoppix to load X Windows, then launch RDesktop. This will save on the client side (like a previous poster said - glue the CD Drive shut, or perhaps just take off the front plate and mount it further inside?) You get a cheapy PC and boot off that.
From experience, the higher specified Server you have, the better... maybe even consider having several and using some form of load balancing?
Perhaps you could use IP Tables to load balance (even tentitively like this range of IP Addresses goes to Server A, that range to Server B etc.)
From experience, if you tie down the PC to any great amount, your clients will complain like nothing you'll have ever experienced... but it can be done. We use cascaded terminal server sessions to keep local drives separate from actual network availability, and to prevent external, unapproved activex controls from running on our network. We use Internet Explorer in kiosk mode to keep access to resources restricted to specific machines, and we use group policies to stop the local machines from being able to access 99% of all apps!
I didn't implement most of this (just support it) but it can be done, it can be done well, and it can look good as well. Good Luck!
If you plan to use Linux, I'd strongly advise looking at the K12LTSP project. I've used this in personal projects before, and it gives you a good implementation of the LTSP project on a Fedora Core 1 system.