Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 21:37:21 -0400 (EDT) From: CyberPeasant <djv@bedford.net> To: nate@MNSi.Net (Nathan Vidican) Cc: freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Terminals...and FreeBSD Message-ID: <199805210137.VAA00620@lucy.bedford.net> In-Reply-To: <3.0.5.32.19960320164935.00796470@in.mnsi.net> from Nathan Vidican at "Mar 20, 96 04:49:35 pm"
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Nathan Vidican wrote: > Dear FreeBSD, > > I am looking to setup a network of Terminals, I'd like to use FreeBSD. I'd > like to setup something with enough graphics capability to run X-Windows, > (if possible). I am thinking of the Wyse WY-325ES, > (http://www.wyse.com/terminals/specs/325spec.html), the terminal is a > colour terminal, capable of running on Xenix, Unix, Multiuser-DOS, PICK, > and others that were not listed. What I'd like to know, is does it work > with FreeBSD...before I spend money on the machine. Apparently they do not > know, but assumed you would, (go figure eh?). Anyhow, if anyone who reads > this knows of a terminal system, (preferably fraphics capable, and also > preferably network-interface rather than serial), please send > corrospondance to nate@mnsi.net . Better yet, if anyone actually knows of a > system of terminals currently running somewhere with FreeBSD, could I get a > contact name? > Check the prices before committing. X-terminals are essentially diskless unix boxes. The WY-325 isn't an X-terminal, either. Setting it up for use on BSD is like setting up a VT320 or whatever serial terminal. X is radically different from any serial protocol. "Graphics" in a terminal spec means a lot of things. X-terminals describe themselves as "X-terminals". I'm not aware that X-terminals are still in production. They were a sort of stop-gap measure from the days of $250/MB memory and $10/MB disk drives, and $500 ethernet cards. (A new VT-220 serial terminal sold for $1500, X-terminals in the US$2-4000 range, IIRC). Again, compare the price against a generic low-end PC with a nice monitor. This PC hardware solution (often diskless) is cheaper than any X-terminal ever was. Configuration: Pentium I or so, "nice" graphics card, 17" monitor, TP ethernet with netbooting BIOS on the NIC, 32MB memory, no disk. (don't even need a disk /controller/, if the mobo BIOS is bright enough to let the NIC netboot). Actually, a high-end 486 with 16MB makes a pretty nice X-terminal -- remember, all it has to do is draw the screen, read the keyboard and rodent, and talk to the ethernet. Spend your money on the monitor. A central file server (big unix machine) then NFS-exports the entire filesystem to the diskless PC acting as an X-terminal. "The entire filesystem" is pretty minimal, BTW. Nearly everything (window manager, apps, etc) run on the central server.) Reading: man bootpd man xdm The isc-dhcp and isc-dhcp2 ports/packages cover the DHCP protocol, a new and improved method of netbooting that replaces/supplements the stuff in bootpd. See the docs in those ports for more info; I don't netboot, so don't have them installed. Dave -- Unix System 7: an improvement on all versions, previous and subsequent. To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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