skype on diskless machine

  Hello,

I have an appserver (6.1-RELEASE-p10) and many diskless
clients 
connected to it. I'm using the diskless clients as X
terminals (gdm is 
running on the appserver). Any user is able to use any
terminal, because 
they run all applications on the appserver. Here is the
basic problem: 
users need to use skype. I have two options:

#1 Run skype on the diskless machine. Then it can handle
audio I/O 
correctly, but the users cannot save their login names and
passwords. 
(This option is also good because the diskless machine can
"kldload 
linux" while the appserver does not need to, e.g. the
appserver will be 
able to run application in native mode only).
#2 Run skype on the appserver. Then users can save their
skype login 
information but they are not able to make calls. Well, I
could forward 
the audio output to the client using a sound daemon (e.g.
"esd 
-promiscuous -tcp -pubic -port 1500" on the diskless
and "esddsp -v -s 
diskless101:1500 skype_bin") but I could not find out
how to forward 
digital input.  I see no way to forward digital input
through a sound 
daemon, so using a microphone would be impossible.

The question is, how can I solve this problem? Should I use
#1 and tell 
my users that they must not save their skype login names and
passwords? 
Or should I use #2 in combination with a special sound
daemon that is 
able to forward digital input as well? (How?)

Thanks,

   Laszlo

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Hi Laszlo,

On Thursday 30 November 2006 13:15, Laszlo Nagy wrote:
>   Hello,
>
> I have an appserver (6.1-RELEASE-p10) and many diskless
clients
> connected to it. I'm using the diskless clients as X
terminals (gdm is
> running on the appserver). Any user is able to use any
terminal, because
> they run all applications on the appserver. Here is the
basic problem:
> users need to use skype. I have two options:
>
> #1 Run skype on the diskless machine. Then it can
handle audio I/O
> correctly, but the users cannot save their login names
and passwords.
> (This option is also good because the diskless machine
can "kldload
> linux" while the appserver does not need to, e.g.
the appserver will be
> able to run application in native mode only).
> #2 Run skype on the appserver. Then users can save
their skype login
> information but they are not able to make calls. Well,
I could forward
> the audio output to the client using a sound daemon
(e.g. "esd
> -promiscuous -tcp -pubic -port 1500" on the
diskless and "esddsp -v -s
> diskless101:1500 skype_bin") but I could not find
out how to forward
> digital input.  I see no way to forward digital input
through a sound
> daemon, so using a microphone would be impossible.
>
> The question is, how can I solve this problem? Should I
use #1 and tell
> my users that they must not save their skype login
names and passwords?
> Or should I use #2 in combination with a special sound
daemon that is
> able to forward digital input as well? (How?)

Why not just run skype on the diskless PC and have the
user's home directory 
mountend over NFS?
That way you can have both things you want.

--
Daan
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>
> Why not just run skype on the diskless PC and have the
user's home directory 
> mountend over NFS?
> That way you can have both things you want.
>
>   
I thought about this, but the users are never logged into
the diskless 
machine. (They do not even have a home directory there. The
diskless 
machine has a special rc script that executes "X -query

<address_of_appserver>" in an infinite loop, so
users are not able to 
access anything on the diskless machine.)

You are right, it would be possible to do this with NFS, but
first I 
must write a new service for the diskless clients. That
service could be 
asked by the appserver to mount the ~/.Skype directory of
the given user 
into the home directory of the user who happens to run the X
server on 
the diskless machine, and then start skype.

This new service must be called from /etc/Xclients or
~/.xinitrc on the 
appserver. At that time the username and the address of the
diskless 
machine will be known.
I imagine this /etc/Xclients:

<snip>
# Allow the diskless machine to display skype on our screen
xhost +  <address_of_the_actual_diskless_machine_used>
# Ask the diskless machine to mount our .Skype directory and
launch 
sykpe_bin
send_skype_start_request
<address_of_the_actual_diskless_machine_used> 
<username>
# Start the wm
exec gnome-session
</snip>

Well, this is the theory. But I would not like to write a
new service 
program if possible. But yes, this would work. Is this the
only way?

Best,

  Laszlo

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