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Getting Started with Edubuntu 8.10, Intrepid Ibex

The latest version of Edubuntu 8.10 provides improved defaults, reducing the number of install steps necessary and will be supported for 18 months on both desktops and servers. To clarify, the parts common to ubuntu, like the desktop and base packages, are supported for 36 months, while the addon-cd is supported for 18 months

For a quick overview about the latest Ubuntu features, take the graphical tour of Ubuntu 8.10:

For a quick overview about the latest Edubuntu features, read the Edubuntu 8.10 release announcement:

Ubuntu 8.10 release notes here:

Welcome

Welcome to the world of Edubuntu. Edubuntu is Ubuntu GNU/Linux customised for schools, containing additional applications for young human beings, administration tools for school management, and a built-in terminal server. Besides the standard software available on the Edubuntu CD, you will also find a world of software in the Edubuntu Universe, an on-line repository containing more than 10GB of community contributed software.

This guide will attempt to explain the basics in setting up a thin client computer lab using Edubuntu. You should also be able to use it for other kinds of setups, as alternative options will be touched briefly as well. We will cover the installation of Edubuntu, and some basic administration.

For more information on free software, please refer to the Free Software Foundation website.

Downloading Edubuntu

If you are reading this, you have already taken the first step towards the world of Edubuntu. Now it's time to take the next step, and obtain the Edubuntu CD image file. This is available from http://releases.ubuntu.com/edubuntu/intrepid/. There you will find filenemas that end with i386.iso, amd64.iso and ppc.iso. The file that contains the i386 CD image is meant for Intel (x86) based machine, use this if you're unsure. Use the PPC CD image if you have an Apple computer, and the AMD64 CD image if you have a 64 bit CPU.

Once you've downloaded this CD image using your favourite download manager, you will need to burn it. Your CD burning software should contain an option to burn an ISO image. Select this option and open this file. For the best reliability, burn the CD at a low speed. We recommend burning the Edubuntu CD at 8x speed.

The 8.04 release brought a restructuring of Edubuntu as the Ubuntu Education Edition. The education desktop and application bundle now installs as an add-on to a standard Ubuntu desktop. All releases prior to 8.04 now follow this format

Installation

If you are installing the LTSP Classroom Server be sure to follow the 8.10 Intrepid Ibex Classroom Server wiki

Once you have downloaded and completed the standard Ubuntu install, they can then use the Ubuntu Education Edition CD to either:

1. install the full Edubuntu education environment and desktop as a single process, or
2. select individual Education applications from the Edubuntu bundle for installation into their Ubuntu desktop environment direct from CD

After the first boot you now can turn the desktop into edubuntu by using the addon CD. If you put in the CD a dialog will pop up asking you if you want to install the extensions. If you agree to that, add-remove applications will pop up, presenting the CD content sorted by category.

After putting in the CD allow to install the extensions ...

... you are asked for your password to get permission to install packages ...

Select the edubuntu desktop category and toggle the checkbox next to the edubuntu-desktop package in the right window.

... pulling packages from the CD ...

... and installing them.

After the install process has finished '''restart your system''' to make all artwork changes take effect.

See also

Please refer to https://help.ubuntu.com/community/ThinClientHowto for documentation about Ubuntu 6.06 LTS. Ubuntu 6.06 LTS is supported until April 2009.

The latest LTS release, Edubuntu 8.04.1, provides additional options for customising the thin client behaviour and is supported until 2011. They are documented in the Edubuntu Handbook, which is available in the Edubuntu System Help menu.

For help with common problems and tasks take a look at http://help.ubuntu.com/community/UbuntuLTSP