Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How can I make fullscreen sessions work with the thin client and my FreeNX server?

A: If you use FreeNX 0.5.0 with the NoMachine NX Client 1.5 embedded on our thin client, then a request for a fullscreen session from the NX client is not honoured correctly by the FreeNX server. Possible solutions are: File a bug report and request a fix for FreeNX by emailing the maintainers, patch FreeNX yourself (or consult us to do this), or switch to using NoMachine's own NX server, which doesn't have this problem and is production ready. We can supply NoMachine server licences.

Q: How can I stop the thin client screen going blank after a period of time spent idle?

A: Screen blanking for power saving is implemented in the X server. In the default xorg.conf for the thin client, dpms is enabled with default settings in a line in the "Monitor" section:

Section "Monitor"
        Identifier "My Monitor"
        VendorName "Unknown"
        ModelName "Unknown"
        UseModes  "Durango"
        Option "dpms"
EndSection

The 'Option "dpms"' line is the culprit.

You can turn this off by removing the 'Option "dpms"' line from the section (or by commenting it out by placing a '#' character at the start of the line).

You can edit xorg.conf using the onboard nano editor at a terminal. You need to do this as root (see another Q for details on how to become root):

nano -w /etc/persistent/xorg.conf

The '-w' switches nano out of auto-line-wrapping mode.

If you want to keep dpms, but modify the timeouts, then the relevant settings are:

In the "Monitor" section of xorg.conf reinstate dpms:

Option "dpms"

And in the "ServerLayout" section add:

Option "StandbyTime" "10"
Option "SuspendTime" "20"
Option "OffTime" "30"

with times in minutes to suit your application.

Q: My monitor only works in 640x480 mode, but it's a brand new 19" TFT??

A: The thin client uses DDC to work out the video settings for your monitor, falling back to a basic resolution if this fails. Some monitors fail to implement the DDC protocol correctly and the X server on the thin client can't read the settings from the monitor.

To fix the problem, you will need to tell the thin client the Vertical Refresh rate and Horizontal Sync frequency of your monitor. You can do this by editing the xorg.conf file on the thin client:

Open the xorg.conf file at a terminal using the editor:

foundrylinux$ nano -w /etc/persistent/xorg.conf

Then find the "Monitor" section and add HorizSync and VertRefresh entries to match your monitor (please consult the monitor documentation for this information):

Section "Monitor"
       Identifier "My Monitor"
       VendorName "HannStar"
       ModelName "HannsG"
       HorizSync 79.976kHz
       VertRefresh 75.03Hz 
       UseModes  "Durango"
       Option "dpms"
EndSection

In the example, the VertRefresh and HorizSync entries have been set to match the specifications given in the manual for this HannStar HannsG monitor.

When you have edited

Q: How do I upgrade the WML Linux Thin Client?

A: See instructions on this site.

Q: How do I become the root user?

A1: Press Ctrl-Alt-F1 or Ctrl-Alt-F2 to get to a text console. Login as "root" and use the normal admin password. To get back to your X session, press Ctrl-Alt-F5.

A2: Switch on "remote access via ssh" in the Foundry Linux Setup Manager. Then, at a normal X terminal, type:

ssh root@localhost

And enter the normal admin password.