criggie.org.nz

WORK IN PROGRESS

This file is to explain the method I used to get a NCD Thinstar 300 working.

NCD Documentation

NEW ThinStar 200 Glossy PDF
ThinPATH Manager Release Notes PDF
ThinPATH Operating Software release notes PDF
ThinPATH Software Installation Guide PDF
Thinstar 300 Install Guide PDF
Thinstar 300 System Administrators Guide PDF
Thinstar 300 Users Guide PDF
Recovering a corrupted thinstar via TFTP PDF
Thinstar Operating System Windows EXE - faster link below. To request a ThinPATH Manager evaluation key, contact Customer Care Center at comcenter@ncd.com

Links

www.ncd.com
Thinstar Operating System faster. To request a ThinPATH Manager evaluation key, contact Customer Care Center at comcenter@ncd.com
Thinstar 200 HOWTO

Pictures

Booting Up
Logging in to a Win 2000 Terminal Server via RDP
Rear of unit
Insides of unit

You need the following items:

1. NCD Xterminal.
   • Thinstar 300
2. Either a Unix server running
   • DHCP server (optional)
   • XDM server (optional)
   • X client software you want to run.
3. OR a Windows Terminal Server
4. OR a Citrix Server

Eeprom Config

The unit needs to know what sort of monitor you have plugged in, and what capabilities the Xserver should use. To do this, boot the Thinstar and press F2 after it has finished booting.

Random Notes

Here's a list of random stuff:

• Press F2 to bring up the setup window.
• Applications like xearth and electricsheep can use over two megabytes of X's memory, whereas intensive applications like Openoffice and Opera and Konqueror only use a couple hundred kilobytes.
• More ram can be added by inserting 168 pin SDRAM dimms. All the thinstars had one 16 Mb dimm, and can take up to two dimms. Various sources give the maximum as 32 Mb, 64 Mb, and 256 Mb. This memory is not the same as application memory, which is in the remote server. Rather this memory lets you run graphics-intensive applications, and possibly several connections to different machines.
• On the rear there is a parallel port, and the box runs a LPD. This could mean that you can plug in any old parallel only printer, and print to it over your lan (like a jetdirect.)
• Here's a portscan of my Thinstar

  socks:~# nmap -O librarytsac Starting nmap V. 3.10ALPHA4 ( www.insecure.org/nmap/ ) Interesting ports on librarytsac.avonside.school.nz (192.168.12.4): (The 1600 ports scanned but not shown below are in state: closed) Port State Service 80/tcp open http 139/tcp open netbios-ssn 515/tcp open printer 5998/tcp open ncd-diag 5999/tcp open ncd-conf Remote operating system guess: Windows NT4 or 95/98/98SE Nmap run completed -- 1 IP address (1 host up) scanned in 2.771 seconds

• Audio is supported by the Thinstar series. There is a built-in microphone socket and a speaker, but its crap - about the quality of a large modem speaker. If you want to use audio - get some external speakers.

Key-presses

While Booting...

• Shift-F5 Setting Thinstar back to default - Hold shift-F5 while the blue bar is on the screen which will throw you into admin mode and then type fd. Reboot and you are able to enter setup with F2. A full list of command is http://www.bytebrothers.net/ThinSTAR.htm or my local copy
• Shift-F11 Forces recovery of FLASH memory - requires network connection and a NCD manager server on the network.
• F5 Safe mode - press F5 on the blue boot bar to use VGA standard mode.
• No ethernet attached You can boot with no ethernet network cable attached. This will show the configuration screen.

  While Running...

• F2 Setup - Press F2 at the Connections window, or leave the network cable unplugged while booting.
• Control-Alt-End gets you back to the connection manager to start another one.
• Control-Alt-Up/Down should move from one session to the next.

Contributors...

Glen Cogle, Bankprint
Sam "Plaz" Cannell, for the quote

Please mail corrections to C. Falconer

End-of-file

This file last modified Saturday January 27, 2007

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