[Server-devel] new package: xs-activation

[Douglas Bagnall]

http://dev.laptop.org/git?p=users/dbagnall/xs-activation.git

I've attached the README below.


Douglas


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XS Activation Server
====================

This package allows the school server to activate laptops over the
network, and to import activation keys via USB.

Initially the server will not know any activation keys, so you need to
have a USB stick containing OLPC activation leases before this is much
use.

Activation Server
-----------------

The server listens on port 191 of the 172.18.0.1 interface.  The
laptops, during boot up know to look there.  Each laptop sends its 11
character serial number.  If the server has the activation lease for
that laptop, it sends it in reply.

With XS 0.4, special steps are necessary to get this working properly
(see below).

Importing leases from a USB stick
---------------------------------

The leases should be in a file called 'lease.sig' in the root
directory of the USB stick.  The format and location of this file is
exactly what you would use to activate a laptop directly via USB.

Plug the USB stick into the server and wait a few seconds.  With XS
0.4 the only clue as to the progress of the transfer is written to
/var/log/user.log.  With later systems, if the server beeps when the
USB stick is inserted, it will beep again when the transfer is
complete.

XS 0.4 caveats and special instructions
---------------------------------------

The activation server will not work on XS 0.4 until the network has
been reconfigured slightly.  The steps to take are:

#1. Copy ifcfg-br0:0 (in this directory) to
/etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-br0:0

  mv ifcfg-br0:0 /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/

#2. Restart the bridge.

  ifdown br0; ifup br0

#3. Test it with:

  ping 172.18.16.1

If the ping works, so should the activation server.  To test the
network from a laptop, ping 172.18.0.1.

With 0.4, you will also not hear beeps when the USB transfer starts
and finishes.  The workarounds are to read /var/log/user.log, or to
wait a long time.

Other problems
--------------

Please ask at <server-devel at lists.laptop.org>.