Zentyal Alternatives

ThinStation is a simple, lightweight, and robust thin client operating system that supports many popular connectivity protocols such as Cendio ThinLinc, NoMachine NX, Citrix ICA, tn5250, Microsoft Windows terminal services, telnet, Redhat Spice, and X. Besides these, it also works with SSH and VMS terminals, and you won’t have to configure the application servers for using ThinStation.

The target audience of the solution is a department, schoolroom, company, and office, but it also comes in handy in homes to program a silent PC in the bedroom running Windows XP. ThinStation is Linux-based, but users may not see Linux ever. You can choose to pair with a Microsoft Windows, Unix, or Citrix server, and it makes you feel like you are working directly on the server. It also gives everyone the option to use a local Desktop interface with tools like a local browser and more.

It is important to note that ThinStation only supports an environment running Microsoft Windows and doesn’t require an understanding of Linux or Unix. The solution works perfectly fine on simple computer hardware (64-bit i686 class). Reuse spare computers or maximize productivity on workstation administration. For a workstation, an old Pentium-II with 128 MB RAM or above is sufficient. Also, there is no requirement for a hard disk, and booting can be done via the network or a silent workstation. Support for Workstation devices such as USB/floppy/CD/HD and printers like USB/LPT is provided. You can booth ThinStation from a diskless network or more via a flash-disk/floppy/HD/CD or Etherboot/PXE, and Live CD and prebuilt images can be downloaded.

DRBL, short for “Diskless Remote Boot in Linux is an open-source, simple yet powerful software to help manage the deployment of the GNU/Linux operating systems on all major clients. It takes a lot of time to install GNU/Linux on 10, 40, 30, or more client machines one by one. DRBL creates ease for you by allowing you to configure each and every client’s computer by installing one single server machine. The solution provides a systemless or diskless environment for client machines.

It runs on SuSE, Debian, CentOS, Ubuntu, Fedora, and Red Hat. It leverages distributed hardware resources and gives the ability to clients to access local hardware, and includes a partition named Clonezilla, which works like Norton Ghost or True Image. The features include installation of DRBL on one server, after which all clients will be handled, Save on maintenance, hardware, and budget fees, Coexisting without trouble with other OS.

You can convert a multitude of client PCs into a fully functional GNU/Linux by following the mentioned guidelines, which include Downloading the DRBL package and running the scripts. Once this is done, it will take about 30 minutes to prepare the client machine, after which it is ready to run on GNU/Linux and all linked packages.

LTSP (Linux Terminal Server Project) is developed to assist in netbooting LAN clients from one template installation stored on the LTSP server, chroot, or virtual machine image or the server root. This enables you to take care of tens or hundreds of diskless clients without hassle. It has gone through a rewriting and redesigning process headed by alksig to provide support for attesting technologies such as UEFI, system, Wayland, and updated desktop environments. Development is undergoing for only the new version while the previous version is now known as LTSP5 and gets minimal attention. LTSP is capable of automatically configuring and using many tools like SSH/LDAP/ SSHFS, iPXE, NBD/NFS, ISC-DHCP-server/dnsmasq, mksquashfs, overlayfs and tmps, and tftpd-hpa or dnsmasq.

Linuxmuster.net is a full-fledged software intended for the operation of school IT infrastructure. It is built to meet the needs of schools by service providers and teachers. It is an extension of openML, which is a free school server solution and can be considered as the child of Paed-Linux 5. Any information attained by an institution or network administrator related to paedML5/openML can still be utilized and will be developed further using the knowledge already available.

The project is User-friendly and creates ease by providing a web-based GUI, sample workstation, educational features, intelligent school-specific user management, and other features. All of this contribution to the maintenance and administration of the network. Self-healing workstations are realized with LINBO, allowing the users to reset the installation of workstations to a standard state every few minutes. This enables the users to enjoy freedom and limitless working. Restrictions on technical possibilities are also not enforced. Furthermore, new users can still get access to a system free from errors, removing problems like faulty installations from the equation.

Also, issues caused by Trojans, viruses, and worms are also eliminated. Besides providing a configurable and easy-to-install server, the platform also gives access to a preconfigured Linux workstation installation that can be set up on the workstations within a short time. Linuxmuster.net understands that each school has its own IT needs, which should be taken care of by the used network solution. His is why linuxmaster.net allows the workstations to be run on Windows 10, 8, and 7 and Linux. And, you can easily change from one to another without time wastage. It is under continuous maintenance, which is taken care of by a non-profit association. You can participate in this endeavor by becoming a member of the community.

Nakama is a competitive, social, and real-time game server that enables you to build games with full focus. It provides everything needed to create multiplayer, real-time, and social experiences. The individual concentrates on developing amazing games, while Nakama provides an open-source toolbox to build, deploy, and earn cash from your product. Make stunning gameplay experiences by writing only a couple lines of code. Help players engage with themselves and make them want more by providing competitive functionality.

Create a great social environment and build a long-player fanbase without trouble. The platform provides extensive customization capabilities to enable you to add custom features and form new gameplay rules. The features include Sophisticated in-memory matchmaking, Low latency real-time engine, Use RPC functions to interact with Runtime Framework, Add new characteristics to Nakama by using Go plugins, Lua, JavaScript/TypeScript, allow for the server to server communication, Sign-in via Google, Facebook, and provide the audience with casual and scheduled tournaments.

OneClickKick is a web interface built from the ground up to help you install the desired operating system without hassle. It supports all the major Linux and Microsoft Windows versions. Much of its functionalities are made possible thanks to it being based on the ISC DHCP server and PXE Linux, which are prominent open source projects. It makes it easy to create configuration files for the DHCP server via a simple and non-complex web interface.

It leverages modern databases like DNS, Active Directory, Network Information Service, and LDAP to provide the needed information regarding the concerned computer’s IP and MAC address. The installation of the Operating System is taken care of by booting through the Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) protocol Intel.

The features include DHCP server control, Professional support contracts, Automated TFTP/PXE server, Network segmentation control, and a comprehensive shop to fulfill all your network boot requirements no matter the operating system. OneClickKick supports many different operating systems like Windows, Slackware, Debian, CentOS, Solaris, Red Hat, Fedora, and Linux Mint. Besides these, many network bootable utilities are also supported, including Hard drive wiping, Memory testing utilities, Hard drive partitioning, and Hardware detection diagnose.

DigiOz .NET Portal is a cross-platform CMS System based on ASP.NET MVC that helps you create a new website in no time at all. It is available for Android, Linux, Windows, and Mac. It leverages Microsoft SQL Database to enable webmasters to build and customize their business or personal website. The used technologies include jQuery, ASP.NET MVC 5, HTML 5, and Microsoft SQL Server. It comes packed with many features to help in the creation of a website.

One such feature is an eCommerce Store to help sell products via Authorize.net Integration. Webmasters can track the site visitors and their IPs using the built-in tools. Communication with other users is made possible through the Chat Room. It is bundled with a Video Archive, Forum, Picture, and more. You can add new pages using both code or editor.

JauntePE is a portable app maker available for Windows, providing you with a Graphical User Interface, launcher, and runtime to operate non-portable applications in a portable way. The features include the ability to choose the folders for porting in just a few clicks, a simple and straightforward GUI that helps in creating portable packages of apps, maximum Unicode support along with a portable registry, file system, child app launching, and portable registry, and more. JauntePE is free to use and is released under the BSD, GNU General Public, Public Domain, libpng/zlib license.

openThinClient is an Open Source ThinClient software that is developed for those environments that have to support a variable number of Thin Clients effectively. The underlying components include a robust Java-based management GUI, server component, and a Linux-based operating system. It provides greater flexibility and enables integrators and developers to build powerful Thin Client solutions without payments. The software is released under the GNU General Public License v2 and can be downloaded by anyone without having to pay for it. openThinClient was the idea of levigo group who created it in the 90s using their experience in the industry.

Cult is a handy thin client operating system that delivers a comprehensive solution for virtualized hardware or PCs and thin clients. It is developed by dtmilano and can be used by anyone to fulfill their needs without paying a single buck. You can download the project and then configure it according to your requirements. The project is no longer being supported and is classified as discontinued. Looking back at its description, you can consider it a decent alternative to openThinClient, ThinStation, LTSP, DRBL, JauntePE, Zentyal, and OneClickKick.

P-Apps (Portable Application builder) is a great tool that allows you to build any software as a package, giving end-users the ability to use this package wherever desired without needing to install it. It separates the application from the operating system, leading to many advantages for the end-users. It runs an application compatibility test while a Windows OS is being migrated to validate the behaviors of already available software in the newer version of OS.

Compatibility issues may arise during migration, which you can prevent by packaging the software as portables and thereafter port it to the OS’s latest version. This makes it easy for you to use applications as they would be used in the new windows OS. There is no need to wait for support or upgrade to be released by the vendor.

Since many software doesn’t upgrade themselves to adjust with recent releases, Portable Apps is thus utilized. Another great feature is Guaranteed System Security made possible because of the isolation principles in place, ensuring integrity and security. You can use any application without it damaging your environment.

FOSS-Cloud makes it easy to create your own public or private cloud. It is a cross-platform solution for Linux, Windows and was developed by jeanetteka and bstebler. It is a redundant and integrated server infrastructure that provides virtual server environments, cloud services, terminal servers, and more. You can access the available virtual machines either through the Internet or Internally. All aspects of an Open Source IT environment are covered, making FOSS-Cloud a great Open Source Cloud.

The features include Multi-tenancy, Published Desktop, Application Streaming, VDI Access via Handhelds, Windows, PXE Boot, and Linux, Cloud for Desktop and Server Virtualization, Video Streaming, USB redirection, Dynamic Desktop with Golden image to cater to the needs of user groups, Robust virtualization for Linux and Windows (32/64 bit), Smartcard authentication, Web-based management console, and High-resolution Display.