The process of sanitizing a laptop involves three aspects:
Labdoo provides two laptop sanitation manuals: a Fast Restoration Method and a Step by Step Installation Method.
The Fast Restoration Method is the fastest method to install the operating system and the educational content on a laptop.
The Step by Step Installation Method is very useful if you are new to the project and want to see exactly what a Labdoo prepared laptop contains. This method guides you on how to:
This process requires more time but is recommended if you want to learn and to see exactly what contents are installed, while the Fast Restoration Method performs all these steps automatically.
If you are new to the Labdoo Project, you can follow the Step by Step Installation Method. If you have more experience with the process or need to deal with a large number of laptops, we recommend you to use the Fast Restoration Method. Alternatively if you don't have the time to sanitize your own computer, you can always bring it to your closest hub and have labdooers there sanitize it for you (click on the menu option ‘Hubs’ located at the top of the Labdoo website and then on ‘View’ to go to the list of Labdoo hubs).
If you have problems or want assistance on how to perform the laptop preparation, ask for help on the Labdoo Global Support wall and somebody from the core team will be happy to assist you.
The basic educational software package installed in every Labdoo laptop is called Edubuntu. Edubuntu is a free software platform that includes educational applications covering many areas of science, from pre-school level to high-school level and available in more than 130 languages. You can learn more about Edubuntu directly from https://www.edubuntu.org/. In addition to the Edubuntu platform, laptops can optionally be preloaded with additional educational content such as an offline version of Wikipedia and many other powerful Open Educational Resources (OER) such as Rachel, Xowa, UNESCO content, Khan Academy, etc.
The simple sanitation guide helps you to install the basic Edubuntu platform (preloaded with all the Edubuntu education applications) and allows you to optionally install extra educational packages via some scripts. The advanced sanitation guide uses pre-configured images and it allows you to install all the packages (both the Edubuntu platform plus all the extra education packages) in one shot using the image. The next table summarizes all packages installed by each method:
Content | Step-by-Step Method |
Step-by-Step Method Plus Scripts |
Fast Restore Method |
---|---|---|---|
Lubuntu LTS (Operating System) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Edubuntu Educational Software (base education packages) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Office Suite (Libreoffice) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Wikipedia for schools "wikidoo" (English offline lexicon suitable for children) | No | Yes | Yes |
License-free manuals for Ubuntu, Libreoffice, etc. | No | Yes | Yes |
License-free e-Books | No | Yes | Yes |
XOWA, access to 800+ Offline Wikis in regional languages | No | Yes | Yes |
RACHEL, access to Khan Academy, Edison for Robotics, CK-12 Textbooks, UNESCO's IICBA Electronic Library, Great Books of the World, OLPC Educational Packages, or MIT Scratch, among many others | No | Yes | Yes |
Barrier-free access for blind or hearing impaired user | No | Yes | Yes |
Browser-based English course, Multimedia based following UK Curriculum | No | Yes | Yes |
Offline video tutorials for user | No | Yes | Yes |
Optimized user flow to avoid accidental system changes | No | Yes | Yes |
Preparation for virtual machines (VM VirtualBox) | No | Yes | Yes |
Virus scanner and tool ClamAV | No | Yes | Yes |
Suggested minimum size of disk drive | 20 GB | 40GB min | 40GB min (more Size allows you to load more content) |
Please continue reading this guide to learn the step by step process of sanitizing a laptop by choosing one of the available methods.
Labdoo recommends installing by cloning images with the free installation tool Labtix, developed by Labdoo helpers. As you could see in the video tutorial, there are numerous setting and selection options to adapt Labtix to your requirements. Labtix 1 runs on 32-bit, Labtix 2 on 64-bit (recommended). Labtix is regularly further developed. Please check our FTP server regularly for updates http://ftp.labdoo.org/download/install-disk/Labtix/.
Note for advanced users: Labtix has a persistence mode, i.e. you can make your own changes to Labtix and save them. You act as root user in fact. The password (only needed if you "get stuck" in the terminal when booting ) is "labdoo". But beware - as root you can destroy Labtix or bloat it by too many changes. Labtix fits on a CD when delivered. The tool ISO-snapshot also allows you to create a new ISO-file that takes over possible changes to the system.
Labtix comes with various tools and installation tools https://platform.labdoo.org/en/content/preinstalled-tools-labtix.
Die meisten findet ihr direkt auf dem Desktop. Welches Tool für euch am Besten passt, müsst ihr selber entscheiden:
On the Labtix desktop you will find a Docs folder in which manuals are in PDF format. However, we recommend that you first watch the individual steps and tools as a YouTube video tutorial.
Sometimes you have to select certain settings in the boot menu because of the hardware, e.g. often failsafe mode in netbooks, etc. Otherwise it can happen that Labtix does not start up, gets stuck at terminal level (the desktop does not appear) or the monitor remains dark. Then try the options in Failsafe Mode or Safe Video Mode. This is also explained in the YouTube tutorial mentioned above.
All video-tutorials are on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/LabdooDACH/playlists and on our FTP server http://ftp.labdoo.org/download/Public/videos/for-technicians/.
All Labtix versions can be downloaded from the FTP server
current version: http://ftp.labdoo.org/download/install-disk/
older version (archive): http://ftp.labdoo.org/download/archive/Labtix_former_releases/
Labtix 2 (from 2022)
Since its launch in 2017, Labtix has become the most popular installer and remover tool within the Labdoo project. Labtix Release 1 is based on a 32-bit Antix 17 (2017) kernel. Labtix 2 is based on a 64-bit Antix 21 (2021) kernel.
Don't put Labtix 1.02 too far away as this "old" version works well with "old" hardware. And the new Labtix version 2.01 fits the more modern your donated laptop is, which requires current drivers that are only available in 2.01. However, we recommend using Labtix 2.01 by default as it comes with many improvements and features:
Any image release can be processed with any Labtix release, fully compatible.
Labtix 1 (2017 - 2021)
Based on Antix 17 (2017) you get a complete set of refurbishment and installation tools. Labtix 1 runs on 32-bit and 64-bit CPUs. The drivers included in Labtix 1.02 work best on older hardware (approx. 2008 - 2018, difficult to define exactly, it's best to try it).
for Labtix
If you already have a bootable CD or USB Stick with our Labtix installation environment and Laboo Images for cloning, you can skip this chapter.
Thanks to the Labtix tool (LiveCD), all pre-installed learning content in labdoo systems can be "cloned" quickly and easily to new computers using the so-called images.
These images are available in 4 languages (English, Spanish, German, French). So you can select the language in the target country of the IT donation depending on the language and manually upload further learning contents in further languages.
You need two things for that:
Labtix bootable media: this can be a CD or USB stick, that you use to boot the Laptop you want to have restored, into the Labtix einvironment.
External USB hard drive: to store the cloning images and other learning content from our FTP server (Labdoo also provides an already prepared USB Drive to the volunteers, please contact your local Hub).
Labtix: The Labdoo installation environment
To be able to install older and newer computers with a license-free tool, Labdoo.org has a small solution (live-image) based on the Linux-Version Antix which we have called Labtix (a combination of Labdoo and Antix).
In Labtix you will find everything you need to delete old data on a donated computer or laptop, for fast and automated installation proceses in order to obtain a ready-to-ship computer. Additionally, Labtix provides many tools to diagnose hardware, to analyze and solve problems (CPU/processor, temprerature problems, damaged hard drives, etc.)
You can download the iso file for Labtix from our FTP server
here (MD5SUM).
Once you have downloaded the file, you can create a boot media (CD or USB) from the iso file, which you will use to start and prepare (Sanitation process) donated computers
Creating a bootable USB or CD/DVD from the Labtix ISO
The next thing to do is to convert the ISO file into a bootable CD or USB bootstick (simple copying is not enough!). This often works with file managers of your favorite operating system or with additional tools. For further questions consult the web (search for "cd / USB stick create ISO" and your operating system).
A blank 750 MB CD is sufficient for one CD (DVD is not necessary), USB sticks go from 1 GB (but usually 4 GB is the smallest size you can get). Note for technicians: Labtix has a persistence mode, with which you can save your desired configuration. However, this takes up more space, therefore 4 GB or more is better.
WINDOWS:
- Download and run a program for creating bootable media. For example, Rufus: https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/releases/download/v3.4/rufus-3.4p.exe (link is external) or another alternative https://alternativeto.net/software/rufus/
(link is external)
- Run Rufus, select the USB device, click on the "Select" button and select the labtix.iso file, then click on ''Start''.
LINUX:
you will find many useful tools for Linux in the following link: https://wiki.ubuntuusers.de/Brennprogramme/
(link is external)
But the easiest and fastest way is using dd. Once you know the device path to your USB key (in the example /dev/sdb) run:
dd if=Labtix.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=1M; sync
(see details explained under: https://antixlinux.com/forum-archive/writing-antix-iso-image-on-usb-flas...)
MAC OS:
You can use the following procedure: [https://osxdaily.com/2015/06/05/copy-iso-to-usb-drive-mac-os-x-command ]
(Here we refer to Internet and search engines).
Labdoo-Cloning images method and additional content
For the Fast Restoration method, you need to clone the Labdoo Images. For cloning, you have to download the images first. Images are copies of a complete, pre-installed system (of already sanitized laptops). Linux has a great feature that other operating systems don't have. You can transfer a system from computer A to computer B - and it runs!
You will find these images online in our Labdoo FTP server http://ftp.labdoo.org/download/install-disk/.
You can also download these images from the web browser by selecting the image you want to download, right-click on it, and then select "save link as".
This does not work for folders or for many files! These have to be downloaded individually and of course, this is a lot of work.
Simple methods for downloading multiple files for all common operating systems can be found at https://www.labdoo.org/de/content/zugang-zum-ftp-server
Images are large and the download takes a long time, so If you are familiar with FTP clients, we recommend downloading them directly via FTP (sftp, userlabdoo and password labdoo).
Labdoo Images for Cloning
When deciding what image is best for you, you should consider the following aspects:
The name of an image on the FTP server shows:
imagesThe French and Spanish images occupy 80 GB because they already have the learning content in these languages (Wikis, OER Open Educational ressources,...). The German image is additionally played with German courses, dictionaries in many refugee languages etc..
The English images of 80 Gbs as well, but the larger images (160,250 Gbd) include even more learning contents
Additional learning content
Additional learning content can be added after the installation process if you are not using the autodeploy.sh method that allows you to add additional content during installation. We will come back to this later...
External USB hard disk preparation (1+ TB)
The downloaded images are already unpacked and ready to use. Copy them to an external hard drive or a local server. The USB disk must be formatted to store large files. For example, FAT32 is not possible because FAT32 can only handle files smaller than 4GB. NTFS is the recommended filesystem for an external hard disk.
The automated installation scripts require to be saved to an external hard disk without a parent directory, as they are stored on the FTP server. For further details please refer to the manual http://ftp.labdoo.org/download/install-disk/labdoo%20autodeploy%20and%20...
The Labdoo FTP server allows users to download files and images for Labdoo devices for free. Here are some simple ways to connect to the FTP server. Pick the one that suits you best. For security reasons, Labdoo does not allow unsecured FTP protocol, only the secured SFTP protocol (no ftp, only sftp).
Keep in mind again, that if this all takes too long or is too much work for you, especially for a one-time installation, then give your IT donation into the hands of Labdoo Hubs and helpers!
Note: Labdoo is not responsible for third-party software.
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1. Accessing the server through your browser
Open the URL http://ftp.labdoo.org/download/ in a browser and navigate via the links (Make sure the URL begins with “http://” and not “ftp://). Here you can download all files for free.
To download a file, click on a link with the right button of your mouse, then click "Save target as" (name can be different depending on your browser and opperating system).
This method's advantage is that you can access without a password, but on the other hand files can only be downloaded individually.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. Access data to connect to the FTP server
It is more convenient to connect your PC or server directly to the FTP server. Depending on your operating system there are several tools below. We created a user on the FTP server: labdoo with the password labdoo and read permissions (no write permissions), which is available to you for this purpose. If you need write permissions, please contact contact@Labdoo.org (EN) or Labdoo-DACH@Labdoo.org (DE).
Protocol = sftp (sftp is safer than ftp, so only sftp is available)
Server = sftp.labdoo.org
Username = labdoo
Password = labdoo
Path = /var/www/download
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3. Integrate into the file manager (Windows, Swish)
Windows does not offer its own way to connect the file manager to an FTP server via the sftp protocol. ftp would be possible, but we do not offer this for security reasons. However, you can use additional programs sftp, e.g. the Swish Add-on for the Windows file manager http://www.swish-sftp.org/(link is external) .
After installing Swish, you have to set up the access to the FTP-Server:
![]() |
Login to the FTP server: Name - choose a name of your choice; server: sftp.labdoo.org; user: labdoo; path: /var/www/download |
![]() |
Security key: Save and connect - key remains permanently on the PC until changed; Simply connect - key is only saved for this session and will be queried again next time |
![]() |
Enter the password labdoo, now you can use the FTP server like a drive on your PC. |
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It is easy to connect your computer to the FTP server with special tools if you need to download massive files. The free FTP client Filezilla can be downloaded here https://filezilla-project.org/.. Also available for Apple (macOS) https://filezilla-project.org/download.php?platform=osx.
The start path can be set in the settings under Advanced --> Default directory on the server. Then you don't always have to click through the whole file system.
![]() |
Enter the access data: Server - sftp://sftp.labdoo.org ; Username labdoo ; Password - labdoo ; Port - 22 |
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5. Linux
If you are using GNU/Linux, you can easily integrate the FTP server using the sftp protocol (secure FTP). Simply enter the path for the FTP folder → s_COPY13@ftp.labdoo.org:/var/www/download/ in your favorite file manager.
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More information about using rsync for Linux users can be found here https://wiki.ubuntuusers.de/rsync/.
If you want to mirror the whole FTP server, you can do so with the following command rsync -avHe ssh labdoo@ftp.labdoo.org:/var/www/download/
(Attention: Several 100 GB!)
If you want to mirror the subfolder /install-disk (installation disk), you can do this with the following command rsync -avHe ssh labdoo@ftp.labdoo.org:/var/www/download/install-disk
(Attention: almost 1 TB!)
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7.Connecting Apple (macOS and iOS) using Filezilla or iTransfer to an FTP server
For Apple and (macOS ans iOS) you can install and use the free tools Filezilla or iTransfer.
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8. recommended folders or links
If you want you can mirror the whole FTP drive :) Maybe you should choose the content you really need? Here are some useful paths that might be of interest to you:
All data necessary for an installation: http://ftp.labdoo.org/download/install-disk/
English documents: http://ftp.labdoo.org/download/documents/english/
Graphics + logos: http://ftp.labdoo.org/download/documents/material/
If you have any questions send an e-mail to Labdoo Global Support team wall and a Labdooer will get back to you.
Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
This section describes how to use the file manager SpaceFM (Labtix 1) or zzzFM (Labtix 2) to clone images with just 2 clicks.
Labtix 2
Labtix 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkmrV3tvt-U
Labtix comes with a number of useful tools preinstalled:
(partly smaller deviations between the Labtix versions possible)
Application | Description |
---|---|
Arandr | A tool for configuring the screen layout. Very useful when your device has the internal monitor removed and an external display is connected. |
Audacious | CD/DVD drive functionality test |
Avahi network scanner | scans the network (please connect first) and shows e.g. the path to a server or similar. |
Backlight Brightness | Sometimes the screen is too dark and cannot be made brighter with the keyboard (function keys). Then you can change the brightness with Backlight Brightness. Works most of the time, but not always. |
battery-plugin | in the panel gives you information about the status of the battery when you mouse over it. The plug-in can be activated with a right mouse click and "Battery Monitor Settings", if not already done. |
Conky | A tool for displaying system information on the desktop. The output window is in the upper right corner. The configuration file is in Labtix 1: /etc/conky/conky.conf , in Labtix 2: ~/conky.rc . In Labtix 2 with even more information, such as battery status, etc. |
Firefox esr | is the "enterprise version" of Firefox, which is not updated as often. For example, Firefox can be used during installation to research the web. It can also display pdf files. By default it doesn't collect cookies and doesn't store data to avoid bloating Labtix with unnecessary data in persistence mode. |
Gparted | a great tool for disk partitioning, file system repair and partition copying. |
Gsmartcontrol / DiskCheck |
a tool to read the S.M.A.R.T data from a hard drive to see if the hard drive is healthy. If yours is "red" in the registers, you should use a different hard drive. Tip: If a Seagate disk shows thousands of reallocation reallocation events in the Attributes tab, the drive is not damaged. These hard drives have different firmware specifically for Lenovo computers that uses the memory bit for reallocation events for other purposes. |
hard info | gives you extensive information about the hardware and software of the computer. |
ISO Snapshot | a tool to create an ISO snapshot of the system. All changes to the system are saved in the snapshot. While running ISO snapshot, mark the directories NOT to be added to the snapshot, except for the "Desktop" directory which contains the .desktop files. You should move existing snapshots to a directory that you do not want to include in the snapshot. The snapshot is saved in /home/snapshot. If the snapshot is created on a non-persistent system (e.g. boots from CD-ROM), it should be saved on another device. If there is not enough disk space to save the snapshot, the save path can be e.g. to another USB stick. The snapshot can be installed to a USB stick using UNetbootin or burned to a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM using the IG Burn Tool plugin in SpaceFM. |
Keyboard layout handler | With the Keyboard Layout Handler on the right side of the panel you can change the keyboard layout with a left mouse click. To make a permanent change, right click and use the "Keyboard Layout Handler Settings". The top keyboard layout in the list is preassigned at startup. With a left mouse click you can go through the pre-installed keyboard layouts (German, US English, French, Spanish). |
Live USB Maker (Labtix 2) | to copy Labtix to other USB sticks. |
Magnify | Magnifier on/off |
Onboard | show/hide monitor keyboard. |
SimpleScreenRecorder (Labtix 2 only) |
Tool to record videos of the session, e.g. for training purposes. |
Psensor | A tool to control the temperatures of CPU, GPU and others. |
SpaceFM (Labtix 1) / zzzFM (Labtix 2) |
is a file manager for the usual file actions and for integrating external devices. It has plugins to e.g. mount shares and burn CDs or DVDs. SpaceFM/zzzFM is highly configurable and can be modified with additional plugins. The trash can is disabled to prevent accumulation of too much data in persistence mode. If required, the trash can can be added as a plugin. It should not be removed as it is part of the desktop environment! |
Speaker Test | Speaker test right / left. |
UNetbootin (Labtix 1) | a tool to create bootable USB sticks. Start Unetbootin, enable "Diskimage", select the ISO snapshot (should be in /home/snapshot) and select the target USB drive. The USB stick should be formatted with fat32 and it should be mounted (use SpaceFM for this). After installation on a thumbdrive, Gparted should be used to check if the boot flag is set correctly! |
wipefs | Fast deletion of the file system (but does not replace overwriting with random numbers). |
Xfburn | to burn Labtix from CDs/DVDs. |
For more information, please use the man pages of the help function in the terminal (e.g. "man gparted" or
type "psensor --help" there and press (enter)) or use the Internet.
Desktop Settings:
The Labtix desktop environment is based on openbox with the additional lxpanel. If you right-click on the desktop, you can select "Desktop Settings" to make changes to the desktop. To install new program launchers on the desktop, copy them from /usr/share/applications to the desktop. To move icons on the desktop, use "Shift + Drag". Please note that in some cases SpaceFM moves the items out of the folder. If so, please copy it back.
Helpful comnands (shell, terminal)
To open a terminal click on the terminal icon in the menu bar or press the keys Ctrl and Alt and t.
If access to a command is denied ("permission denied") or root rigts are needed, add "sudo" in front of the command to be used, e.g. "sudo zzzfm"
For more information use the --help option e.g. "apt --help"
======================================================================
acpi (-V) >> information about the powersystem like battery-state, battery-condition etc.
======================================================================
(sudo) apt >> package manager
Usage:
sudo apt update >> create the needed package database
sudo apt install mousepad >> installs the program "mousepad"
Only usefull in the persistence mode. The device must be connected to the internet.
======================================================================
eject -T >> ejects CDs or DVDs
======================================================================
grep >> filters the output of commands
acpi -V | grep -i battery >> shows only the lines of acpi -V wich contain the term "battery"
======================================================================
(sudo) inxi >> system information
sudo inxi -v 5 >> informations with verbosity level 5 (1-8 possible)
inxi -B >> battery information
sudo inxi -M >> informations about the system
inxi -m >> informations about the memory
Sudo is only needed if informations inxi gathers need root permissions
======================================================================
iwconfig >> shows informations about wireless connections
======================================================================
lsblk >> lists blockdevices like harddisks
======================================================================
======================================================================
lspci >> lists all recognized pci-devices
lspci | grep -i Network ( or Wireless or WLAN ) >> shows Wifi-devices
======================================================================
lsusb >> lists all recognized USB-devices
======================================================================
rfkill >> tool for radio devices
rfkill list all >> lists the states of all radio devices
rfkill unblock all >> unblocks all softblocked devices
To unblock a hardblocked device:
- look for a hardware switch
- look for a keyboard function/binding
- look if the device is blocked in the UEFI/BIOS
======================================================================
(sudo) shred >> tool to securely delete devices or partitions
Usage:
sudo shred /dev/sdX -v -f -n 2 >> overwrites sdX 2 times
Shred will overwrite each single byte of the target device, so it might take a long time.
BE CAREFUL !!! BE SURE TO USE THE PATH TO THE DEVICE/PARTITION YOU REALLY WANT TO CLEAN !!!
======================================================================
sudo >> command to get root permissions
In labtix no sudo-password is installed, so typing in a password is not needed
======================================================================
wipefs >> tool to delete filesystems
Usage:
sudo wipefs -a -f /dev/sdX >> wipes the filesystem of sdX
BE CAREFUL !!! BE SURE TO USE THE PATH TO THE DEVICE / PARTITION YOU REALLY WANT TO CLEAN !!!
This is not a secure method of deleting any devices, it's the quick and dirty solution if you want to get rid of an installed system. For safe deletions use the command "shred"
======================================================================
xkill >> tool to kill windows that are not responsible
Usage:
Open a terminal, type "xkill" and press "Enter". The mousepointer will be shown as a skull. Leftclick with the skull inside the window you want to close. Xkill will only close windows. In some cases processes started by the killed window might still run in the background.
Do not click on the Desktop, it is a window too !!!
======================================================================
xrandr >> tool to manipulate the graphical-(x-)server
xrandr --output eDP-1 --scale 0.5x0.5 >> reduces the height and width resolution of output eDP-1 by the factor 0.5 . Very useful if the screen has a very high resolution.
To get the name of the actual output:
xrandr | grep primary
======================================================================
[This page explains a solution in case a donated computer can only boot with UEFI or the BIOS is locked (password unknown) and UEFI is set as the boot option. If your computer can boot in legacy mode, you can skip this page].
Back in 2013/2014, there was a technical and legal discussion about SecureBoot and UEFI. The manufacturers argued that only UEFI boot on their computer provides security and therefore must only be used. However, the EU and NGOs went to court and the judges decided that the computer manufacturers had to re-open the BIOS settings so that users could choose whether to use the UEFI boot, the legacy boot (the "old" boot) or both as boot options. Computers that were produced before the "UEFI only" decision and after the old flexibility decision have no problem installing with Labtix and prepared Labdoo images.
However, if the computer was manufactured in the "UEFI only" period in 2013/2014, this may cause problems when installing a Lubuntu-based installation. Our Labdoo images are set up for legacy boot, not for UEFI boot (although Lubuntu could). We have described a solution for these specific UEFI-only machines here.
Another use case is a locked BIOS. A computer has been donated, but a BIOS password has not been removed and is unknown. If the boot option in the BIOS is set to "UEFI / Secure Boot Only" and cannot be switched to "Legacy Boot" because of the password lock, you can run the installation process described below and then use the computer for Labdoo.
If our solution is too difficult for you, please contact Labdoo helpers or hubs in your country / region and ask them for support.
You can use the installation tool Labtix (recommended, supports UEFI-Boot) or Parted Magic. PXE is not possible because you have to select certain options during the installation process and PXE does not allow access to these settings.
The installation sequence is rough:
So here are the steps in details:
This description is very technical, but it works. If you know a simpler solution, please feel free to contact us.
A special thank you goes to helpers from hub Rhein-Ruhr (Germany) for noticing and solving this specific problem.
Autodeploy and content installer: the complete terminal based script installation tool
NOTE: The new version (included in Labtix from Septeber 2018) automates the deployment of learning content to multiple languages (not visible in video)
Introduction
This wiki will lead you through the process of sanitizing Labdoo laptops using ready-to-use images from the network. It allows you to sanitize laptops using a fast and efficient cloning process and is also very helpful if you are dealing with a large number of laptops. However, this process is quite more complex at the same time and that is why we consider it an advanced method. If you are new to Labdoo and do not have much experience with computers, we recommend you to use the Simple Sanitation Method, but if you are up for learning a great way to install a powerful software in a computer, this is your guide.
Images are a complete software copy of an installed Labdoo computer containing everything, from the operating system, software, educational content to al optimized settings. The cloning process takes care of everything for you in one shot, except for adopting the final configuration to the country of the destination edoovillage (language and keyboard) and setting the hostname.
In the next section you will find a step by step description of the Sanitation process based on images.
How to use a Labdoo PXE server to sanitize laptops
[Note: This section assumes you have a Labdoo PXE server with you (because you either created one by following the instruction in the section below "Steps to create a new Labdoo PXE server" or because another hub gave you the Labdoo PXE server so that you can use it to sanitize your laptop)]
If you already have a Labdoo PXE server, please read the "PXE Process in detail" document that you can download from this link. This guide explains step by step how to use the PXE server to sanitize laptops. You can also download from this link the "Labdoo Process Slip", a handy slip which will allow you to track each laptop technical description as explained in the "PXE Process in detail" document.
Steps to create a new Labdoo PXE server
# Installbox
########################################
The Installbox set-up allows you to automatically install Linux clients on a large scale.
### Pre-Requirements
- A laptop with wireless LAN and gigabit ethernet port
- A gigabit switch
- Network cables to connect the clients
- Wireless internet access where you are NOT using the IPv4 network address 192.168.20.0/24
# Installbox Setup
########################################
- Download the customized ISO image: GET-LATEST-VERSION-FROM-WEB.iso
- Either burn the image to a CD or write it to a USB key using dd if=debian-jessie-installbox.iso of=/dev/sdb
(replace sdb with the device node of your USB stick, if necessary).
- Boot the laptop using the CD or the USB stick.
- Please do not connect the ethernet cable yet.
- Select the option "Install" during boot.
- You will be asked to select the keyboard layout, select the one that fits best for you.
- During network set-up please select the wireless interface. There should be two interfaces on the list:
eth0 (which is ethernet, don't select this one!) and wlan0.
Note: If you do not see those two interfaces here, please abort the installation process. It means that your device is not supported.
- When you have selected wlan0, the installer will search for wireless networks available. Select your network.
Most modern wireless networks use WPA/PSK for authentication, so if you are not sure, you can select this option.
- Type in your Wireless password in the next step. Please note that it is displayed in a clear text.
- Relax, the rest of the installation should work fully automated.
- After a while the device reboots, so you can now connect an ethernet cable from the laptop's installation box to the gigabit switch.
- You should now be able to connect any client to the switch and select ethernet boot.
On Lenovo, you can press F12 and choose the network interface as a boot device.
- On the install box, an NFS export has been created on /exports.
This will be available to all clients on the LAN and should contain the Clonezilla images.
# PXE Boot Options
########################################
When you boot a client, the boot menu will show the following options:
- Clonezilla Autorestore x86
This should be started on a client where you want to apply the default image. No interaction needed, all existing data will be deleted.
It will restore an image called Linux-x86 which must be available in /exports on the install box.
- Clonezilla Autorestore x86_64
Same as Autorestore x86 but for the 64bit variant. It will automatically restore an image called Linux-x86_64
- Preseed x86
Prepare a 32bit master installation
- Preseed x86_64
Prepare a 64bit master installation
- Clonezilla Autosave x86
Create an image of a master installation. It will automatically be written to the NFS share /exports under the name Linux-x86.
Note: This will overwrite an existing image of the same name in the install box.
- Clonezilla Autosave x86_64
Same as Autosave x68 but for the 64bit variant. It will automatically write a disk image to the install box at /exports/Linux-x86_64.
Note: This will overwrite an existing image of the same name on the install box.
- Clonezilla Live
Just the default live image with all options and the NFS share already mounted.
- SystemRescueCD
A universal system recovery toolbox. It also contains GParted for manual partitioning.
To start GParted, simply type startx and then click on the GParted icon in the taskbar.
- Boot and Nuke
starts dban and will automatically wipe all data on disk.
Note: you can press the tab key on all options in order to change settings manually.
To permanently adjust the file, edit /var/lib/tftpboot/prd/pxelinux.cfg/default on the installbox.
# Workflow
########################################
After you have set up the install box a typical workflow would be the following:
1. Create a master image
- Choose another laptop on which you want to create the master image.
- Connect the laptop to a port on the gigabit switch.
- Follow the steps described in the 'Prepare Master Image' section.
Alternatively, you can download a prepared master image. See the 'Image Creation Cutoff' section below for further details.
2. Provision laptops with the newly created master image
- after the master image has been stored on the install box, choose the relevant Clonezilla Autorestore option from the PXE menu
Once you have created a master image, there is no need to re-create it other than changes that need to be done to it.
Next time, you can just start provisioning clients using the Autorestore option.
Hint: if you are not sure, just create a master image for the x86 architecture. This should work on nearly every machine.
# Image Creation Cutoff
########################################
If you do not want to prepare an image on your own, you can download the prebuild image for the x86 architecture.
To do so, execute the following commands in the install box:
sudo wget -c GET-LATEST-VERSION-AS.tar.gz -O /exports/linux-x86.tar.gz
sudo tar xvzf /exports/linux-x86.tar.gz -C /exports/
Note: the image to download might take a long time, it depends on your internet connection.
If the download is interrupted for some reason, you can resume it by executing exactly the wget command from above again.
This image is set up for the Swiss-German keyboard layout. If you want to customize it:
- Deploy a machine using the 'Clonezilla Autorestore x86' function.
- Boot it and make your customization.
- Boot the SystemRescueCD and start GParted.
- Shrink the root partition to ~ 30000MB.
- Remove any existing version of the image by running sudo rm -rf /exports/Linux-x86 on the install box.
- Reboot the client that contains your modifications and select the Clonezilla Autosave option for x86.
This will save your modified version to the install box.
# Prepare Master Image
########################################
In order to develop a master image from scratch, please make sure that the install box in your laptop has a working wireless LAN internet connection.
### Preseed
On a client that connects to the gigabit switch, start the pxe boot and select either Preseed for x86 or x86_64.
This will set up an install base of ubuntu with a user "Labdoo" and a password "Labdoo".
After preseeding, boot into the newly installed system and apply the customization from:
http://ftp.labdoo.org/download/install-disk/installskripts/
If you want to modify the preseed file, e.g. to set up a different user account, just edit /var/lib/tftpboot/trusty/preseed.cfg
Hint: To change the keyboard layout (which defaults to us), simply run dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration after installation.
### Creating the Image
When the client has been set up according to your needs, reboot and select the relevant Clonezilla Autosave option that fits best the architecture of your master set-up.
This will automatically save an image to the install box that will be applied later to other clients using the Clonezilla Autorestore function for that architecture.
Note: This automated process has been optimized for image installations on systems with at least 40GB HDD/SSD of space.
If you need to install it on machines with smaller disks, please shrink the root partition before creating the image.
# Image Requirements
########################################
If you do not want to use the images that eventually work with the install box setup, please make sure that your images
fulfill the following requirements:
- images should be deployed automatically using this setup and must have the following partition layout:
/dev/sda1 - swap (suggested size 2GB)
/dev/sda2 - root / ext4
- after the master preparation, please shrink the root partition to its minimal size possible.
This ensures that the image will be deployable on small drives as well.
# Resetting the Installbox
########################################
You can reset the changes made to the install box default settings at any time by running /usr/local/sbin/applypuppet as root.
# Making of the Installbox ISO
########################################
This step is not necessary, it is just for informational purposes. It describes how the ISO for the install box was created.
apt-get install -y bsdtar genisoimage syslinux-utils
cd ~
rm -rf cd
mkdir cd
wget GET-LATEST-VERSION-FROM-WEB.iso
bsdtar -C cd -xf firmware-8.2.0-i386-netinst.iso
vi cd/isolinux/txt.cfg
- append vga=788 initrd=/install.386/initrd.gz --- quiet
+ append vga=788 initrd=/install.386/initrd.gz url=GET-LATEST-VERSION-FROM-WEB.cfg locale=en_US.UTF-8 ipv6.disable=1 debconf_debug=5 netcfg/get_domain=domain.example netcfg/dhcp_timeout=60 netcfg/get_hostname=installbox --- quiet
quit vi with ESC :wq!
vi cd/isolinux/gtk.cfg
- append vga=788 initrd=/install.386/gtk/initrd.gz --- quiet
+ append vga=788 initrd=/install.386/gtk/initrd.gz url=GET-LATEST-VERSION-FROM-WEB.cfg locale=en_US.UTF-8 ipv6.disable=1 debconf_debug=5 netcfg/get_domain=domain.example netcfg/dhcp_timeout=60 netcfg/get_hostname=installbox --- quiet
quit vi with ESC :wq!
cd cd; md5sum `find ! -name "md5sum.txt" ! -path "./isolinux/*" -follow -type f` > md5sum.txt; cd ..
genisoimage -o debian-jessie-installbox.iso -r -J -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.cat ./cd
isohybrid debian-jessie-installbox.iso
# Additional Notes
########################################
- There is a script available on the installbox called /usr/local/sbin/pxesync.
It can sync the files needed for PXE boot for the Ubuntu and Debian distributions.
# Changelog
########################################
20150930 v0.2
- added prebuild image
20150928 v0.1
- initial setup
Introduction
This brief document describes the process of sanitizing a laptop according to the Simple Method.
[TIPS. If you'd like to get tips on how to collect unused laptops from your local community, please click here. After the laptop gets sanitized, you can click here to learn different ways to package the laptops to get them ready for schools that needs them. If you get stuck in any of these steps during the sanitizing process, you can post your questions in the wall of the Labdoo QA Team so that others can help you.]
Sanitation Steps
The current standard process of sanitizing a laptop is as follows:
sudo apt-get install coreutils
sudo shred /dev/sda -f -v --iterations=2
[press enter]. (If this second command does not work, you can try with 'hda' instead of 'sda', like this: sudo shred /dev/hda -f -v --iterations=2
.) This second command launches a process that will run for about 1 hour or so and overwrites the disk with random values. After you finish with this process, press at the same time the keys 'Alt + CTRL + F7' to continue the installation process and go to the next step. (Please see the video in this page for a complementary illdustration of this step.)sudo apt-get update [and press ENTER]
sudo apt-get install edubuntu-desktop libreoffice [and press ENTER]
sudo apt-get upgrade [and press ENTER]
The last two commands could take from a few minutes up to an hour to complete.
What to expect next
Congratulations! You have now successfully completed your laptop drive campaign and sanitized your laptops, so they are now ready to be packed and travel. Please go to the Packaging the laptop for travelling section to learn how to get the laptops ready for door trips.
Step-by-step instructions on how to install macOS and Ubuntu on a Mac computer.
There are four parts:
Requirements
Downloading Files
Download the following files from labdoo@ftp.labdoo.org:/var/www/download/macOS-ubuntu
:
It is strongly recommended that you install and use a download manager software (e.g. FileZilla) to download the files since the iso file is huge, and the download manager can resume the download just in case you lost the connection. Save the files to a USB drive or external HD. Below is a screenshot using FileZilla:
Create Bootable USB
Do the following on a working Mac. Otherwise, complete “The Mac Side” section and come back here.
The USB drive now can be used to boot any Mac.
If MacOS is missing
You will need to have Wifi and internet access to reinstall macOS.
If MacOS is present
If you know the password of the admin user, congratulations!. Otherwise, follow these steps to reset the password:
“Labdooing” the Mac
Create Labdoo Accounts
You will use the existing admin account to create two new accounts: “student” and “labdoo” and then remove all non-labdoo accounts.
Delete Non-labdoo Accounts
Change the Computer Name:
We will change the computer name to the labdoo Tag ID:
Create a Partition for Ubuntu
We are now ready to install Ubuntu on the new partition. But there is one task left: to install a boot manager.
Install rEFInd Boot Manager
Disable SIP (System Integrity Protection)
SIP protects critical areas on the disk from being altered, and rEFInd needs to write to one of those areas. Thus, we need to disable SIP before installing rEFInd
If it says “enabled” like in the capture above, follow the steps below to disable it
Installing rEFInd
We are now ready to install Ubuntu.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
The installation of Ubuntu overwrites the EFI boot area that we created earlier in the “Installing rEFInd” section. But without the EFI boot area, the Ubuntu installation would fail for some reason that I haven’t figured out. Thus, we’ll have to install rEFInd again.
Enable SIP
If a laptop battery is not in good shape, our policy is to remove the battery and recycle it before sending the laptop to a school.
There are several reasons for that:
You can find more extensive information on why it is necessary and how to dispose safely old batteries in this article from thunderboltlaptop.com
Please include only the battery in the laptop if it is still in good shape!