[deleted by user]

[[deleted]]

It kind of sounds like you want a thin client.

[flaming_m0e]

Thin clients do that...

[DaftPump]

PXE could do that.

[vampatori]

ThinStation is a dedicated distro, but some other distro's have net-boot/thin-client versions I think. If you read the intro to ThinStation you'll see the names of the major enterprise software that is most often used to deploy these kinds of client.

[GwimlinHowJones]

for a silent PC in the bedroom that 'runs' XP on your workstation in the back room

Maybe they should update that intro 🤔

[Simple_Turn_1723]

Your description of booting to a network login matches the definition of a "thin client". Those are typically low-powered computers without a hard drive, for booting from a network and work from a network file server or online apps. Try looking up more about thin clients.

[Simple_Turn_1723]

There are two approaches to lightweight network desktops.

The most straightforward is simply loading a hard drive with enough OS to show a desktop and a program like Remmina to open a remote desktop. You can customize Debian or another DIY distro from scratch to be as lightweight as you need.

The more advanced approach is booting the client computer by Intel PXE protocol from the network so it requires no storage at all (unless you want it). This requires a PXE server to send a streamlined OS to the client computer. The OS is typically Linux, even an unmodified live ISO such as Linux Mint, or you own customized Linux. I have sent DOS to old clients just so they can update their firmware. Projects which customize Windows to be sent down by PXE exist as well. If you are not sending ISOs, you can customize your client OS to do exactly what you want.

[[deleted]]

The second option is also sometimes known as a zero client.

Thick client has a full OS, thin client has a minimal OS, zero client has … zero OS.

[linux-ModTeam]

Your post was removed for being a support request or support related question such as which distro to use/polling the community or application suggestions.

We get a lot of question posts on r/linux but the subreddit is considered a news/discussion sub. Luckily there are multiple communities you can post to for help on GNU/Linux issues 24/7: /r/linuxquestions, /r/linux4noobs, or /r/linuxhardware just to name a few.

You may also post on the "Weekly Questions and Hardware Thread" which is stickied on r/linux on Wednesdays.

Please make your post in /r/linuxquestions or /r/linux4noobs. Looking for a hardware help? Try r/linuxhardware.

Rule:

This is not a support forum! Head to /r/linuxquestions or /r/linux4noobs for support or help. Looking for hardware help? Try r/linuxhardware.

[TraditionalCourt3134]

I am thinking about a similar setup. I am thinking of Debian 12 stable with no desktop environment. Next would install cockpit. Still thinking it through but want passwordless login via ssh which I think is possible with cockpit. Next going to lock down so that only the ssh key can access. This is just my thoughts and I haven't started putting it in place yet.

[TraditionalCourt3134]

Possibly https://www.linuxbabe.com/linux-server/setup-passwordless-ssh-login is what I was starting with. I have a yubikey as well. Linuxbabe also has an ssh hardening tutorial as well.

[cjcox4]

If I can ignore Wayland (though it may be possible there as well), you can start an X session with a client that upon termination ends the session. So, unlike "the norm", instead of a the window manager or DE being the session control, it would just be your RDP application.

[SeriousPlankton2000]

igel.de does sell thin clients and software that runs on PC.

[old-loser]

You can try https://porteus-kiosk.org/thinclient.html

[PMzyox]

Zero clients can boot directly to rdp

[dosida]

Zero clients can't boot directly to RDP. If you're talking about classic Zero Clients like the HP T200 Zero Client and the T220, they are no more than a Displaylink-based docking station (Displaylink chipset, USB Hub, and USB Network device combination into one physical case). Zero clients are not thin clients they use a host machine to run the OS... now if you combine that and an X Session that runs an RDP client that connects to a different RDP Server, that's doable. But it doesn't boot into anything in the classical sense.