NComputing M300 setup

Computer repair at E-zone

Introduction
Buying an NComputing device is one thing, having it work is another. This is the dilemma I faced when I bought my first NComputing M300 device. The videos on youtube don’t genuinely give you the entire process of installing NComputing M300. Having bought NComputing M300 for my Internet Cafe in Nabbingo, I spent  whole night trying to figure out how I would make the gadgets work. With no options left, trial and error was my next step. So I got everything needed ready and started my experiments and voila! After a series of missteps, I figured it out and the steps given below are simply what I did to have my 7 seater  arrangement at E-zone Internet Cafe up and running.

I will break the instructions into 5 sections.

Read also: How to setup NComputing X550 on Windows 7

What you need

  • A full computer set (Even a laptop can work)
  • A router
  • 2 NComputing M300 units (Each unit has 3 gadgets)
  • 6 more monitors
  • 6 more keyboards
  • 6 more mice
  • 6 VGA cables
  • 6 power cables for the 6 monitors
  • 6 VGA cables to connect each device to a monitor.
  • A power source for the monitors, server and the NComputing equipment and router
  • 7 separate LAN cables. 4 of these should be approximately 1 meter each while 2 should be long enough to run from the router to the ncomputing gadget and the last one long enough to connect the server to the router. 3 of the cables I used are 5 meters long.

Server setup

  • I installed Windows 7 on the server. I assigned LAB as the computer name. Avoid generic names as these may bring issues when you try to choose which server to connect to.
  • I installed all the software I needed i.e. Drivers, Ms. Office, Firefox, Adobe Reader, Nero e.t.c.
  • I created 6 other user accounts (With limited privileges) i.e. Lab 1, Lab 2 and so on up to Lab 6. I gave each of the 6 accounts the same password.

Configuring remote desktop
I then configured remote desktop with the following steps.

  • Right click My Computer,
  • Choose properties,
  • Choose the remote tab,
  • Choose Allow connections from computers running any version of remote desktop
  • Click Select users
  • Click Add, Type the user name e.g. Lab 1 and click OK. Repeat the process for all users i.e. up to Lab 6

Router setup

  • I set my router with IP address 192.168.1.1
  • I then enabled DHCP and set the start IP address to 192.168.1.100

Ncomputing settings

  • I installed the vspace server software that came with my equipment. In the box, you’ll find 1 big unit and 2 equally sized smaller units.
  • I connected VGA cables from each of the units to their respective monitors.
  • I connected the smaller units to the bigger one with LAN cables and then powered up the NComputing gadget. I did the same for the contents of the second box.
  • I connected a LAN cable from the main gadget to the router.
  • I connected the router to the server with a LAN cable too.
  • I switched on the server and the router and waited for the settings

When all are well connected, you will be able to see your server name in available connections.

  • I enabled DHCP
  • I clicked on the server name and added it to Group 1. Here, I decided to click save.
  • At the login settings I added the users for Station 1, Station2, and Station 3. I filled in only the User and Password field.
  • I also enabled Automatic logon. This comes in handy in a way that whenever you switch on the server, all client PCs will automatically logon.
  • For video settings, I chose 1024 x 768 and 24 bit. For sleep if idle, I chose Never.

Remember, according to the ncomputing website, you can have as many as 45 users in such a setting provided the server has the specs to support such the  number.

For official help on this, please visit the ncomputing website at www.ncomputing.com

________________________
Stephen Dumba
E-zone School of Computing
+256 752 111 223

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