WebLive Howto

Introduction

Edubuntu WebLive allows you to start a limited Edubuntu session from your web browser. It is meant to demonstrate some basic capabilities of Edubuntu for a period of 2 hours. After that period the session is destroyed and a new session may be requested.

You can basically think of it as a Live CD that you use over the Internet.

Preperation

On many systems, you will probably not need to do anything to prepare for Edubuntu WebLive, but in certain cases you may need to install a Java plugin. This is quite easy, you can determine whether you need a Java plugin by visiting the WebLive Page and filling in the required details as described in the section below. If you receive an error message stating that you do not have Java installed, you need to install Java.

Installing Java will be different on each operating system. On Ubuntu and derivatives, you simply need to install the icedtea-plugin package and restart your browser. For other systems, please refer to the Get Java page.

Create a User on the System

Visit the Edubuntu WebLive page and enter your details. This will create a user that will be valid for two hours.
 
  1. Select system. Under environment, you will be able to choose between the current (stable) version of Edubuntu or the development (unstable) version of Edubuntu. If you are unsure, select the first one.
  2. Enter your name. Preferably your full name, as will be used by the live system.
  3. Enter a login name. Enter a username that you will use to log into the system. A username should be one word, all lowercase that does not start with a number. Examples: splinky1, maryk, fifo1337.
  4. Enter a password. Choose something that you'll easily remember for the next few minutes. Do not use an important password for this, since it will be transmitted over a none-encrypted connection. You will need to confirm your password in the next field.
If everything went right, you will receive a Java loading dialog as depicted in the second picture. If it warns you that you do not have Java installed, you will need to install the Java plugin.

Logging in to the System

 

The NoMachine NX Client will now open. It's a Java program that will connect you to the remote Edubuntu session. Click "Continue" when it prompts to do so. You will then be prompted to enter your username and password that you registered with. Do not check the guest user button, as no guest users are available.

When you have logged in successfully, an Edubuntu session will start up full-screen. To end the session, click on the red power button circle on the top right of the screen. Click on logout and confirm that you wish to do so. You will then return to your normal session.

We hope that you enjoy this service!

Known Issues

  • On Dual-display setups, the session will span both displays, and do so incorrectly. Currently you have to start WebLive using only a single display.