ThinClient concepts - some queries about Thin Client technology

ThinClient concepts - some queries about Thin Client technology

Q1.     What are Thin Clients?

A1.     Typically, thin Clients are low powered computers that (strictly speaking) do not have a hard disk

          drive. Since there is no hard  disk drive, there is also no operating system.  And since these are 

          low powered systems, all processing is done on the server instead of the thin client itself. Certain

          types of thin clients (running on embedded XP or embedded Linux) may have full fledged OS

          capabilities complete with installed applications such as Micorsoft or Open Office and browsers such

          as Internet Explorer and/or Mozilla Firefox.

Q2.     If there is no hard disk drive and no operating system, how does it work? How does it boot up?

A2.     All Thin Clients boot up directly from a server which is running the operating system (Windows 

          2003 Server, Windows 2000 Advanced Server or even Linux).

          Thin Clients may boot either directly from the server via PXE boot and then connect to it or boot up

          from locally installed mini disk running Windows XP embedded (Win XPe), Windows CE embedded 

          (Win CEe) or Linux embedded (Le) and then connect to the server. Once connected to the server, the

          user gets the log in screen of the operating system running on the server.

          Please bear in mind that booting from a server and connecting to a server are two different

          processes, since you can have more than one server - one simply for booting up and the second

          or even a third or more for connecting to (where the applications are installed and processing

          takes place) depending upon architecture. If required, an enterprise can also go in for a hybrid

          architecture consisting of both Windows and Linux Terminal servers.

Q3.     Where are the various applications installed and user data stored?

A3.     All applications are installed on the connecting server and every user has his own "My

          Documents" folder created where his profile, documents, etc. are stored.

Q4.     If all files and documents of all users are stored on the same server on the same storage device,

          can one user not access or read the files of another user?

A4.     As stated above, every user has his own "My Documents" folder created. No user can access or

          even get into another user's "My Documents" folder unless specifically permitted to do so. This,

          of course, will require an NTFS file storge system and not the FAT32.

Q5.     What kind of applications and software can one install and run in a Thin Client environment?

A5.     All programs of everyday life can be used with Thin Clients...to name a few MS Office; various

          various browsers for surfing; e-mail clients like Outlook Express, Microsoft Outlook, etc.; ERP

          packages - including SAP; Coreldraw, Adobe Photoshop, Pagemaker, Tally, MS SQL based

          packages, chatting (using keyboard) programs and even open source and customized packages.

Q6.     Which software packages cannot be used?

A6.     Heavy graphical games, animation packages like Maya and such others that require a very fast

          screen refresh cannot be used.

Q7.    How many Thin Clients can be made to run on a single server?

A7.    This depends upon the server hardware configuration, the choice of operting system and the

         programs/applications that are installed on that particular server. Typically, a small office with

         10 Thin Clients can be well served by a P-IV machine with 1GB of RAM with Windows Server 2003

         Standard edition (that supports up to 4GB of RAM. Enterprise edition + SP2 supports upto 64GB.

         For increased RAM support, 64 bit versions are apt wherein the Standard edition + SP2 can support

         32GB while Enterprise + SP2 can support 2TB ). Increase the RAM to 2GB and the users to 20 to

         25 without any problem.

         For users on an enterprise level, a Xeon based server with dual or more processors, a minimum

         of 4GB RAM and redundancy on storage devices by way of RAID, network adaptors and power

         supply unit is recommended. Load balancing technology with additional servers prevents any

         single server from reaching critical levels.

         These are of course, broad guidelines. Actual server hardware and architecture will most

         definitely vary from case to case.

Q8.    Won't running so many Thin Clients on one server slow it down or kill it altogether?

A8.    No. This will not happen since the server hardware is sized taking into account the number of

         Thin Clients that are to be run and the software/applications to be installed on it.

         Besides, all processing is taking place electronically without any moving parts except the hard

         disk drive. Load balancing technology is employed to prevent server crashes.

Q9.    Can one install a printer on a Thin Client node?

A9.    Yes. Most printers can be installed on a Thin Client node either on a parallel port or USB port. The

         printer is physically installed on the Thin Client node but in configured on the server as a local printer

         printing to a TCP/IP port. In case of embedded systems, the printer in configured locally on the Thin

         Client itself.

Q10.  What devices can a Thin Client access locally?

A10.   Most devices like local hard disk drives, pen drives, floppy disk drives and optical drives can be

          accessed by the Thin Client without any problem.  For other devices like scanners, multi function

          devices and CD/DVD writer, if required on a Thin Client, our embedded systems are recommended,

          one that is running Win XPe.

Q11.  Will 'Touch Screens' work with Thin Clients?

A11.  Yes, very much with our Win XPe range.

Q12.  What about Thin Clients and Citrix?

A12.  Citrix metaframe server installed on the Remote Server will enable the Thin Clients to work across

            a relatively slow WAN link also by using the ICA protocol instead of Remote Desktop (RDP).

Q13.  What about DOS? Can I run DOS progams on my Thin Clients?

A13.  Most definitely, yes!! You can run DOS programs in FULL SCREEN.

Q14.  Can I have a hard disk on my Thin Client?

A14.  Of course!!! Though not required, but if you do have or want a hard disk, you have a dual boot system,

         whereby you can work either on the server or on the local hard disk.

 

Thin Client

What is Thin Client

Thin Client is a low cost - centrally managed computer. It generally does not have any type of Disks, CDROM etc.
Uses computing resources of server and not client. As a result the performance of client machine is not dependent on the client hardware; rather it is depended on the server hardware.
Thin Client computing is not just sharing of Desktop - it is very advanced solution, where you have Complete security and privacy of data.
IN FACT IT IS MORE SECURED THAN FAT CLIENT ENVIRONMENT.

Thin Client is not suitable for following applications:
Heavy graphics - like Photoshop, Corel Draw or AutoCAD. (Up to some extent it does work, ask For demo)
Animation - 2D or 3D.
Heavy Multimedia applications (Web flash animation is OK - it works fine)
Gaming PC

Thin Client is suitable for following applications:
Any office applications
Any accounting package
Any client / server application
All types of ERP - even SAP can be run on Thin Clients.
Any DOS Application



ThinClient Benefits :

There are many benefits of ThinClient technology; some of them are as follows:
Lower IT administration costs. Thin clients are managed almost entirely at the server. The hardware has fewer points of failure.
Easier to secure. Thin clients can be designed in such a way that no application data ever resides on the client, centralizing malware protection and reducing the risks of physical data theft.
Lower hardware costs. Thin client hardware is generally cheaper because it does not contain a disk, application memory, or a powerful processor.
Less Energy Consumption. Dedicated thin client hardware has much lower energy consumption than thick client PCs. (Save around 51K – 20 system network)
Less network bandwidth. This is contrary to normal belief - BUT IT IS TRUE
Since terminal servers typically reside on the same high-speed network backbone as file servers, most network traffic is confined to the Server.
In a fat client environment if you open a 10MB document that's 10MB transferred from the file server to your PC. When you save it that's another 10MB from your PC to the server. When you print it the same happens again – another 10MB over the network to your print server and then 10MB onward to the printer. This is highly inefficient.
In a thin client environment only mouse movements, keystrokes and screen updates are transmitted from/to the end user. This can consume as little as 10-15 Kbit/s bandwidths.
Simple hardware upgrade path.
If the peak resource usage is above a pre-defined limit, it is a relatively simple process to add more resources to server (be it power, processing, storage), boosting resources to exactly the amount required.
The existing units can continue to serve alongside the new.
Whereas a thick client model requires an entire desktop unit be replaced, resulting in down-time for the user, and the problem of disposing of the old unit.
Less Wasted Hardware. Computer hardware is very environmentally damaging. Thin clients can remain in service longer and ultimately produce less surplus computer hardware than an equivalent thick client installation.

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