Affordable Linux-Based Thin Client

Every few years or so, industry pundits proclaim that we’ll soon return to the computing paradigm of the 1970s, using much simpler devices

to access applications sitting on a remote master machine.

A thin client like the Neoware Capio 500 is generally less expensive than the average PC and is much easier to set up, use, and manage.

Available for $390 (street), the Capio 500 does not run software applications on its own but connects you to a server. You then use

applications stored and operated on that server.

The Capio 500 uses Neoware’s specialized Linux OS, NeoLinux. NeoLinux exists merely to boot the Capio 500 and to run a utility called

ezConnect. Through ezConnect, IT managers can configure the unit’s network connection settings, and end users can subsequently connect

to a remote server.

The unit lets you run Windows applications from servers loaded with MetaFrame, from Citrix Systems (www.citrix.com), or Terminal Services,

from Microsoft (www.microsoft.com), but you can also tap into Unix servers via VT terminal emulation. In testing the Capio 500, we

connected to a machine running Windows 2000 Advanced Server, which always includes Terminal Services, and although configuring the

machine is fairly easy, we did encounter a slight hitch.

After we booted the machine for the first time and typed in the appropriate IP and gateway addresses, the unit took almost 15 minutes to

reboot. Once the system was up and running, though, it worked well. We pulled down an image of a Windows desktop complete with a wide

range of applications and used that desktop as if it emanated from a local PC.

Unlike Neoware’s Eon line of high-end thin clients, the Capio 500 is a closer to the dumb terminals of yore, relying on a server for nearly all

computing tasks. But it does include the I/O ports (serial, parallel, USB, audio) common to PCs, in case you need to attach peripherals.

ezRemote Manager comes bundled with the unit; it lets IT managers control and upgrade all client machines from a single central location,

saving you time and money

for more information click on http://www.thinclientworld.blogspot.com/

Thin Client for the Small Office

Microsoft designed Windows XP so that only one user at a time could access a given PC, either via the local desktop or a remote Terminal Services client. But the OS and today’s hardware can easily accommodate more concurrent users, especially for typical office chores. Enter WinConnect Server XP, a program that lets three remote users log onto a Windows XP system while someone is using the host machine locally.

ThinSoft recommends at least a 1-GHz CPU and 256MB of RAM to support one remote user and one local user. Each additional remote user calls for an extra 100 MHz of CPU speed and 64MB of memory. So, for example, a 2.4-GHz, 512MB system can support at least four concur- rent users.

* More Networking!

WinConnect exploits Windows XP’s built-in Terminal Services based on Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) 5.1. All of the application logic runs on the host machine; the client machine simply processes display updates and relays the user input to the host.

Small offices can run critical business applications on a WinConnect-equipped PC as the server and send them to remote desktops. Linux shops that need to run Windows programs occasionally can set up a Windows XP machine and have users access it via the WinConnect RDP 5.1 client for Linux ($99). And home users can unlock the shackles of a Smart Display device, which disables the local desktop when the mobile display is in use. With WinConnect, you can have multiple Smart Display devices accessing an XP machine without locking out local access to the system.

On our tests (using a 1-GHz Pentium III system with 512MB of memory as the host), we could not detect any sluggishness in True Color mode when running business applications remotely over a 10-Mbps network. WinConnect Server XP makes thin-client computing a viable option for small offices on a budget.

for more information click on http://www.thinclientworld.blogspot.com/

Thin Client for the Small Office

Microsoft designed Windows XP so that only one user at a time could access a given PC, either via the local desktop or a remote Terminal Services client. But the OS and today’s hardware can easily accommodate more concurrent users, especially for typical office chores. Enter WinConnect Server XP, a program that lets three remote users log onto a Windows XP system while someone is using the host machine locally.

ThinSoft recommends at least a 1-GHz CPU and 256MB of RAM to support one remote user and one local user. Each additional remote user calls for an extra 100 MHz of CPU speed and 64MB of memory. So, for example, a 2.4-GHz, 512MB system can support at least four concur- rent users.

* More Networking!

WinConnect exploits Windows XP’s built-in Terminal Services based on Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) 5.1. All of the application logic runs on the host machine; the client machine simply processes display updates and relays the user input to the host.

Small offices can run critical business applications on a WinConnect-equipped PC as the server and send them to remote desktops. Linux shops that need to run Windows programs occasionally can set up a Windows XP machine and have users access it via the WinConnect RDP 5.1 client for Linux ($99). And home users can unlock the shackles of a Smart Display device, which disables the local desktop when the mobile display is in use. With WinConnect, you can have multiple Smart Display devices accessing an XP machine without locking out local access to the system.

On our tests (using a 1-GHz Pentium III system with 512MB of memory as the host), we could not detect any sluggishness in True Color mode when running business applications remotely over a 10-Mbps network. WinConnect Server XP makes thin-client computing a viable option for small offices on a budget.

for more information click on http://www.thinclientworld.blogspot.com/

Affordable Linux-Based Thin Client

Every few years or so, industry pundits proclaim that we’ll soon return to the computing paradigm of the 1970s, using much simpler devices

to access applications sitting on a remote master machine.

A thin client like the Neoware Capio 500 is generally less expensive than the average PC and is much easier to set up, use, and manage.

Available for $390 (street), the Capio 500 does not run software applications on its own but connects you to a server. You then use

applications stored and operated on that server.

The Capio 500 uses Neoware’s specialized Linux OS, NeoLinux. NeoLinux exists merely to boot the Capio 500 and to run a utility called

ezConnect. Through ezConnect, IT managers can configure the unit’s network connection settings, and end users can subsequently connect

to a remote server.

The unit lets you run Windows applications from servers loaded with MetaFrame, from Citrix Systems (www.citrix.com), or Terminal Services,

from Microsoft (www.microsoft.com), but you can also tap into Unix servers via VT terminal emulation. In testing the Capio 500, we

connected to a machine running Windows 2000 Advanced Server, which always includes Terminal Services, and although configuring the

machine is fairly easy, we did encounter a slight hitch.

After we booted the machine for the first time and typed in the appropriate IP and gateway addresses, the unit took almost 15 minutes to

reboot. Once the system was up and running, though, it worked well. We pulled down an image of a Windows desktop complete with a wide

range of applications and used that desktop as if it emanated from a local PC.

Unlike Neoware’s Eon line of high-end thin clients, the Capio 500 is a closer to the dumb terminals of yore, relying on a server for nearly all

computing tasks. But it does include the I/O ports (serial, parallel, USB, audio) common to PCs, in case you need to attach peripherals.

ezRemote Manager comes bundled with the unit; it lets IT managers control and upgrade all client machines from a single central location,

saving you time and money

for more information click on http://www.thinclientworld.blogspot.com/

Thin-Client Technology

Turning PCs into not-so-dumb terminals may be one of the smartest moves you can make when it comes to planning for disaster recovery. There are

many advantages to this type of environment, known as thin-client or server-based computing, including lower hardware costs and easier client

management. And its built-in facility for disaster recovery can make it an invaluable tool for minimizing employee downtime when your network and its

PCs and workstations become unavailable.

With a thin-client system, the client sends keystrokes and mouse movements to the server over the network or dial-up connection, and the server

sends back changes in the display. Any PC can be a client, but because very little processing is performed at the desktop, businesses can also use

low-cost terminals that have no moving parts (no hard drive) and a generally small amount of memory (RAM).

Since each client is just a terminal, all data and settings—and even the applications—are on the server. To back up everything for all the users, you

need only back up the server. And for disaster recovery, backups are easier and more centralized, making it easier to take your backups off-site.

Imagine a worst-case systems disaster in which your clients and servers are lost. You must restore your backups on other servers. Ideally, you

should move to a mirrored server setup in which you can use the same server and domain names; in this case, your clients should be able to connect

and continue as if nothing had happened. Not many companies want to maintain an expensive set of parallel servers. If you have to restore your

backups to a different server configuration, you may need to write some new log-on scripts, but because all the computing is server-based, you

should be able to make the changes easily.

The two leading thin-client platforms are Citrix MetaFrame (MetaFrame/Workgroups 1.8 for Windows 2000 Server, for 5 users, $2,000 street; for 15

users, $5,000; www.citrix.com) and Microsoft Windows Terminal Server (Windows 2000 Terminal Services, for 5 users, $750; for 20 users, $2,670;

Terminal Services Internet Connector License, for 200 concurrent users, $10,000; www.microsoft.com). MetaFrame makes disaster recovery easier

by letting you join multiple servers—even geographically dispersed servers—into a server farm. If some servers go off-line, the others pick up the

load, thus providing load balancing and server redundancy. Of course, when the fallback servers are connected across a slow connection, this

configuration won’t suffice.

Since client machines are not doing any processing, disaster recovery for them is easy. You can install the client software on any PC, even one that

is underpowered by modern standards, and it will be an acceptable thin client. If you run a Windows PC thin client, such as one of the many different

models available from Wyse, setup doesn’t even require configuring Windows, although you must provide the server’s IP address. Many products have

management software (such as Wyse Rapport, custom pricing, www.wyse.com) that automates the configuration of these devices.

We tested thin-client devices from several vendors in our April 4, 2000, story “Thin is Back,” and we especially liked the IBM Network Station 2200

and 2800 ($630 and $820 street, respectively; www.pc.ibm.com/nc), the Neoware NeoStation 2300 and 3000C ($540 and $400 respectively;

www.neoware.com), the Sun Ray 1 ($400, www.sun.com), and the Wyse Winterm 3360SE ($850). The Neoware and Sun products both received our

Editors’ Choice for that story.

Another highlight of thin-client computing is that it is designed for remote-access workers, making it ideal for disaster recovery. If your company’s

employees need to work remotely for a period of time (either from some other office or even from home), they can do so easily and seamlessly with

thin-client systems. You don’t even need to install client software on their systems; you can set up a Web page using an ActiveX control or

Netscape plug-in that connects to the server, which will require some programming with Terminal Server. Fortunately, Citrix NFuse (free download,

www.citrix.com) easily creates application links inside Web pages. Deploying these remote or Web-based applications, however, does have some

caveats. You will have to wager flexibility, remote access, and recovery capabilities against security.

There are applications that don’t work well in a typical thin-client environment, but they are usually apps that aren’t critical to business, such as

streaming video and games. In general, you should avoid applications that require intensive screen operations, such as Adobe Photoshop. Also,

applications that are very memory- and computing-intensive tend to slow down unacceptably, because they are sharing a CPU and memory with

other applications on the server. If these types of applications are used heavily in your organization, you should really consider having backup

workstations available.

Even when your users normally run Windows on fat clients, you can still use thin-client systems for disaster recovery. As long as you keep your

standard applications installed and make sure that they are configured correctly for a thin-client scenario, you can switch over to a thin client in a

disaster. Such a plan requires that your users store all data on the server in standard, accessible locations, instead of on their local hard drives, so

you can quickly configure applications to find their data.

Market share in the thin-client platform arena continues to be dominated by Citrix and Microsoft—a combined 90 percent share—especially among

Microsoft Windows NT and 2000 environments. Though MetaFrame is available for Unix platforms, third-party products are often used to support and

run them in a mixed environment.

There are other platforms and vendors to consider. For example, Tarantella Enterprise 3 ($14,950 list for 50 users, $5,000 additional for the security

package; www.tarantella.com) comes from a small company that split off from SCO and has received accolades for creating products that run in a

mixed-platform environment without additional product support.

The X Window System (often abbreviated as X), a client/server windowing system developed at MIT, is not usually considered a practical

remote-access method in office environments, because unlike RDP and ICA (the Microsoft and Citrix protocols, respectively), X is not optimized for

low-bandwidth connections. But in an emergency or for system administration tasks, X could be useful as a short-term solution.

Moving your applications from standard Windows or Unix platforms to Web hosting with a browser front end makes your clients truly thin and

portable. Users can access them from anywhere they have an Internet connection. But the limitations of this approach are profound. First,

development of these applications requires substantial custom design. Second, workers today demand the power and responsiveness of real user

interfaces, like those of Microsoft Office applications. Most likely, anything you build into a Web interface won’t satisfy them. RDP and ICA clients

can, however, connect to any server on the Internet and be accessible from anywhere.

Very few disaster recovery strategies flow so clearly from other legitimate administrative goals as does thin-client computing. With your disaster

recovery strategy, you also get better security and easier support and administration, provided that you host your servers on your own

infrastructure. Thin-client computing requires active and expert administration, but few approaches allow your organization to return to a rich

computing experience so quickly

for more information click on http://www.thinclientworld.blogspot.com/

NTA Thin Client Terminals from $149

Devon IT Inc. has embedded an “optimized” version of Red Hat Linux in a line of low-cost thin-client terminals ranging from the entry-level Ntavo NTA 6010A priced at $149, to the $599 NTA 6015L that boasts an integrated 15-inch, 1024×668 TFT LCD screen. The company has avoided the common practice of maximizing features and charging high prices, in favor of offering the most “cost-effective thin-client alternative to desktop PCs,” it says.

According to the company, the low-end 6010A is powered by a Via Eden 4000 433 MHz processor. It comes equipped with 64MB of socketed DIMM DRAM and 64MB of CompactFlash memory, and a display controller that supports CRT and LCD monitors at up to 1280×1024 pixels in 24-bit color. Expansion ports include: three USB ports; serial, parallel, and PS/2 keyboard/mouse “legacy” ports; audio in/out ports; and a 10/100 Mbps Ethernet interface.

The NTA 6010A offers an “easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) based on [a] Windows XP theme,” according to Devon, and it comes with built-in support for RDP (remote desktop protocol), ICA, and X client protocols, enabling its use as a terminal running remotely served Windows, Linux, or UNIX software applications, whether on a LAN or over the Internet.

The device’s embedded software also includes QVW Windows Manager and the Mozilla Firefox Web browser, as well as a client-side version of the company’s ThinManage configuration software. Thanks to the presence of Firefox, the device can be used out-of-the-box as a Web appliance, according to Devon vice president of marketing Paul Mancini.

As noted, the NTA 6010A and its higher-priced siblings include USB ports as well as a single internal PCI slot, which can be used for system expansion. The internal PCI slot is typically used to add a WiFi wireless card, according to Mancini.

Users can also add external hard drives and CD-ROMs by means of the USB ports. Additionally, the device’s DRAM consists of a socketed DIMM module, and its Flash memory is implemented with a CompactFlash card, so it should be easy to upgrade the unit’s DRAM memory and Flash storage. It also seems likely that the CompactFlash memory card can be replaced with a CompactFlash “Microdrive” hard drive, or even a 2.5-inch, laptop-style hard drive.

To date, all of Devon’s products have been based on Linux, Mancini added. However, “we will be announcing a Windows XPe thin client terminal soon, based on customer demand,” he said.

At $149, the NTA 6010A appears to be one of the lowest priced Linux thin clients currently on the market. “We are not aware of any terminals at this price point,” said Mancini. “The specs on our 6010A terminals at $149 compare to Wyse and Neoware terminals that are nearly $400 (list price),” he added.

The NTA 6010A is currently available from Devon IT.

An Introduction to Terminal Services Remote Programs (Part 1)

When you think of a Terminal Services session, you probably think of a thin client environment in which all of a user’s applications run on a terminal server, and the user’s PC simply acts as a dumb terminal. Although this has traditionally been the case with the Windows Terminal Services, Windows Longhorn Server will offer a new type of Terminal Service session called Terminal Services Remote Programs. Longhorn Server will continue to offer the type of Terminal Server environment that you are already used to, but you will now have the option of using Terminal Services Remote Programs to create a sort of hybrid user environment in which some applications are installed locally and other applications transparently run on a terminal server. Applications running on a Terminal Server provide the illusion of running locally. In this article, I will introduce you to this new Terminal Service environment.

Why Use Remote Programs?

The first thing that you’re probably wondering about Terminal Services Remote Programs is why in the world you would ever want to use them? One possible reason for running Terminal Services Remote Programs is to be able to run an application on a client that would not normally support the application. The way that Terminal Services Remote Programs works, users may have no idea that an application isn’t being run locally.

Of course this still doesn’t answer the question of why you would want to use Terminal Services Remote Programs. Imagine a situation in which you need to deploy a new application, but the user’s workstations are outdated and incapable of running the application. In such a situation, you would normally have two options. One option would be to purchase new hardware for the users, thus allowing them to run the application. The other option would be to deploy a Terminal Services environment and have the users work through a Terminal Services session rather than working off of the computer locally.

There are several problems with switching the users over to a Terminal Services environment. For starters, the organization would have the expense of purchasing a server that can be used to host the Terminal Services, and the expense of the associated licenses. There is also the issue of training the administrative staff on how to manage a Terminal Services environment. Another possible issue is the amount of time that it would take to deploy a full blown Terminal Services environment. Depending on the organization’s business need, and how critical the new application is, waiting for a Terminal Services deployment to be completed might not be an option.

Purchasing new computers for the users is not a perfect solution either. The most obvious issue is the cost of the new computers, which could be significant depending on how many users need new hardware. Another possible issue is the amount of time that it would take the administrative staff to configure the new computers before they are ready to be used.

Using Terminal Services Remote Programs won’t solve all of these problems, but in a situation like this it might be the best solution. Like any Terminal Services environment, you will need a server to host the Terminal Services sessions. However, depending on your organization’s needs, using the Terminal Services to host remote programs probably isn’t going to be nearly as complicated as running a full blown Terminal Services environment.

In a situation like this, you would still have the cost of a server that could be used to host the remote programs, and of course you would need to purchase the necessary licenses. However, depending on how many users have obsolete computers, this might be cheaper than trying to replace a bunch of desktops. Furthermore, using a terminal server to host remote programs should represent less of a learning curve for both the users and the administrative staff than switching to a full blown Terminal Service environment.

A completely different benefit to using Terminal Services Remote Programs is that you can provide access to remote programs over the Internet. The original intention of this feature was so that mobile users could access their applications from anywhere, so long as they have an Internet connection Longhorn server contains a new component called a Terminal Service Gateway, which allows access to either remote programs or to a full-blown Terminal Service session over the Internet (I have already written a series of articles on the Terminal Service Gateway). According to a friend at Microsoft, it is theoretically possible to build your own website, and host an application within it using this technology.