Posts filed under 'Uncategorized'
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/
Add comment October 25, 2006
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/
Add comment October 25, 2006
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/
Add comment October 25, 2006
Low cost PC & As PC prices fall you may be wondering why you should purchase a thin client at all, even if it is below $500
As the thin client industry continues to mature, manufacturers need to retain an edge to compete. PC prices are lower than ever, and new device manufacturers continue to enter the market with lower prices — pushing existing companies to follow suit. Several Thin Planet partners manufacture thin client devices, including:
1. A Thin Client Company, Inc
2. BlueShark Technologies
3. BOSaNOVA
4. Computer Lab International
5. Esprit Systems
6. HCL Peripherals
7. IGEL Technology
8. Maxspeed
9. Neoware Systems
10. NLynx Technologies, Inc.
11. Unisys
12. VECMAR Computer Solutions
13. VXL Instruments
14. Wyse Technology
Why Buy a Thin Client?
. What is important to understand is that the benefits and cost savings associated with thin client and server-based computing are maximized when you use thin client devices on the desktop. By eliminating the moving parts (disk drives), local applications and fat operating systems, desktop management and maintenance becomes centralized and simplified.
If you have already bought into the concept of thin client and server-based computing then these cost savings are obvious. However, if you have not, then we recommend that you read how Federal Express and others have implemented the technology.
There are many desktop thin client devices listed on Thin Planet, most with suggested retail prices above $500. One of the advantages of Thin Clients is that their life expectancy is much longer than the average PC. For this reason, we recommend that you explore the more expensive models in addition to these sub $500 devices to ensure that you select a device that will continue to meet your needs.
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Add comment October 20, 2006
As the thin client industry continues to mature, manufacturers need to retain an edge to compete. PC prices are lower than ever, and new device manufacturers continue to enter the market with lower prices — pushing existing companies to follow suit. Several Thin Planet partners manufacture thin client devices, including:
1. A Thin Client Company, Inc
2. BlueShark Technologies
3. BOSaNOVA
4. Computer Lab International
5. Esprit Systems
6. HCL Peripherals
7. IGEL Technology
8. Maxspeed
9. Neoware Systems
10. NLynx Technologies, Inc.
11. Unisys
12. VECMAR Computer Solutions
13. VXL Instruments
14. Wyse Technology
Why Buy a Thin Client?
As PC prices fall you may be wondering why you should purchase a thin client at all, even if it is below $500. What is important to understand is that the benefits and cost savings associated with thin client and server-based computing are maximized when you use thin client devices on the desktop. By eliminating the moving parts (disk drives), local applications and fat operating systems, desktop management and maintenance becomes centralized and simplified.
If you have already bought into the concept of thin client and server-based computing then these cost savings are obvious. However, if you have not, then we recommend that you read how Federal Express and others have implemented the technology.
There are many desktop thin client devices listed on Thin Planet, most with suggested retail prices above $500. One of the advantages of Thin Clients is that their life expectancy is much longer than the average PC. For this reason, we recommend that you explore the more expensive models in addition to these sub $500 devices to ensure that you select a device that will continue to meet your needs.
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IGEL Technology |
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Esprit Systems |
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Add comment October 20, 2006
What Is Thin Client ?
A thin client is a computer (client) in client-server architecture networks which depends primarily on the central server for processing activities. The word “thin” refers to the small boot image which such clients typically require – perhaps no more than required to connect to a network and start up a dedicated web browser or “Remote Desktop” connection such as X11, Citrix ICA, Microsoft RDP or Nomachine NX.
In contrast, a thick or fat client does as much processing as possible and passes only data required for communications and archival storage to the server.
Introduction
n designing a client-server application, there is a decision to be made as to which parts of the task should be done on the client, and which on the server. This decision can crucially affect the cost of clients and servers, the robustness and security of the application as a whole, and the flexibility of the design to later modification or porting.
One design question is how application-specific the client software should be. Using standardized client software such as a Web browser or X11 display can save on development costs, since one does not need to develop a custom client—but one must accept the limitations of the standard client.
Depending on the outcome of these decisions we might say that we use either a thin client or a thick/fat client (or a mixture of both).
Definitions
A thin client is a network computer without a hard disk drive, which, in client/server applications, is designed to be especially small so that the bulk of the data processing occurs on the server
Application program
A thin client as an application program communicates with an application server and relies for most significant elements of its business logic on a separate piece of software, an application server, typically running on a host computer located nearby in a LAN or at a distance on a WAN or MAN.
A thin client does most of its processing on a central server with as little hardware and software as possible at the user’s location, and as much as possible at some centralized managed site.
The meaning of the words “significant elements”, “core function”, “most” and “as little” are arguable.
Other definitions of thin versus thick/fat client application program try to draw the line at whether the deployment of the application requires the installation of additional software at the user site or not. Unfortunately, this is also arguable, since e.g., a browser used for a client application might be part of one client platform, but not the other. So on one platform no additional software installation is required, while another client platform requires it. The only objective definition would seem to be whether the boot image that is normally used to start the user’s computer needs to be modified in any way before the client can be used: if not, then, the client is probably thin. Another criterion is related to the management of the thin client device or program. If it can be centrally managed, it is probably thin.
However, a great deal of software is today typically included in a base boot image, specifically to support various user applications, so that it need not be reinstalled on every computer. Often, a departmental boot image is prepared to include applications specific to a department.
User-interface device
A thin client as a device is designed to provide just those functions which are useful for user-interface programs. Often such devices do not include hard disk drives, which may become corrupted by the installation of misbehaved or incompatible software, but instead, in the interests of low maintenance cost and increased mean-time between failures (MTBF) the thin client device will use read-only storage such as a CD-ROM, Network Virtual Drive or flash memory.
Ideally the user will have only a screen, keyboard, a pointing device (if needed) and enough computer to handle display and communications. Companies that develop and market these devices include Wyse, Chip PC, Sun Microsystems, WML (UK), BOSaNOVA, and Hewlett-Packard.
Device for running a thin client application program
“Thin client” has also been used as a marketing term for computer appliances designed to run thin client software. Chip PC Xtreme PC, Chip PC Jack PC, X terminal, Wyse Winterm, Neoware Appliance, Clearcube or Web kiosk might be considered thin clients in this sense.
The latest concept in this genre is ‘Ultra Thin Client’ technology – which takes the ‘thin’ concept one step further by running the connection client software (Citrix, Windows Terminal Services, telnet etc) directly from the appliance’s hardware. This is a marked difference to legacy thin-client hardware architecture which ran an operating system, often Windows CE or Linux between the hardware and connection client software. There are many benefits in not requiring an operating system, lower cost, higher performance and non-vulnerablity to viruses.
Software thin client
Most thin clients are software-only however, and run on standard PC hardware. One example of this software-only thin client is PXES Universal Linux Thin Client and Pilotlinux. Knoppix is also actively pursuing this market, as is ThinStation. (See also Puppy Linux). An example on the Windows platform is the BeTwin program, which uses extra VGA/DVI graphics ports, or cards, in the host PC plus USB connected keyboards and mice to enable additional workstations.
Examples of thin client and thick client usage
The advocates of both architectures tend to have contentious relationships. In practice, there seems to be little to choose between the two approaches for many applications. A few situations may clearly call for one or the other. Distributed computing projects such as the SETI@home project (whose whole point is to pass off computationally intensive analysis to a large collection of remote computers) are applications that require thick clients. On the other hand multicasting entertainment or educational material to a number of clients might best be done with thin clients since exactly the same material is to be presented at each.
Some technologies such as Network Virtual Disks or Disk Drive Images are aimed to provide central management and security/reliability/affordability comparable to what is found in Thin Client devices: the OS that operates the client is stored on a shared virtual disk image (a disk image file) that is housed on a server in the clients’ LAN. This virtual disk drive is “write protected” and shared by several clients at the same time. The content of this virtual disk drive is streamed on demand to the clients. Yet, all the computing is done by the client itself. Instead of centralizing a complete computer (centralize the storage, CPU, memory, devices etc) this approach centralizes only the hard disk drives. Because the virtual disk drives can be shared and protected, the aim to reduce TCO is also achieved with this technology. This technology can be used to run typical Embedded Operating Systems such as Embedded Linux and Windows XP Embedded, but also to run desktop operating systems such as Microsoft Windows XP Pro, FreeBSD or Linux.
Organizations that develop and market Network Virtual Disks include Linux Terminal Server Project, IBM (iBoot technology) and Ardence. Network Block Device support is another kind of Network Virtual Disk embedded in Unix and Linux.
Advantages of thin clients
Obviously, boot image control is much simpler when only thin clients are used – typically a single boot image can accommodate a very wide range of user needs, and be managed centrally, resulting in:
- Lower IT admin costs. Thin clients are managed almost entirely at the server. The hardware has fewer points of failure and the local environment is highly restricted (and often stateless), providing protection from malware.
- Easier to secure. Thin clients can be designed so that no application data ever resides on the client (it is entirely rendered), centralizing malware protection.
- Lower hardware costs. Thin client hardware is generally cheaper because it does not contain a disk, application memory, or a powerful processor. They also generally have a longer period before requiring an upgrade or becoming obsolete. The total hardware requirements for a thin client system (including both servers and clients) are usually much lower compared to a system with fat clients. One reason for this is that the hardware is better utilized. A CPU in a fat workstation is idle most of the time. With thin clients, memory can be shared. If several users are running the same application, it only needs to be loaded into RAM once with a central server. With fat clients, each workstation must have its own copy of the program in memory.
- Lower Energy Consumption. Dedicated thin client hardware has much lower energy consumption than thick client PCs. This not only reduces energy costs but may mean that in some cases air-conditioning systems are not required or need not be upgraded which can be a significant cost saving and contribute to achieving energy saving targets.
- Worthless to most thieves. Thin client hardware, whether dedicated or simply older hardware that has been repurposed via cascading, is useless outside a client-server environment. Burglars interested in computer equipment have a much harder time fencing thin client hardware (and it is less valuable).
- Hostile Environments. Most devices have no moving parts so can be used in dusty environments without the worry of PC fans clogging up and overheating and burning out the PC.
- Less network bandwidth. Since terminal servers typically reside on the same high-speed network backbone as file servers, most network traffic is confined to the server room. 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 file server and another 10MB back 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. Over efficient protocols such as ICA or NX this can consume as little as 5Kbps bandwidth.
Advantages of thick clients
1. Fewer server requirements. A thick client server does not require as high a level of performance as a thin client server (since the thick clients themselves do much of the application processing). This results in drastically cheaper servers.
2. Better multimedia performance. Thick clients have advantages in multimedia-rich applications that would be bandwidth intensive if fully served. For example, thick clients are well suited for video gaming.
3. More flexibility. On some operating systems (such as Microsoft Windows) software products are designed for personal computers that have their own local resources. Trying to run this software in a thin client environment can be difficult.
Advantages of Network Virtual Disks clients
Disadvantages of Network Virtual Disks clients
100Base-T LAN required. Because of the amount of data streamed to the clients, it is usually difficult to have a Network Virtual Disk client connected through a WAN link to the server that houses..
Add comment October 17, 2006
Thin Client Runs Windows, Linux
As industry talk swirls around Linux desktops versus Windows desktops, Neoware Systems, a leading provider of thin clients, unveiled this week a $199 appliance that runs both.
The Capio One uses Citrix Systems’ ICA, Microsoft’s RDP, or Neoware’s TeemTalk for host access to mainframes, midrange, Linux, Unix, and Windows systems.
“We give customers a single OS platform, Linux, Win CE, or XP Embedded. But 50 percent of our business is Linux, that is Linux on the desktop and almost all of those customers are connecting to Windows servers, running Windows applications at full native speed,” says Mike Kantrowitz, CEO of Neoware.
For added security the operating systems on the appliance are read only, the CEO says.
In addition to the Capio One, Neoware unveiled the Eon product family. The e100, $379, supports Windows CE, XP Embedded, and Linux with swappable operating systems. The e300, $949, is similar but comes with a flat panel display, and the e500, $1299, is in a Tablet PC form factor.
The company also announced its Open Management strategy that will, in the first round of deployments, allow the thin clients to work with IBM Tivoli, Microsoft Systems Management Server, and Altiris Deployment Solution management tools. Kantrowitz says in the future the company intends to support other enterprise tools from other vendors as well.
“Thin clients [management systems] have been too proprietary. They need to integrate into existing IT systems,” Kantrowitz says.
Making the Switch
Bob O’Donnell, director of personal technology at IDC, says that despite the fact that thin clients make sense on many levels, are less costly to support, more secure, and easier to deploy software across the enterprise, there are other issues that are keeping the thin client market “tiny.”
“The problem is transitioning from PC to thin clients. More than anything people don’t know what the issues are, how do I make it work and what are the potential gotchas. How do I have to change my infrastructure, that is a core issue,” says O’Donnell.
Nevertheless, Neoware’s Kantrowitz says thin client deployments are growing in the enterprise and becoming more mainstream.
“Ikea is using our appliances worldwide on the floor and in the back office,” says Kantrowitz.
Commenting on IDC forecasts that thin clients will grow to maybe 2 percent of the total PC market by 2008, Kantrowitz says. “Apple’s market share is only 2.5 percent. We’re catching up.”
All models are shipping now.
1 comment October 16, 2006
