Thin Clients

[anthonymel]

Probably not the right forum but...

I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with thin clients. I'm totally in the dark here. Do they acess the server like remote desktop does. What software and hardware would I need to set up a few thin clients to test out.

Apparently this topic is hot right now in business and in education. So I'm just curious.

Thanks

Anthony

 

[NortonES2]

Then thin clients we have (HP T5700) come supplied with Windows XP embedded pre-installed and configured for DHCP as a member of a workgroup. The desktop already has the Remote Desktop client installed and this is then used for connecting to our Terminal Servers on the domain.

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If it doesn't leak oil it must be empty!!

 

[edlcsre]

Hi Anthony,

Thin clients come in different flavours, some have the OS pre-installed, others connect directly to the server, a bit like remote desktop.

I'd suggest you re-post your question on the Citrix solutions Forum here, as you're more likely to get the sort of response you're after there, a lot of thin clients connect to Citrix servers, so thats probably as good a place as any to get some info about thin client devices

Also, do have a read through some of the posts there, and use the search tool, as you will almost certainly find that someone has posted something similar in the past, and got some replies.

Cheers,

Chris

 

[anthonymel]

NortonES2,

Thanks for the answer. How much network resources do they take up and how many clients to a server? I have about 20 possible thin client candidates here at work. From the back end stand point I would just need Windows Server 2003 and terminal services enabled?

Thanks again,

Anthony

 

[PScottC]

Yes. You will need to verify that the applications you are going to run will run on a terminal server. My last company used thin clients running Windows CE and the Citrix ICA client and they connected to Citrix MetaframeXP.

PSC

Governments and corporations need people like you and me. We are samurai. The keyboard cowboys. And all those other people out there who have no idea what's going on are the cattle. Mooo! --Mr. The Plague, from the movie "Hackers

 

[aquias]

There are, as stated, a few flavors of Thin Clients. So you need to make several determinations prior to getting to the point of wanting to purchase a thin client...and these are out of order due to my head being a bit fuzzy, I apologize.

1. Are you going to use Citrix or Terminal Services? There are pro's and con's to each. Citrix is, IMO, a bit easier to manage and does work a bit faster than a straight TS connection. However, Citrix vs TS is a much more expensive option. In addition without training Citrix can be a bit daunting to dive into, especially with all the new flavors and abilities of Citrix.

2. Do the applications you have run over TS? If so, how much memory do they take up per instance run? This will help you to determine if using TS/Citrix is a good idea for this environment.

3. Identify every application these users will have to have access to. Once you make this commitment understand that this will not be going anywhere, so any new software will have to run over TS as well.

4. Identify the benefits of your environment for TS. How much money will you save over time? Remember, upgrades to the desktop will no longer matter as these should be good to go for several years.

5. Begin looking at various thin clients. I recommend Wyse, you can get something on a loan for thirty days from them, all you need is a credit card (they charge and then refund the purchase).

 

[NortonES2]

Bandwidth shouldn't be an issue whether you use Terminal Services or Citrix, as mentioned you need to make sure that the applications that you will be running are Terminal server \ Citrix compatible (not all are). We currently have 200+ thin clients connecting to a Terminal Server farm consisting of 3 x HP DL380G3 2.8Ghz 2Gb RAM.

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If it doesn't leak oil it must be empty!!

 

[mrmoneymatters]

I work at a credit union and all tellers, including the ones at our branches have thin clients. They connect to a 2k terminal server. I HATE THEM....

The thin clients come with xp embedded, if anything goes wrong you have to send it in and get it reflashed. You cant install anything on them, such as virus protection. They still cost a chunk of money. The ones we have cost about $700 each. I looked on Dell's website and you can get a small form factor pc for the same price. So I ordered three of them for trial, I will still have them connect to a terminal server, but they have a real pc for the same cost. So why even bother with a thin client?

Network Admin
A+, Network+, MCSA 2000, MCSE 2000

 

[NortonES2]

Depending on the model you can download the Bios\OS from the web. Not being able to install anything on them could be an advantage as it stops unauthorised software being installed also the ongoing support costs for these is far less than a standard PC.

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If it doesn't leak oil it must be empty!!

 

[aquias]

700?! The ones we utilize are running us about 370 a piece, it's part of the reason I was able to push this through.

 

[technome]

mrmoneymatters...
Not thrilled with terminals either.

Agree with Norton 52, for major security and ease of replacement, terminals are the way to go; then again you can get a PC for $700.00. A standard PC opens a network up to internal and external security threats. Another factor besides less hardware and software maintenance, is the electrical cost savings, approx 70 watts vs > 225 watts per machine and a min of 70 watt for the display, 70 vs 300, which adds up with many machines.

 

[mrmoneymatters]

The thing with thin clients is you can install small apps, like viruses and trojans, but not large apps like virus software. I never thought about the power consumption thing, that is an excellent point.

Network Admin
A+, Network+, MCSA 2000, MCSE 2000

 

[fs483]

Actually bandwidth does sometimes matter. I have a lot of users that run on VERY slow satellite links (64kbs to 256kbs in the best conditions) and with Citrix, the data packets are more compressed and has better security. The latency on these links are over 700ms. Even a 56k modem only connects at 25k. So with Citrix, things are a little more fast. I dream of the date where all my users will have 5 megabits (or faster) links ! Power consumption is also an interesting factor as with heat dissipation. My remote users are in the deep jungles of Africa but they also need much more processing power than what Thin clients can offer.