Understanding Thin Client

Question

I want to setup something like Multipoint Server at my office. But NOT WITH zero clients. I know that it's possible via network. I mean booting OS via network. Read about LTSP http://www.ltsp.org/. Is there windows alternative for LTSP? Please, someone explain me. How to setup computer network with thin clients and 1 server at office?

Answer 1

For the 'plain' Windows approach, you would be installing a core server, such as Windows Server 2008 with Terminal Services running. Each thin client would require a Terminal Services Client Access Licence (CAL) and the server itself needs enough terminal services licences for 10 users. There is a Microsoft document explaining the licencing terms here:

http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=3032

Now, with regards to clients, as you want truly thin ones (rather than PCs running remote desktop), you need something like a 'WinTerm' unit - a device that supports the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) - A Web search will turn up some options, but for example - there's the Wyse product range:

http://www.wyse.com/products/hardware/

http://www.wyse.com/thincomputing/index.asp

Do bear in mind that the thin clients are quite sophisticated devices and can cost as much (or more) as a simple PC running Windows (which could be used as a 'thin client').

If you want to look at serious thin client infrastructures, you will need to talk to the likes of Citrix or Microsoft for their full platform options.

http://www.citrix.com/lang/English/home.asp

There are a lot of things to consider before you head down the thin client route - especially ask yourself what is the principle driver for doing it - if it's to save money, then for a small 10-user setup I doubt if you'll do this by the time you have a central server powerful enough to support your users and have purchased all the clients, licences and support contracts + considered what extra hardware you need for redundancy and backup - remember, if the central server is offline, none of the clients can do anything.

If the driver for going thin client is to reduce admin then I'd suggest that on a 10-user setup there will be little difference between 10 PCs and a server or 10 thin clients and a server.

Do come back with more info about what you are trying to achieve and we can give some more specific guidance.

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Edit - Based on further comments, if you already have a Windows server running with Terminal Services enabled and licenced (Terminal Services CALs) then you could setup a spare PC or three with thinstation ( http://www.thinstation.org/ ) - an Open Source app based on Linux that boots into a thin client.