Thin clients
Thin clients<@VM>Thin clients have fewer failure points than PCs<@VM>Thin clients have fewer failure points than PCs (cont.)<@VM>Microsoft and Citrix set the protocol pace
Network administrators can save time and money by letting servers carry the loadBy J.B. Miles
Special to GCN
Thin is in. Sales of thin clients have more than tripled since 1998, when 350,000 units were sold, according to a survey by International Data Corp., a market research company in Framingham, Mass. Sales reached 1.2 million last year, and most analysts predict the total to exceed 6 million annually by 2003.
Thin clients get their name not from their size or shape but from the way they function in server-based network architectures.
The Sun Ray 150 from Sun Microsystems Inc. includes a 15-inch LCD monitor, contains no CPU and runs SunSoft Solaris. It's priced at $1,399. |
Unlike the fat local clients that share the processing load with servers in client-server and distributed computing models, thin clients are used exclusively as windows to the servers.
Only the servers process applications and data. The thin clients are used solely to display the applications via monitors and may also serve as limited input/output devices via the keyboards, mice, scanners, bar code readers, printers or fax machines attached to their parallel, serial or USB ports.
Because thinness is determined by function, not shape, any device, including a PC, can serve as a thin client. The heavy and slow dumb terminals that displayed text from central mainframes on monochrome screens during the mid-1970s and early 1980s were among the earliest versions of thin clients.
New usesNowadays, plenty of older 386 and 486 Intel PCs are being pressed into service as thin clients. NetPCs, a hybrid category of PC-like devices minus floppy drives and expansion ports, also can fill this category. But unlike thin clients, units with hard drives can also store and process applications to act like mini-PCs.
Look across the counters of airlines, travel agencies and car rental companies and you'll see an entire range of general-purpose terminals that also serve as thin clients. They look like computers, but they are little more than keyboards and monitors with embedded chips and direct network access to a central computer.
They have no hard drives or floppy drives and their only purpose is to access and display information from a main computer and enter new information such as schedule updates into a mainframe or series of high-end workstations.
The ThinStar 200 from Network Computing Devices Inc. has a 100-MHz NEC R4300 processor and runs Microsoft Windows CE. It's priced at $499 and does not include a monitor. |
This Buyers Guide features thin clients that run Microsoft Windows, Unix or Linux. These units are next-generation versions of the general-purpose terminals.
Like the general-purpose terminals, they contain no moving parts'no spinning media in the form of hard or floppy drives or fans'and they store and process no local applications, with the possible exception of a Web browser or optional terminal emulation software.
Their processors are not exceptionally fast or powerful because they are used mostly for system booting, I/O needs and windowing tasks. Most of the thin clients listed run Windows CE, although Linux and Embedded NT are making inroads into the marketplace, as well.
At your serverAided by sophisticated network operating software from Microsoft Corp. and Citrix Systems Inc., the terminals can inexpensively serve up your favorite PC server productivity or business software, including Internet browsers, complete with graphics, pictures and sound.
Why buy thin clients? They aren't for everybody.
Knowledge professionals prefer to be in charge of loading and unloading their own applications. Many power users want to be able to unscrew a machine's cover and tinker with the insides. Content creators such as engineers, computer-aided design users and graphics designers are better off with PCs or high-end workstations with enough horsepower to handle high-end computing tasks.
Great for someBut for information services managers overseeing the requirements of customer service workers, sales representatives, administrative workers, reservation agents and even health workers, thin client computing supplies distinct advantages. Some of the benefits:
Positive TCO. According to a recent estimate from the GartnerGroup Inc. of Stamford, Conn., the total cost of ownership for running a desktop PC exceeds $5,000 annually in many organizations.
TCO includes the base price for the machine and other factors such as maintenance, setup time, software administration, spare parts inventories and employee hours spent keeping a particular device up and running.
In just about all these areas, thin clients offer a much more favorable TCO ration than either PCs or NetPCs.
Base price. Most of the units listed in the accompanying table are priced between $400 and $900. Units costing more often come with flat-panel or touch-screen monitors.
Although a low-end Intel Celeron PC is priced between $600 and $800, there's much less to go wrong with a thin client device once it has been set up to run with a network server.
Low MTBF rate. The base measurement of any electronic device's reliability is its mean time between failure, or MTBF.
Typical thin clients have an MTBF rate of up to 170,000 hours, and most PCs have an MTBF rate of between 20,000 and 40,000 hours, according to a study by Compaq Corp.
Statistically, your networked PC is likely to fail up to five times more often than a thin client. You can reasonably expect a thin client running Windows to last seven to 10 years'or 60,000 to 87,000 hours'without failure.
Acute Network Technologies Inc.'s TC-8000 Series include a Cyrix MediaGXm LV processor. Prices range from $1,399 to $1,699. |
Reliability. MTBF is built on the reliability of a system's components and the way it is built. As well as having no moving parts, thin clients also use higher-quality components with lower failure rates than, say, inexpensive Celeron PCs.
They also consume less power than PCs, minimizing the problem of overheated components.
Best of all, casual or curious users can't easily muck about the insides of a thin client to replace or swap out a part or add or delete software.
Security. Because casual or unauthorized users can't load or unload software, or even tamper with a thin client's case'which often is riveted shut'the use of any unauthorized software that might contaminate the rest of the network is eliminated.
Software piracy and other security risks posed by office workers or intruders are also eliminated. As for theft, a device without a hard or floppy drive, significant memory and few expansion slots isn't nearly as attractive to a thief as a full-fledged PC.
Ease of management. In a multiuser, server-based environment, all software resides on network servers, making software administration, upgrades, configurations and license administration far easier than in a dispersed PC environment. Any changes to software need to be made only once and all users benefit immediately.
Ease of setup and installation. The Compaq report said a PC or workstation typically takes 90 minutes to set up'30 minutes to unpack and load the operating system, 30 minutes to load applications and 30 minutes to configure the unit and attach it to the network.
Compaq claims that one of its T1010 or T1015 thin clients can be set up in 15 minutes'five minutes to unpack and connect (there is no software loading), five minutes to configure the user's profile and five minutes to configure the server connection.
In a 100-seat environment, the report said, the difference becomes substantial: 19 days of a field engineer's time for the PCs, three days for the thin client setup.
Ease of use. Thin-client devices are increasingly used at call centers, as point-of-sale devices, at kiosks in schools and libraries, manufacturing plant floors, in hospitals and construction sites, even on ships at sea.
| Tips for buyers |
' Smart-card options can build a thin client's memory and PC Card options can provide dial-up capability for remote service.
' Many thin clients come with optional terminal emulation software for legacy applications.
' Fast, powerful processors are not
required for thin clients because all applications and data reside on the server.
' Built-in flat-panel or touch-screen monitors significantly raise the price of thin clients.
' Thin clients aren't for everybody, but they give network administrators maximum control over network activities.
|
As mentioned, organizations wishing to act as their own application service providers can upload or download software versions from their secure servers onto thin clients at will, without the fear of intervention or sabotage by a disgruntled employee.
Many models can be equipped with touch screens for public users unfamiliar with keyboards. Multilingual instructions for their use also can be provided.
Performance. The performance of PCs and NetPCs are determined by such factors as the speed and power of their processors, the amount of RAM, bus types, and the speed of peripherals such as hard drives and CD-ROM drives. Thin clients have no such limitations.
Because these terminals are windows into the server, they can execute applications and access data at the speed and power of the server. The only performance limitations are the bandwidth capacity of the network and the configuration management of the server or server farm.
In many cases, a thin client running Windows and a slow 486 chip can outperform a Pentium PC.
J.B. Miles of Pahoa, Hawaii, writes about communications and computers.
Company |
Product |
Processor |
Terminal OS |
Embedded protocols |
Network interface |
Monitor included? |
Price |
Accel Power Inc.
Fremont, Calif.
510-438-6530
www.accelpower.com |
ART 3000 Series |
200-MHz Cyrix MediaGX LV |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$499 |
ART 4000 Series |
200-MHz Cyrix MediaGX LV |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$699 |
Acer America Corp.
San Jose, Calif.
800-733-2237
www.acer.com |
WT 300 |
200-MHz Cyrix MediaGX LV |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$600 up |
Acute Network Technologies Inc.
San Jose, Calif.
408-456-0900
www.acutetech.com |
TC-1000 |
200-MHz NS Geode GXm |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, Point- to-Point Protocol dial-up |
No |
$299 |
TC-5000 |
233-MHz Cyrix MediaGXm |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, PPP dial-up |
No |
$399 |
TC-7000 Series |
233-MHz Cyrix MediaGXm |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, PPP dial-up |
Built-in |
$639 to $839 |
TC-8000 Series |
233-MHz or 266-MHz Cyrix MediaGXm |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, PPP dial-up |
Built-in flat-panel |
$1,399 to $1,699 |
Affirmative Computer Products
Scottsdale, Ariz.
480-946-1444
www.affirmative.net |
YEStation Extra |
233-MHz or 266-MHz Cyrix MediaGXm |
pSOS, Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$595 |
ASC Systems
St. Clair Shores, Mich.
313-882-1133
www.airi.com |
PC Network Station |
233-MHz Pentium II MMX |
Windows CE, Windows9x/NT, Unix |
Optional, X-Terminal |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, optional ISDN/ASDL, optional RF |
Optional flat-panel |
$495 to $995 |
Athena Networking Products
Bloomington, Minn.
952-883-0806
www.athena-networking.com |
Tube 2000 |
233-MHz Cyrix MediaGXm |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$610 |
Automation Control Products
East Alpharetta, Ga.
770-205-2475
www.acpthinclient.com |
Desktop ThinTerm DC-30-100 |
233-MHz Cyrix MediaGXm |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$395 |
Flat Panel ThinTerm Series |
233-MHz Cyrix MediaGXm |
Windows CE |
Optional |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
Integrated flat-panel |
$1,395 up |
Industrial ThinTerm TC-10-100 |
Optional |
Windows CE |
Optional |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$695 |
Boca Research Inc.
Boca Raton, Fla.
561-997-6227
www.bocaresearch.com |
BocaVision STB121 |
ARM 7500 FE RISC |
Proprietary |
ICA |
PPP |
TV |
$400 |
BocaVision WT120 |
ARM 7500 FE RISC |
ThinRISC |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$500 |
BocaVision DTC203 |
Cyrix MediaGXi |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$600 |
BocaVision JNC205 |
200-MHz NS Geode GXm |
Linux |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$700 |
Boundless Technologies Inc.
Hauppauge, N.Y.
800-231-5445
www.boundless.com |
Capio II Model 320 |
233-MHz NS Geode GXLV |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$399 |
Capio II Model 325 |
233-MHz NS Geode GXLV |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$399 up |
iBrow |
233-MHz NS Geode GXLV |
Vxworks |
ICA |
PPP |
Color LCD |
$600 |
Compaq Computer Corp.
Houston
281-370-0670
www.compaq.com |
T1010 T1510 |
233-MHz Cyrix MediaGXm |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, PPP |
No |
$549 |
T1510 |
233-MHz Cyrix MediaGXm |
Linux |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, PPP |
No |
$699 |
Aero 8000 |
128-MHz Hitachi SH4 |
Windows CE |
ICA |
Wireless RF |
Color LCD |
$899 |
Dell Computer Corp.
Austin, Texas
512-338-4400
www.dell.com |
e200 |
Optional |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100 Ethernet |
15-inch CRT |
$699 |
Eizo Nanao Technologies Inc.
Cypress, Calif.
800-800-5202
www.eizo.com |
eClient 530L |
68-MHz 64-bit RISC |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10Base-T Ethernet |
5-inch LCD |
$1,750 |
Fujitsu-ICL Systems Inc.
La Jolla, Calif.
800-228-8683
www.iclhandheld.com |
TeamPad 7500 Wireless |
85-MHz NEC VR4111 |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
Wireless RF |
Color LCD |
$1,665 |
IBM Corp.
Armonk, N.Y.
914-499-1900
www.ibm.com |
Network Station 300 |
66-MHz PowerPC 403GcX |
Optional |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$549 |
Network Station 1000 |
200-MHz PowerPC 603eV |
Optional |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, token-ring |
No |
$899 to $999 |
Company |
Product |
Processor |
Terminal OS |
Embedded protocols |
Network interface |
Monitor included? |
Price |
IBM Corp. continued |
Network Station 2200 |
Pentium II 233 MHz |
BSD Unix |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, token-ring |
No |
$630 |
Network Station 2800 |
Pentium II 233MHz |
BSD Unix |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, token-ring |
No |
$820 |
IGEL LLC
Allentown, Pa.
610-231-8858
www.igelusa.com |
Etherterminal C |
Cyrix GX 133MHz |
Flash Linux |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$645 |
Etherterminal W |
Cyrix GX 133MHz |
Flash Linux |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$645 up |
Etherterminal J |
Cyrix GX 182MHz |
Flash Linux |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$899 |
Key Tronic Corp.
Spokane, Wash.
509-927-5309
www.keytronic.com |
Client2000 |
AMD Elan |
Proprietary |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, PPP dial-up |
No |
$522 |
Client1000 |
AMD Elan/td>
| Proprietary |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, dial-up modem |
No |
$599 |
Client5000 |
AMD Elan |
Proprietary |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, PPP dial-up |
15.1-inch touch screen |
$1,783 |
Maxspeed Corp.
Palo Alto, Calif.
650-856-8818
www.maxspeed.com |
MaxTerm 100 |
NS Geode GXm 266MHz |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, PPP dial-up |
No |
$549 |
Neoware Systems Inc.
King of Prussia, Pa.
610-277-8300
www.neoware.com |
NeoStation 3000CX |
NS Geode GXm 200MHz |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, dial-up |
Optional 15 and 17-inch CRTs |
$499 to $798 |
Netier Technologies Inc.
Carrollton, Texas
888-603-1763
www.netier.com |
XL1000 |
AMD K6-2 250MHz |
NT, Linux, NetWin (embedded) |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, dial-up |
No |
$590 to $844 |
XL2000 |
AMD K6-2 250MHz |
NT, Linux, NetWin (embedded) |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, dial-up |
No |
$775 to $913 |
Network Computing Devices Inc.
Mountain View, Calif.
650-694-0650
www.ncd.com |
ThinStar 200 |
NEC R4300 100MHz |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$499 |
ThinStar 300/300TR |
Pentium II 266MHz |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, token-ring, dial-up |
No |
$699 |
ThinStar 400 |
Pentium II 266MHz |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet, token-ring, dial-up |
No |
$899 |
Praim Inc.
Portsmouth, N.H.
603-433-0287
www.praim.com |
Primo WBT100 |
Cyrix Media GXm 233MHz |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$645 |
Sun Microsystems Inc.
Palo Alto, Calif.
650-960-1300
www.sun.com |
Sun Ray 1 |
No CPU |
Solaris |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$399 |
Sun Ray 100 |
No CPU |
Solaris |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
17-inch CRT |
$649 |
Sun Ray 150 |
No CPU |
Solaris |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
15-inch, flat-panel LCD |
$1,399 |
Visara Inc. Research
Triangle Park, N.C.
919-279-6000
www.visara.com |
eTerm 350 Plus |
Cyrix Media GXm 200MHz |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$504 |
1783 NCT |
Cyrix Media GXm 233MHz |
Linux |
ICA |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$596 |
Wyse Technology Inc.
San Jose, Calif.
408-473-1200
www.wyse.com |
Winterm 8360SE |
Cyrix Media GXm 233MHz |
Embedded NT |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$999 |
Winterm 3200LE |
Cyrix 166MHz |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$474 |
Winterm 3360SE |
Cyrix Media GXm 233MHz |
Embedded NT |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$849 |
Winterm 3320SE |
Cyrix 166MHz |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$699 |
Winterm 3350SE |
Cyrix Media GX 200MHz |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
No |
$799 |
Winterm 3720SE |
Cyrix Media GX 200MHz |
Windows CE |
ICA, RDP |
10/100-Mbps Ethernet |
Built-in 15-inch CRT |
$989 |
By J.B. Miles
Special to GCN
Understanding the relationship between Microsoft Corp. and Citrix Systems Inc. is necessary to understanding their significant contributions to thin-client computing.
Several years ago, Microsoft announced Windows NT Server, Terminal Server Edition (TSE) 4.0, a multiuser operating system capable of bringing server-based Windows applications to many desktop platforms, including Macintosh, Unix and others.
The Terminal Server portion of the software provided the ability to host multiple, simultaneous client sessions on Windows NT Server 4.0 and future versions, namely Windows 2000.
A key component of the software is the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), which allows thin clients to communicate with the terminal server over the network. According to Microsoft's definition, a thin client can be any one of a wide range of hardware, including the new category of terminals or PCs running Windows 9x, NT or Windows for Workgroups 3.11.
Citrix developed a licensing agreement with Microsoft that built on the multiuser capability of Windows NT Server 4.0 TSE but added its own Independent Computing Architecture (ICA) that provides a foundation for turning any client'thin or fat'into the ultimate thin client.
ICA separates application logic from the user interface on the server. On the client side, users see and work with the application's interface, but 100 percent of the application executes on the server. Citrix claims that, with ICA, applications consume as little as one-tenth of their normal network bandwidth.
Win 2000 builds in the RDP protocols and multiuser capabilities of Windows NT Server 4.0 TSE along with some other features such as server load balancing. Citrix's MetaFrame software for Unix and Win 2000 brings end-to-end command and control features, enterprisewide application portals and Web information-on-demand to virtually any client device, regardless of its operating system.
Just remember RDP and ICA'they are the protocols that make Windows-based thin-client computing work.