08-05-2012, 12:25 PM
thin client computing
thinclientpaper-en6.pdf (Size: 2.85 MB / Downloads: 277)
Introduction
Most computer networks are fat client networks, where each computer on the network is fully responsible for all its processing, so it has to have all the software installed on its local harddrive and enough memory and processing power to run all that software. Unfortunately, these networks are inefficient uses of resources and very costly to maintain. Fed up with managing networks which were increasingly unmanageable, today many network administrators are turning to thin client networks as a way to simplify network management and hold their costs at bay. Similar to the old dumb terminals, thin clients are only in charge of periodically redrawing the display and receiving the key taps and mouse clicks from the user. In other words, they only handle the user interface. The user's input is passed down the network to a terminal server which runs the programs, processes the input, and sends the video output back to the user. Fortunately, the thin client computers of today are much more powerful and useful than the old dumb terminals. Many network administrators advocate them as the solution for standard computer users who only use their computers for mundane computing tasks like word processing, spreadsheet calculations, data entry, web browsing, and email.
Hardware to set up a thin client network
Thin client networks can be extremely simple affairs, such as hooking up two computers or extremely complex setups with thousands of clients and hundreds of servers.2 Don't let descriptions of the complex server farms scare you from trying to set up a simple thin client network. Many people set up rudimentary thin client networks in their home, so they can give extra life to an old spare computer. Others hook together all the computers their entire house so that all the computers are easier to maintain in a thin client network. If hooking up less than 10 computers, any reasonably new computer should be able to work as the server. For more computers take the time to calculate how much memory and processing power is needed beforehand.
For advanced networks with hundreds of clients, you should plan your network architecture carefully; and set aside a lot of time to test performance and add extra servers if needed. Setting up a complex thin client network requires some experience, so it is a good idea to hire someone who is an expert to setup the system and train your network administrator to run it. For businesses which demand the best performance from their computers, it is worth paying for an expensive support contract with a thin client company like Citrix.
. Buying the server
The server can make or break the performance of the network, so it is important to calculate beforehand what kind of server resources will be needed. A server with inadequate resources can slow the whole network down to a crawl.
The Becta study of British schools using thin clients found that many institutions had underpowered servers which weren't up to the task. The Becta study concluded:
Don’t underestimate the capacity of the servers required: where schools ran into difficulty with their implementations, it was usually because the servers were underspecified (in some cases old computers). Those who did not have these difficulties had procured servers with sufficient capacity not only for current needs, but also future expansion.3
When institutions fail to buy an adequate server for their network, people's attitudes toward the thin clients sour and they become resistant and unwilling to use them.
Recommended requirements for a thin client server
512 RAM for the idling server with all of its services.
128MB of RAM per client if doing memory intensive tasks such as multimedia and graphic design. Larger networks will have more memory sharing of applications, so 96MB per client may be sufficient. For standard processing such as word processing, web browsing, etc, 50MB per client is probably sufficient, especially on larger networks. If the clients will only be running one or two dedicated programs, the server may be able to get with as little as 5MB of RAM per client.
100MHz of 32-bit processing power or 75MHz of 64-bit processing power per client. Plan on higher CPU requirements if a lot of the clients will be running processing intensive applications at the same time.
thinclientpaper-en6.pdf (Size: 2.85 MB / Downloads: 277)
Introduction
Most computer networks are fat client networks, where each computer on the network is fully responsible for all its processing, so it has to have all the software installed on its local harddrive and enough memory and processing power to run all that software. Unfortunately, these networks are inefficient uses of resources and very costly to maintain. Fed up with managing networks which were increasingly unmanageable, today many network administrators are turning to thin client networks as a way to simplify network management and hold their costs at bay. Similar to the old dumb terminals, thin clients are only in charge of periodically redrawing the display and receiving the key taps and mouse clicks from the user. In other words, they only handle the user interface. The user's input is passed down the network to a terminal server which runs the programs, processes the input, and sends the video output back to the user. Fortunately, the thin client computers of today are much more powerful and useful than the old dumb terminals. Many network administrators advocate them as the solution for standard computer users who only use their computers for mundane computing tasks like word processing, spreadsheet calculations, data entry, web browsing, and email.
Hardware to set up a thin client network
Thin client networks can be extremely simple affairs, such as hooking up two computers or extremely complex setups with thousands of clients and hundreds of servers.2 Don't let descriptions of the complex server farms scare you from trying to set up a simple thin client network. Many people set up rudimentary thin client networks in their home, so they can give extra life to an old spare computer. Others hook together all the computers their entire house so that all the computers are easier to maintain in a thin client network. If hooking up less than 10 computers, any reasonably new computer should be able to work as the server. For more computers take the time to calculate how much memory and processing power is needed beforehand.
For advanced networks with hundreds of clients, you should plan your network architecture carefully; and set aside a lot of time to test performance and add extra servers if needed. Setting up a complex thin client network requires some experience, so it is a good idea to hire someone who is an expert to setup the system and train your network administrator to run it. For businesses which demand the best performance from their computers, it is worth paying for an expensive support contract with a thin client company like Citrix.
. Buying the server
The server can make or break the performance of the network, so it is important to calculate beforehand what kind of server resources will be needed. A server with inadequate resources can slow the whole network down to a crawl.
The Becta study of British schools using thin clients found that many institutions had underpowered servers which weren't up to the task. The Becta study concluded:
Don’t underestimate the capacity of the servers required: where schools ran into difficulty with their implementations, it was usually because the servers were underspecified (in some cases old computers). Those who did not have these difficulties had procured servers with sufficient capacity not only for current needs, but also future expansion.3
When institutions fail to buy an adequate server for their network, people's attitudes toward the thin clients sour and they become resistant and unwilling to use them.
Recommended requirements for a thin client server
512 RAM for the idling server with all of its services.
128MB of RAM per client if doing memory intensive tasks such as multimedia and graphic design. Larger networks will have more memory sharing of applications, so 96MB per client may be sufficient. For standard processing such as word processing, web browsing, etc, 50MB per client is probably sufficient, especially on larger networks. If the clients will only be running one or two dedicated programs, the server may be able to get with as little as 5MB of RAM per client.
100MHz of 32-bit processing power or 75MHz of 64-bit processing power per client. Plan on higher CPU requirements if a lot of the clients will be running processing intensive applications at the same time.