Introduction to Thin Clients

1. Introduction to Thin Clients Created by:Daniel Bright ABR Systems Integrators

2. What are Thin Clients? • Designed to be compact • Use a dedicated “Terminal Services” Server to process all commands, and run all applications • Are virus proof • Do not require regular maintenance or upgrades • Are easily managed, and reduce IT costs • Maintain ALL important data on one or more servers that can be backed up as a whole • Keeps downtime to a minimum • Much cheaper than regular PC’s

3. What does a Thin Client look like? • Here are a few examples of Thin Clients that we install from NeoWare

4. As you can see, Thin Clients don’t take up much space, and are very stylish. And they have a track record of proven reliability that makes an investment in Thin Clients one that will pay itself back over and over again with reduced maintenance costs and costs related to hardware failure. • Next we will discuss how they work, and what you can, and can’t do with them.

5. Thin Clients: How do they work? • When you think of Thin Clients, think of a PC, without a hard drive, cd-rom drive, large processor, large amount of RAM, or large amounts of peripherals. Because, instead of using its own power to run applications, internet and printing functions, it actually uses the server to perform all of these tasks. • It can be described as a “dumb-terminal on steroids”, because it does not do any of its own processing, except to load the embedded O/S and launch the remote desktop application. It doesn’t save anything to disk (doesn’t have one). And it doesn’t need to be maintained except for rare “firmware updates”. • Instead of using the Thin Client’s desktop for work, a profile for the user is setup on the Server, allowing for documents and data to be saved, edited and printed without having to be physically stored on the Thin Client. • This method of operation uses what's called a “Remote Desktop Client”. This is a small piece of software that is embedded into the Thin Client, it allows for a “Window” to the desktop on the Server to be viewed over a high speed LAN, or VPN over the internet. • DEMO

6. Basic Thin-Client Diagram

7. What runs the Thin Client Desktop? • One or more dedicated servers running Windows Server 2003 Standard (or higher) with Terminal Services Server installed. • The Windows Server 2003 not only hosts Terminal Services for internal LAN clients, but any computer connecting from the internet that can provide the proper credentials can see the exact same desktop that they see at work, making working from home, or remotely, simple, efficient and productive, with minimal setup required. • The next two sections will describe the software, and hardware required to run a Thin Client Desktop Server, or in Microsoft terms, a “Terminal Services Server”.

8. Windows Server 2003 Standard • Windows Server 2003 Standard is the baseline operating system, or starting point for all Terminal Services servers that ABR installs. • Windows Server 2003 has a proven track record of reliability, high manageability, and minimum maintenance, making it easily the best choice for hosting Remote Desktop sessions. • Windows Server 2003 manages Remote Desktop Sessions in these ways: 1. It provides a user profile for each user connected to the server (and saves it when not in use) 2. It provides a central administrative point, in which users rights and privileges in regards to software installation rights, multimedia viewing rights, etc. can be setup and controlled easily. 3. It provides excellent security, with the newest security technologies, and free updates to all components provided by Microsoft Update on a regular basis. 4. One backup for ALL users, by hosting all user profiles from a single server, all “My Docs, Email .PST’s, Favorites, even desktop settings” are all located on the same shared directory on the server. By setting a backup schedule for the server to occur every night, you never have to worry about backing up individual user PC’s again.

9. Imagine, one desktop for work, anywhere you go! • With a Remote Desktop Server, a home PC or laptop running Windows 95 or newer, and an internet connection, it is possible! • By letting ABR install a Server with Windows Server 2003 Standard (or higher), you not only get remote desktops for the office, but using the same login and password, and a free RDP Client from Microsoft, you can logon to your profile from anywhere, and from any machine that has the RDP Client installed! • Its very simple, the RDP Client acts as an “Internet Phone Dialer”, yet, instead of entering a phone number, you enter the “Public IP Address” of the server, below is an example:

10. When ABR installs a Windows Server 2003 Server, we work with your ISP and make sure your current service provides a public IP address, after we do this, we make a simple procedure that can be handed out to all clients who wish (or whom management wishes) to have remote desktop access from outside of the office. • The benefit for mobile workers is felt immediately; image being able to print out a document you are working on remotely to the main office printer, being able to send a fax via modem from the office, and collaborate with others on files and applications that would otherwise require being connected to the office network physically. Or, imagine being able to access your customer database from the road, without having the information on the mobile computer, all via fully secure communications over the internet. • Also, some companies move employees around a lot, or some employees play dual roles in their company which requires them to sit at physically different locations throughout the day or week. With Thin Client technology, any computer you sit down at can be logged onto via RDP, with your username and password, you will see the same desktop, at one office, the next, and the next, the need for transferring files from one location to the next is eliminated! DEMO

11. What hardware is required to run the Remote Desktop Server? • Although Remote Desktop sessions can be hosted on machines with as little as 800Mhz processors, and 256MB of RAM, the resulting experience is very slow and cumbersome, and limits the amount of users that can be connected at one time. • ABR uses only top of the line server equipment when designing a Terminal Services Network, the servers we specialize in installing are called Super Micro Super Servers. • Super Micro Servers excel in speed, reliability, and longevity. • The minimum server we install includes dual Intel Xeon “Dual Core” technology processors, that provide a whopping 1066Mhz FSB, with dual 10,000RPM Raid SCSI Hard Disks, 4GB of RAM and fully redundant power supplies. • Our minimum server is capable of handling 20 clients with ease, and is easily expandable to hold more.

12. Super Micro Server Overview: • Super Micro Servers are designed to provide top-notch performance, while virtually eliminating “down-time”. • Provided with each Super Micro Server is a 3 year limited warranty, and 24hr tech support. • Super Micro Servers, in our testing, provide the best remote desktop experience hands down. DEMO