What Does a Thin-Client Server Do?

Thin client refers to a computing dumb terminal in the client-server network system that basically requires no applications. It communicates with the server through some protocols, and then accesses the local area network. The thin client sends its mouse, keyboard, and other inputs to the server for processing, and the server returns the processing results to the thin client for display. Different thin clients can log in to the server at the same time, simulating a working environment that is independent from each other on the server; in contrast, ordinary clients will do as much local data processing as possible with the server (or other clients) Only necessary communication data is transmitted during communication.

A thin client (lean client) is a low-cost, centrally maintained computer that does not have a CD-ROM player, floppy drive, and expansion slot. This term comes from the fact that small computers can act as clients instead of servers on a network. Since computers are equipped with only basic applications in this concept, which limits its capabilities, they try to obtain and maintain the "thin" feature of client applications.

The term thin client appears to be synonymous with NetPC and network computers, but it is a different concept. Net PC is based on Intel microprocessors and Windows software (Intel is the leader in defining the NetPC specification). A network computer is a concept supported by Oracle and Sun Microsystems, and it does not necessarily use Intel microprocessors and Java-based applications.

Server-based computing technology has many advantages. According to the market share ranking in 2012, the thin client brands widely used in the market include Wyse, HP, Centerm, NComputing, IGEL Technology, VXL, Fujitsu, Dell, Samsung, and Oracle.

The thin client removes most of the irrelevant functions of the PC, such as CD-ROM, floppy drive, expansion slot, etc. They use a network connection to communicate with a central server and deliver virtual desktops to users. A lot of business processing is not done on local hardware, which helps improve security. Thin clients are easy to deploy and include centralized management tools, allowing administrators to apply policies to multiple thin clients simultaneously. ^[1]

Deploying

Thin client benefits

The thin client can be said to be a lite version of the PC. Thin clients have the same key components, such as processor, storage, RAM, and operating system. But compared to personal computers, thin clients are smaller and require less computing power. The thin client is used as a cheap VDI client, so it only has the necessary processing power and can effectively display the user interface.

The operating system of the thin client is usually embedded Windows XP, because many users are too familiar with this operating system, and some legacy applications can only run on XP. Thin clients also support other operating systems.

Thin Clients Thin Client Standards

Thin clients make it easy to set up automated management: you just need to put some files on the server and use network startup to tell the thin client how to find them. If you want all thin clients installed in one place to have the same configuration, then centralized management in this way is very good. Other thin clients allow you to group clients and use common configurations in that group. This management method can easily achieve different or unique configurations of thin clients in the same group.

Thin client configuration is the same, then it becomes very easy to automatically deploy configuration files to all thin clients. Similarly, thin clients that can support exception configurations are cool.

Other thin client features

When choosing a VDI thin client, there is a misunderstanding of other features of the VDI thin client. We deploy VDI thin clients so you don't have to manage the local operating system, all the data is stored in the data center, right? But too many extra features may make thin clients even more inefficient. For example, USB or serial device redirection seems pretty good, but what about redirecting to a local web browser or VoIP softphone?

With the addition of local functionality to thin clients, you need to constantly patch and upgrade the virus database as you would with the operating system. Good management products can help you build and distribute updated images, but you need to do it every few weeks and you need to see if your tool can use a baseline image built for all thin clients. ^[2]

If you add a lot of local functions to the thin client, then ask yourself whether these functions should be implemented by VDI. Maybe all you need is a better managed local desktop instead of a thin client.

When thinking about VDI thin clients, take some time to figure out what you want and focus on the simplicity of management. Thin clients tend to be used for a long time, so operating costs far exceed procurement costs. Choosing the best thin client with features that meet your needs will have a significant impact on the success of your VDI project.