Jump to content
The mkiv Supra Owners Club

IT Bods - Thin Clients (which one?)


edd_t

Recommended Posts

Right have been given another project to get sorted at work.

 

Basicly the company want to supply people with computers so that they can access the network from home.

 

And rather than supplying them with full blown pcs that they can basicly ruin! The idea is to get some sort of thin client.

 

The client would need to be able to have some sort of broadband connection installed on it. Then its only other function will be to connect up to either a Citrix or RDC to our network. And allow local printers to be installed!

 

Anyone else running similar setup? Or perhaps even know a solution?

 

Cheers party people...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are running a Vmware VDI pilot project here at work. We are testing out a thin client from Wyse which they sent us for free for evaulation. It's compact and silent but I'm not sure if it would be suitable for a home worker - don't know about VPN support for these things.

 

You could give them a call perhaps.

 

Right have been given another project to get sorted at work.

 

Basicly the company want to supply people with computers so that they can access the network from home.

 

And rather than supplying them with full blown pcs that they can basicly ruin! The idea is to get some sort of thin client.

 

The client would need to be able to have some sort of broadband connection installed on it. Then its only other function will be to connect up to either a Citrix or RDC to our network. And allow local printers to be installed!

 

Anyone else running similar setup? Or perhaps even know a solution?

 

Cheers party people...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The broadband connection will be handled by the router and doesn't get "installed" on the thin terminal. The thin terminal just needs ethernet, which of course it will have.

 

I would think the main stumbling block will be network access. Do you go for a thin client which establishes its own VPN connection (i.e., one that allows you to configure a PPTP or L2TP profile), or do you supply everyone with VPN-capable routers (e.g. Cisco, Draytek) that automatically establish the VPN connection? Are thin terminals even available that have inbuilt VPN clients? (I would think so, but you never know).

 

What if people already have a computer at home. Are they going to want another one taking up similar desk space just for this? Perhaps giving them the option of running the client on their own computer would be worthwhile. Again, in this scenario would you be handing out VPN details directly to staff and having their workstation establish the connection, or just posting them preconfigured routers?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The broadband connection will be handled by the router and doesn't get "installed" on the thin terminal. The thin terminal just needs ethernet, which of course it will have.

 

I would think the main stumbling block will be network access. Do you go for a thin client which establishes its own VPN connection (i.e., one that allows you to configure a PPTP or L2TP profile), or do you supply everyone with VPN-capable routers (e.g. Cisco, Draytek) that automatically establish the VPN connection? Are thin terminals even available that have inbuilt VPN clients? (I would think so, but you never know).

 

What if people already have a computer at home. Are they going to want another one taking up similar desk space just for this? Perhaps giving them the option of running the client on their own computer would be worthwhile. Again, in this scenario would you be handing out VPN details directly to staff and having their workstation establish the connection, or just posting them preconfigured routers?

 

it would basicly be for the people that dont have a pc at home. which is still quite a few in our place!

 

it never dawned on me about the router handling the connection, d'oh! what an idiot.

 

basicly we just want something secure and easy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sun Secure Global Desktop (formerly Tarantella) piece of cake, and was cheaper than Citrix too when I last knew the prices.

 

When I worked for Tarantella we did a bit of work on the Sun Ray thin clients, worked really well... so much so that Sun bought them out a few years later.

 

http://www.sun.com/software/products/sgd/index.jsp

 

Demo:

 

https://sgddemo.sun.com/ (no need for a login, just click the button)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Danny Guy

I'd go for something like a hardware to hardware VPN. Sonicwall TZ170's are very good and include a software client you can setup if the router doesn't have VPN capabilities.

 

The otherway to go would be to create an SSL VPN portal that they can access directly and which can be easily configured via active directory (providing you have windows server o/s)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We are running a Vmware VDI pilot project here at work. We are testing out a thin client from Wyse which they sent us for free for evaulation. It's compact and silent but I'm not sure if it would be suitable for a home worker - don't know about VPN support for these things.

 

You could give them a call perhaps.

 

I've installed about 40 Wyse terminals, seem really good units. This was last year for the ambulance service. Very quite, quick to boot (OS is embedded on a chip) and didn't have a single failure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How many connections are we talking about?

 

What connection do you have in place at the main site for all these sessions?

 

Will the company be providing broadband/connection to the homes for this?

 

EDIT: What applications will they be using?

 

EDIT: Are they all going to be using it the same time?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have quite a few Wyse Terminals and I've used several models over the years. I'd go for one of the "V Class" models, the extra memory they have makes the most difference to performance from my experience.

 

I've not used the new VMWare virtual desktop stuff but it's supposed to be very good, I'd give that a go.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sun Secure Global Desktop (formerly Tarantella) piece of cake, and was cheaper than Citrix too when I last knew the prices.

 

When I worked for Tarantella we did a bit of work on the Sun Ray thin clients, worked really well... so much so that Sun bought them out a few years later.

 

http://www.sun.com/software/products/sgd/index.jsp

 

Demo:

 

https://sgddemo.sun.com/ (no need for a login, just click the button)

 

I'd go for something like a hardware to hardware VPN. Sonicwall TZ170's are very good and include a software client you can setup if the router doesn't have VPN capabilities.

 

The otherway to go would be to create an SSL VPN portal that they can access directly and which can be easily configured via active directory (providing you have windows server o/s)

 

Cheers guys, I'll check them out.

We already have SSL VPN at the moment, so one step there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've installed about 40 Wyse terminals, seem really good units. This was last year for the ambulance service. Very quite, quick to boot (OS is embedded on a chip) and didn't have a single failure.

 

We have quite a few Wyse Terminals and I've used several models over the years. I'd go for one of the "V Class" models, the extra memory they have makes the most difference to performance from my experience.

 

I've not used the new VMWare virtual desktop stuff but it's supposed to be very good, I'd give that a go.

 

Cool, I'll check out Wyse aswell. Cheers guys :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How many connections are we talking about?

 

What connection do you have in place at the main site for all these sessions?

 

Will the company be providing broadband/connection to the homes for this?

 

EDIT: What applications will they be using?

 

EDIT: Are they all going to be using it the same time?

 

Probably max 100 thin clients. We already have around 50 home users using their own pcs.

We need to invest in a new Terminal Server now, as its starting to struggle with the amount going on.

 

On site we have an 8mg leased line with ADSL backup. (which I also think we're gonna need to beef up) and will add to the report. or have a seperate connection for the remote users.

 

We will be providing broadband for the users.

 

Applications in use is basicly Office 2007 pro (all the time) and an insurance package that we use too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. You might also be interested in our Guidelines, Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.