It is
simply when you host your applications and data centrally on a server, like the
old days of mainframes and text terminals. But today it is possible to run
modern Web and WindowsT based software, as well as Linux and .NET using this
time-tested architecture. It is more secure, manageable, affordable and
reliable than a client-server architecture where data and applications reside
on PCs spread throughout the organization. This is the simple beauty of
server-centric computing, also referred to as server-based computing or simply
SBC.
Thin clients are desktop computing devices, which
combine the power of the PC with the management and control of the mainframe.
Thin clients offer ample benefits. All applications and data reside on one or
more centralized servers making installations and upgrades easy as they are
managed remotely. Thin clients are designed with no moving parts that can break
down or lose data and they deliver greater data security and virus resistance.
Each terminal is the same, so wherever a person logs on, their settings and
data will follow them. Thin clients deliver the productivity and application
flexibility of a PC without the high service costs, low reliability, and short
product life.
How Does It Work?
It starts
with servers running operating systems such as Microsoft Windows 2000 or
Windows 2003 Server. These OSs contain a feature called Terminal Services that
allows applications to be hosted on the server and displayed remotely. The
server runs the application, Terminal Services uses a protocol to send what the
screen should look like to the client (over your standard network), and the
client displays the applications as if they were running locally. Similar
configurations are available for Linux and Citrix. Each has there own sets of
advantages and cost/performance sweet spot.
What Are the Benefits?
"Thin client deployment
can cut costs, particularly software maintenance and upgrade overheads. In
addition, access and data security are more robust, and routes for virus/worm
attacks are limited." Butler Group, January 2003
"Organisations should consider
server-based architectures as a method to more effectively manage end-user
applications and the costs associated with developing, maintaining and
supporting client hardware." Gartner Research, November 2003
The benefits of
server-based computing are almost too numerous to count. Imagine replacing
1,000 networked PCs with 25 network servers and a 1,000 thin clients that work
better than PCs, never need to be upgraded, cost half the price, and almost
never fail. That's just the beginning. Here are a few of the most notable
benefits of server-based computing:
Cost
Reduction: There are literally dozens of ways that server-based
computing reduces IT expenses. Most notably, Server-based computing can double
or triple the life of old PCs (486s, Pentium I's etc.) while enabling them to
function on par with the fastest PCs for little or no additional cost! Briefly
stated, server-based computing saves companies money by dramatically reducing
the need for support, hardware upgrades, and electricity, minimizing bandwidth
consumption, and preventing employee downtime.
Ease of setup
and installation. 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. 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 difference becomes substantial: 19 days of a field engineer's
time for the PCs, three days for the thin client setup.
Better
Service and Support: Administrators can view activity taking place
at a user's workstation without ever leaving the support desk. Staff does not
need to visit a workstation to fix problems and can learn more about why a user
is experiencing problems while exerting less effort. Furthermore, upgrades and
new applications are installed on centralized servers and deployed to the
entire enterprise. Instead performing installations in thousands of
workstations across an enterprise, administrators can accomplish the same thing
by installing software in a single centralized server farm. Applications will
be immediately available throughout the enterprise.
Better
Security: Because server-based computing centralizes all computing
functions in a server farm, users have less access to information and data that
may corrupt a workstation's operations. Administrators can also monitor and
control user access to applications and information to prevent access to
sensitive data or to limit access to only certain days of the week or times of
the day.
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.
Higher
Productivity: Server-based computing allows users access to
applications and information whenever and wherever it can benefit the
enterprise. Centralized data storage and application functionality combined
with a low bandwidth communication protocol gives users the ability to work
from virtually anywhere an Internet connection is available.
Less Employee
Downtime: Centralized application execution and data storage means
that users are not tied to any one machine. When a workstation fails or goes
offline, users can change desks or workstations without losing any information.
There is virtually no loss of data or worker downtime.
Improved
Continuity: Server-based computing can play an important role in
disaster recovery planning (DRP). In the tragic event that network hardware is
destroyed, lost or stolen, server-based computing allows an enterprise to
pick-up where it left off without any loss of data or time-consuming
installations. When a workstation is plugged into the server farm it is
immediately equipped with all of the applications that are installed in that
server farm. Even if servers are lost, administrators can install and configure
applications in one server instead of doing the same procedure in 40
workstations.
Better
Support for Remote Offices: When users access applications and
data on a centralized server, administrators and support staff can view and
monitor all of the users' actions. When a user calls for support, help staff
can see what activity is taking on the user's workstation even as the user is
following instructions for how to fix the problem. Support staff does not need
to visit the remote site to fix a problem. Also, users can view large files
remotely that are too big or impossible to transfer over e-mail. .
Features
Benefits
Simple desktop management
Range of profiles can be created; locking away
non-required elements reduces support requirements and eliminates unnecessary
complexity for users.
Application delivery
Remotely installing and/or granting access to a
new application is simple for administration staff and instant for the user.
Remotely manage file systems
Reduce deployment activities from hours to minutes either by
schedule or ad hoc for specific times.
Virus Protection
Thin clients are not susceptible to virus infection and data
files residing on server are scanned centrally.
Lifespan
One ON/OFF button, no moving parts and no floppy/CD/hard
drives. Thin clients typically will last much longer than the average PC.
Asset audit
Detailed client inventory becomes an invaluable time-saver for
planning and fault resolution.
Enhanced security
Control password-caching and restrict unauthorized network
access.
Logon control
Automatic logon eliminates dual logons and provides greater
system entry security into networked environments by limiting user access to
the system.
PC lockdown
A locked-down PC is similar to a Windows terminal, providing
all the control, flexibility, and cost-savings of a thin client.
Internet kiosk
By embedding the OS interface and replacing it with a browser
(or any kiosk application), a PC becomes a simple and cost-effective kiosk
device that is easy to manage.
Life cycle cost
User terminals (offering the same user access to corporate and
web-based applications) are typically less than 50% of the cost of traditional
PCs or laptops
Onsite Repair
Any desk top failure can be easily addressed by swapping out
the defective system with a new replacement unit.
Repairs can be affected in minutes with minimal loss of productivity.
Flexible scheduler
Reduce the impact of planned maintenance or desktop changes by
scheduling actions to occur at specific times and frequency.
Scalability
Accommodating growth situations is made simple by a modular
approach that allows you to scale-up at will.
What
Client options are available?
There are several main types
of CAIL clients, which will provide the right solution for your
unique needs.
Simple
Simple
thin client desktops are
appliance-like devices that access server-based Windows
applications. They offer excellent performance at a low price. In
server-based Windows computing, you normally run multi-user
Windows on a centrally managed server and use either the Citrix
ICA or the Microsoft RDP protocol to remotely display on a user's
desktop what is running on the server. On a simple appliance,
everything happens on the server. Any application you want to run,
from payroll to a browser, runs on the server. If you do plan on
using a browser, consider stepping up...
Powerful
Powerful
thin clients desktops do everything simple ones do, but they also do more! For
one, powerful clients have a basic web browser built right into them, so they
run web applications without placing an extra burden on your servers. In
addition, powerful clients support Citrix NFuse and legacy terminal emulation.
Choose powerful thin clients to access simple intranet HTML pages and as a
great transitional replacement for green-screen terminals. If you need to
access the Web in general, consider moving to...
Flexible
Flexible
thin clients do everything that simple and powerful clients
do, but they have two very special added features! For one thing, they provide
the latest, greatest and richest general Internet Web browsing. And because
they are based on operating systems like Microsoft Windows NT Embedded, XP
Embedded and Linux, they also can run applications locally (which means right
on the client, instead of on the server). Why run an application on a thin
client? There are three reasons:
1.
Some applications just don't behave in a Terminal Services environment,
2.
For a fault-tolerant network, such as a retail terminal that can still ring-up
sales even if the WAN goes down, and
3.
Some applications, such as graphically intensive ones, have special needs for
performance or perhaps a second video card. Choose flexible thin clients if you
want to access complex web pages that need a full Internet Explorer browser,
with multimedia plug-in support; custom applications such as bar-code scanner
software burned into Flash memory and running locally (like a solid-state PC);
and for access to a broad range of drivers and peripherals.
Current
system investment
CAIL
PC management solutions are the ultimate PC control software because they
maximize both employee and IT productivity. Department-by-department and
user-by-user, PCs can be controlled along a sliding spectrum of settings. CAIL
PC management solutions give users the power and freedom to get their jobs
done, eliminates desktop visits, and slashes PC support costs. Whether
companies are using a client/server architecture or migrating to a
server-centric model, CAIL PC management solutions breathe new life into older
PCs and deliver immediate ROI. PCs finally evolve from being cost centers into
easily managed and productive corporate tools.
If
maximizing your existing investment in PC hardware is important to you, then
there may well be a CAIL plug-in solution that is right for you. If you have a
large amount of similar older (or even new) PC 's we can build an Embedded
Flash Linux system for your environment.The CAIL ISA plug-in card is designed
for older PC 's that have a free ISA slot. The card boots and uses the features
of the PC like NIC, graphics adapter, memory and CPU.The card can be configured
to offer almost the same functionality as any of our Embedded Flash LINUX based
Terminals.
How
is it deployed
In
providing the best SCC solution to our customers, CAIL has divided its
processes into three sections. The first phase is the assessment followed by
the pilot and finishing with the production component. Not every situation
requires all three phases but by adhering to these guidelines we believe our
customers will gain an understanding of how the SCC model will impact their
organization.
ASSESSMENT
In
order to ensure optimum performance, reliability, and growth potential, and to
provide the best possible user experience for application hosting, CAIL is
prepared to undertake an assessment of an organization's existing environment.
CAIL has developed extensive system assessment guidelines, which along with our
years of field related experience in working with Citrix MetaFrame, Windows,
Linux and Host/Midrange environments, provides us with a comprehensive plan for
evaluating our clients unique environments. Some of the features this includes
are: server capacity and configuration, network setting, MetaFrame
configuration, environment integration, as well as stress testing.
PILOT
CAIL
recommends our customers undertake a pilot project to determine if an SCC
solution will be a viable alternative to standard client/server computing. All
situations are unique and what works for some organizations may not work for
others. The second reason for the pilot project is to provide an environment
for testing customer applications and programs.
PRODUCTION
At
this stage the CAIL SCC team would begin construction of a server based
environment in a small-scale project. The design goals would be fully
implemented with full-scale functionality. Because no two organizations are
alike, the CAIL staff fully monitors the process to make sure no unforeseen
situations arise. The production phase is the final step before a full
server-based implementation commences.
How
is it managed
A
periodic audit and assessment of your existing server environment can lower
costs associated with managing your deployment, while assuring maximum uptime
and user satisfaction. Our engineers rely on a proven analysis process to
discover performance issues and potential problems. They will provide a
comprehensive report and recommendations on how to optimize this system and
manage it more effectively. Specific areas may include:
Analysis of Farm Design
Farm Maintenance
Current Change Control Procedures
Citrix & Microsoft Licensing
Review
Published Applications, Application
Compatibility, and Analysis
Security
Citrix Support Environment
Backup Analysis for all Citrix
Servers
Citrix Server Disaster Recovery
Citrix Server Details
NT/2000 Supporting Servers OS & Authentication Analysis
Domain & Authentication
Analysis
Systems Maintenance
Server HW Analysis
LAN Infrastructure Analysis
Internet Infrastructure Analysis
Internet Firewall / VPN
Configuration
Network Traffic Analysis
Network Diagrams
The report will also
provide a competitively priced bill of materials (quote) for any recommended
hardware, software or professional services. If organizations do not have the
technical staff to manage the environment or adopt the recommendations , CAIL
technical staff can be engaged.
.
.
.
.
....
What is Server-Centric Computing?
