[linuxiran] Implementing Thin Clients

[Aryan Ameri]

Hi there:

I am here to ask for help, advice, or anything you can give me. 
Here in the University, Winodws rules the desktop. It's not that I do 
not like windows, in fact I am happy with any soloution that works(TM). 
But the problem is, the current soloution that is deployed in our 
computer labs, doesn't work. I want to change it.

Basicaly, here in computer labs, all the computers are white box PCs. 
With a Pentium or Pentium II procesor, 64 MB of RAM, and a windows 98 
installed on top of it. Any user can come and sit, and then have total 
complete access to the device. As you know windows 98 lacks any kind of 
adminstration capabilities, so any use here has access to nearly do 
anything with the computer. Every single student who enters the lab, 
can do what ever he/she wants with the computer. Install software, 
remove software, curropt the OS, delete the partition, ... The result 
is quite imaginable. At any given moment, 30% of the computers do not 
work, and the adminstarators have a really hard time, fixing these 
computers, only to find that another one is now broken.

It amazes me that untill now, no one had thought of a better soloution. 
It seems everybody took this situation for granted, thinking that it's 
the only way of doing things. Not me, I want to change this whole mess.

Upgrading to Windows 2k or XP is of course a soloution, but a costly 
one. All the hardware here should be upgraded, as well as buying new 
license of the OS, which has a pretty steep price. while Microsoft 
gives educational discounts, still the price is pretty high, and our 
faculty doesn't have the resources to undergo such a drastic upgrade. 
Besides, I don't want to just replace 98 with XP, I want a real change. 
I want thin clients.


I have long believed in the thin client-server model. Considering that 
nearly 99% of the students here in the lab use the computer for web 
surfing, email, office, and other simple things. I don't underestand 
why every user should have a dedicated processor, video card, Hard 
Disk, and so on. Thin clients, should provide more than enough for web 
surfing and emailing. 

Thin Clients are  well, thin. They require less space, this means that 
you can put more of them into the same space, than desktop PCs. 
therefore, in a computer lab, with limites space, more people woule be 
able to use computers.

Thin clients use less power energy. Some research suggest that they use 
nearly 1/6 of the electricity power that a normal desktop PC uses. 
Electricity is expensive here, if we can cut our electricity cunsomtion 
by 1/6, it will be a major win.

Thin clients are easy to adminster. You don't have to adminster every 
single box. Just maintain the central server, and everything would be 
fine. This means a great reduce in the adminstration job. 

Besides, they are cheap. Cheaper than desktop PCs. The client doesn't 
need a video card (do they?), hard disk, etc.

Users will only have access to what they should have. So they can't 
break a system.

And also many many other advantages which you guys all know. Besides, I 
also eye the opportunity of suddenly representing Linux desktop to the 
faculty and replace windows desktops with linux, who knows, they might 
like it and stay to it (Linux is free you know :-), they like it 
here!! ).

I have talked with the head of the faculty, and he told me to prototype 
my ideas, and write a draft on thin clients, and explain in exactly 
what I want to do, and how I plan to acomplish it. If I can convince 
him, he is willing to give me a budget, and let me lead a pilot project 
in using thin clients in computer labs. The problem is, when it comes 
to implementation, my knowledge is near zero. 

How should I build thin clients? Can I build them myself just like white 
box PCs? Or should I buy them from manufacturers? (the second case 
would add to costs). 

What kind of a server do I need? Let's say for servicing 20 clients, how 
much powerful should my server be? Do you think a 4-way CPU, with say 4 
GB RAM (mazimum available on the x86 architecture) is enough for a 20 
client lab? What about disk storage?

What software should I run, should I run the X server, host the server 
on the lab server, and then connect the cleints to it? Or are there any 
other special soloutions for using thin client (X sounds fine for *nix 
systems, but if we are to use windows, then what?) Note that I don't 
want to pay for software, so I would rather have a full open source 
soloution.

Or any other white papers, advice, practical experience, or anything 
regarding thin clients is greatly welcomed. Also if you point me to a 
white paper, analysis, or a research which explains the advantages of 
thin client, it would help me in writing my prototype.

Arash Bijanzadeh and Zeini: I know that Cahapar Shabdiz works closely 
with that swedish company which is experienced in thin clients. I would 
love it if you guys give me any information that you have, regarding 
thin clients. Have you ever deploied it yourself in a 
production-level ? What about performance and speed? is performance 
reliable enough to perform these simple day-to-day tasks? Also if you 
give me information about that swedish company, I might use it. Who 
knows, we might end-up buying our systems from them. If they have good 
prices, and give educational discounts :-)

Basicaly, any information regarding thin clients is welcome. Let me save 
my university!!!

Cheers

-- 
/*  "Every gun that is made, every warship launched,
every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a
theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those
 who are cold and are not clothed."*/
                --President Eisenhower

Aryan Ameri