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- Written By: J. S. Petersen
- Edited By: Niki Foster
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2003-2012 Conjecture Corporation
A thin client can refer to either a software program or to an actual computer that relies heavily on another computer to do most of its work. A thin client is part of a network, and the client software or computer acts as an interface, while the network server computer does all the real work. In the case of a computer, a thin client is unable to perform many functions on its own. A thin client computer may be a machine designed only for online use, sending and receiving email, and surfing the net. A thin client computer may also be part of a larger network, at a company or school for example.
The thin client computer contains enough information to start up and connect to a more powerful network server, and the server computer provides the rest of the computing horsepower. The thin server may not even have a hard drive. If the thin client computer needs to use a program or save a file, it will connect to the network server computer to do so.
In software terms, a thin client is a program which is mostly interface. The user of the thin client software sees all the data, tools, and features they would on a normal piece of software, but another program running on a remote server does all the work. The reasons someone might use a thin client, both hardware and software versions, include reduced cost, ease of maintenance, ease of use, and security.
A thin client is much more simple than a complete computer. In a situation in which many people need to perform a similar task, it is more cost effective to have one network server computer and many inexpensive thin client computers, than to have many complete computers. Because thin clients are relatively simple, it is much easier to diagnose problems and repair them. A standard computer has a lot of parts, and a thin client only has a few. Fewer parts mean fewer things can go wrong.
People who are not as computer literate will have an easier time using a thin client than a standard computer or software program. With fewer features and functions, a thin client means a person has fewer things that they need to learn about. Thin clients are also relatively easy to secure. A thin client user has restricted access to programs or functions that could breach security. Restricting all the real computing power to a single network server also means that all the security can be focused in one place.
While a thin client is not the right tool for every job, it has many valuable uses. If a user only needs to perform select tasks and does not need all the functionality of a standard computer or program, a thin client may be the right tool for the job.
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Discuss this Article
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anon196059
Post 31 |
@anon10548: Search for diskless workstations. The thin clients boot from a local boot server which delivers the image via LAN. |
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anon133245
Post 29 |
My thin client server getting log off automatically after three days and because of that problem client cant log in using thin client. What i should do to solve this problem. |
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Ebere Nketha
Post 26 |
can thin client be used wireless? |
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Technologik
Post 25 |
They are booted by PXE "network boot" the server has to be up for the clients to boot. Yes you can share network and Apps. The apps have to be installed on the server, and be capable of running in a "network environment." Good luck. |
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anon125399
Post 24 |
There's a thin client supplier based in cambridge, UK, called the cutter project. I work for a school which uses a system they installed. It's great. |
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anon103359
Post 23 |
how do I configure a thin client? |
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anon81947
Post 22 |
what server OS can i install for my HP thin clients, and which appliance will control security and login sessions? |
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anon73553
Post 21 |
how do we set up a thin client? |
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anon50803
Post 18 |
Q- Can I install Tally on the server and use it from any of 2 installed thin clients?
Reply: Of course you can install tally on the server. You can use on all nodes parallel or any one of them. you must have a tally should be multi user licence. VINAY KUMAR MITTAL
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anon47154
Post 17 |
what is the structure of a thin client? |
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anon46931
Post 16 |
What protocols do these thin clients use to establish connection between client and server? Do these thin clients have a built-in protocol of their own? Likewise, do they develop thin clients or do they have their own protocol or do they rely on Citrix, Microsoft, VMWare etc. for it? |
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anon37983
Post 15 |
Can I install Tally on the server & use it from any of 2 installed thin clients??? |
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puli921
Post 14 |
hi all! Can anyone tell me the actions required regarding: I have n number of thin clients connected to a server. I want to add one more. Is there any need to change any conn. protocols? thanks in advance |
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nidalgh
Post 13 |
in a multi-server environment (with thin client installed on all servers) will the user be able to access the server of his/her choice? or is the thin Client limited to a single server? |
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brendaschec
Post 11 |
Desktop virtualization has many benefits from increased security, lower physical costs (don't have to replace or add PC's) and ease of management (upgrades or installs are done at the server) just to mention a few. Software is loaded at the server level. You can use a dumb terminal with a thin client devise. Administrators can log into the server and copy 'golden images' to add additional seats very easily. |
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PQ2k
Post 10 |
I am working for a non-profit organization. I would like to know if there’s a vendor that would allow me to “test” the latest version of thin client? It must have a Windows base flash file on it. I don’t need citrix since it is not apart of the infrastructure. Thanks. |
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faiza
Post 9 |
how can we reduce work for IT in thin client approach? |
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faiza
Post 8 |
i know thin clients can be set up on a LAN easily but how do you set up one on a WAN?. could u advise on any relevant design specifications/architect diagram or steps to implement this.
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rinalm
Post 7 |
We are just starting to look at a thin client solution utilizing existing PCs (without their hard drives) and a TS server back end. The existing environment consists of standard PCs on a domain with multiple servers on multiple subnets. I have the following questions: 1. Can users still sync a Palm or Blackberry with a thin client? 2. Can they still share files with other PC users on the different servers? 3. Can they still map drives to other servers on the network?
4. Can user's easily share access databases with non-thin client users? 5. Can user’s still access a flash drive through the USB port? 6. Can a user still access and write CD’s to a local media drive? |
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anon14589
Post 6 |
How should I go into the administrative side of the This Client? Is it by pressing 'SHIFT' key? During which period of time should I press 'SHIFT' key? How long should I press the key? |
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gyampo1
Post 5 |
hello. i have a couple of questions and hoping u can help me.
1. i know thin clients can be set up on a LAN easily but how do you set up one on a WAN?. could u advise on any relevant design specifications/architect diagram or steps to implement this. 2.could u advise where to purchase large quantities at discounted rates? many thanks |
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Technologik
Post 4 |
To answer these:
1. can we use old computer as thin client for a thin client architecture? A: With my experience, most thin clients I've worked with were all about 3-4 years old, but I imagine you could maybe get older PC's to work, if they had the right software. 2. if yes, can we install any software? A: Most software will work, you will be limited by space on the flash memory though. 3. where it will be installed? the old computer or the server? A: Almost all software is installed on the server. Thus the name Thin "client". Applications are run from the server and essentially "streamed" to the client workstation. 4. where is thin client architecture most suitable for? A: I've seen them used in medical offices, banks, hotels, and shopping malls. Also anywhere there are a lot of workstations that are pulling off of the same database or calendering software. They are really great for large corporations where the Admin would not want employees adding personal things to the workstation, or surfing the net all day. They are really good for keeping the IT support to a minimum. |
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axis
Post 3 |
I have some questions.
1. can we use an old computer as thin client for a thin client architecture? 2. if yes, can we install any software? 3. where it will be installed? the old computer or the server? 4. what is thin client architecture most suitable for? thanks |
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Technologik
Post 2 |
A thin client usually has solid state storage to boot (similar to a PDA or smart phone). After it boots the applications it accesses and uses is usually on a server. To answer your question, YES. |
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anon10548
Post 1 |
How are the thin clients booted if they are diskless? Can we share internet & applications if we have one server ex. windows 2K server & 10 thin clients (Diskless). Pls reply
-Santosh Deshpande |
