Tommy, You have some constraints which may suggest going with a proprietary thin client solution, but PCs are not out of the question...
> From: Tommy Eaton <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Tue, 16 Apr 2002 13:41:02 -0400 > >> It sounds to me like you consider "true" thin clients to >> only be expensive proprietary hardware solutions. I think >> that this is a mistake. For the same reason that your >> proprietary WinTerm boxes are now useless under a new >> operating environment, > > No. The WinTerms are not useless, but rather reaching their expected life > span... The only reason they would be useless under a new operating > environment is because I am looking into LTSP. That is a completely > separate issue... But that's exactly the case that I mean. It's not a separate issue. If management decides to pursue an open source (non-MS) terminal solution, *Win*Term boxes are useless. They're not open, not adaptable (in a word, proprietary). The hardware should (ideally) be a totally separate consideration from the software. I guess I'm being idealistic. Companies upgrade hardware every few years anyway. But if a company could save money in these tough times by reusing their aging hardware, they would jump for joy. And a company that sank their money into proprietary solutions a few years ago would now be regretting it. > your Neoware boxes will soon be >> unable to adapt to your ever-changing network. What's wrong >> with PCs? > > Generally speaking, there is nothing wrong with PCs. However, some of our > offices are under such physical space constraints you would laugh. Thin > clients are popular in these areas and flat screens will shortly be rolled > out. PCs are also more susceptible to component failure due to their moving > parts. I understand that a PC utilizing LTS does not require a HDD, yet > fans are still required... And, yes, fans do fail and cause damage: I've > seen enough. Space constraints is the one reason to splurge on form-factor hardware. Even stingy banks will buy expensive flat-panels for their tellers because there simply is not enough room on those desks for a CRT. The same thus goes for the client. A small unit can be unobtrusively mounted under a desk and no one would even know it. The argument about PC fans I don't buy, however. If you're willing to splurge on form-factor thin clients, then (assuming no space constraints) you could afford a fanless power supply and a sophisticated heat sink and you could underclock the processors (or buy cheap Pentiums). If the whole thin client thing gets dumped, you could get real CPU fans and put the clock back up to the correct setting. Unless you are planning on running applications (other than X) locally to the thin clients (which I doubt with the 64MB spec below), then the CPU will be way underutilized anyway and stands little chance of overheating as long as it has a decent heat sink. You're absolutely right about avoiding all moving parts. That's the goal, and there's no reason you can't do it with open architecture PC hardware. > Do these vanilla PCs come with a reputation and a warranty? (I have to > justify these purchases to a city council) That's up to you. Check around and you should find some outfit willing to provide you with your custom systems. A warranty is a *must* for any major computer purchase, city council or no. > The open PC architecture IS my friend in most environments, yes. Not this > one. As the only IT personnel, I don't have time to sit down, trouble shoot > it, order the replacement part, crack the case, etc. Something wrong with > the thin client? Return the whole thing and let them deal with > everything... Use a backup unit during any repair time until the working > unit is returned. Understandable. The warranty you mentioned should provide exactly this kind of support and a couple of emergency replacement units standing ready fills the bill. > Proprietary, Proprietary... That is the way of Citrix, my friend. When > anyone decides to embark in this direction, it is a major commitment. Giving away control is what it is. > Unfortunately, I did not design the existing infrastructure; I only hope to > improve it. A familiar situation these days, as ever. > Jason, I thank you for you input. I hope I didn't come across blunt as I > did not intend to. Tell ya what, if you know of any PCs with a decent > reputation (preferably a brand), <$350/unit, 300Mhz, 64MB RAM, 100Mbps NIC, > a small foot print and works with LTS, please let me know! I would be very > interested... Blunt is good. We don't have time to dilly-dally these days... :-) I believe <http://www.disklessworkstations.com> has form-factor thin client models. This is the store-front side of the LTSP Project. Your purchases here go directly to the main man responsible for LTSP. This is a way to contribute to the future of the LTSP project while getting hardware that has been thoroughly tested for exactly this purpose. If you prefer IDE Flash ROMs to NIC BootROMs, they have it. They are the experts. You'll have to check out their specs, but I believe most of their units are something like what you mention: Celeron 300-450, 64/128MB RAM, 100Mb NIC, sound, video, etc. I think prices may be in your range, too. You'll have a hard time convincing Dell or Gateway to sell you PCs without disks (i.e. w/o an OS). If you get desperate, you could go to a local hobbyist store and talk to them about becoming a business customer with a special account with their warehouse. They might be able to help you design your ideal thin client from their parts list and their warranty is as good as any other. Finally, if it makes you feel better and if it allows the proposal to get past the city council, you could go with a proprietary thin client (Sun, NeoWare, etc.). Just try to find something that is as flexible as possible. It should be bootable ten different ways and have a flashable ROM and have some ability for expansion (the more the better). Jason Some links: http://www.disklessworkstations.com/ http://www.disklessworkstations.com/cgi-bin/cat/200007?Xokw6wFG;;26 http://www.disklessworkstations.com/cgi-bin/cat/scan/di=category/df=yes/dl=WorkStations?Xokw6wFG;;15 _____________________________________________________________________ Ltsp-discuss mailing list. To un-subscribe, or change prefs, goto: https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/ltsp-discuss For additional LTSP help, try #ltsp channel on irc.openprojects.net
