Thin Clients

[calvinj]

Who is using them? In what fashion? Brand, Model, Specs?

Currently using WYSE V50L 128mb flash and had worlds of trouble with them. Looking at WYSE C90L (1gb / 1gb) for use with Citrix first then next year Server 2008 Terminal Services.

Looking to utilize the xp embedded, but need to figure out how group policy can help me out with that. Want to use a generic user with just basic settings.

What is everyone else doing?

 

[blarg]

I'm using Wyse S10 and S30's with no problems. I'm running a terminal services cluster on Server 2003 VMware images and a Baracuda load balancer. I also have some older PC's imaged with Thin Station Linux which works great as well.

 

[Deleted member 12106]

I got like 12 HP t5000 series, they are a 450-750mhz unit with 32-128mb ram, and 32 or 64mb flash roms.

They came with various versions of nix and windows ce on them.

Basically, what I did, one of the older t5000's had a basic and simple terminal client on it, so I went and got the flash rom from the HP website, made a thumbdrive bootable, and flashed ALL of the thinclinets to this rom image.

Now, what I do is setup each thinclient to auto connect to the server, in this case, the shop floor terminal server. They are also configured to save credentials. But wait, there's more. I also have them to reconnect on their own. Server boots? They reconnect. They try to log off back to the thin client, they connect back up asap.

If someone calls and says its not working, I simply tell them to unplug it, plug it back in, any more problems, let me know. Never hear anything back.

It is straight out the easiest setup. Configuring the monitors can be a headache as you'll need to know the refresh rate/resolutions it supports, but once it is set, that's it.

We bought up a bunch of these thin clients for something like $150 shipped for 10 of them.

The server is all GPO'd down on just that local machine. The thin clients are set to connect to that IP, and the group "shop floor" is not allowed to connect to any other terminal server, the server is totally ripped and stripped of everything, no internet, no printers, no nothing, basically, all they need to run our time capture software, and view IP cameras on the machines. No username/passwords are in the hands of anyone, and even if they where, they can't do nothing, not even browse the file system or network.

I am also looking to go the above route with our direct labor staff, this would be a lot less machines for me to have to deal with, everything would be managed from the terminal server instead of terminal server + desktop.

I would be interested to how you turn out on the XP embedded. We need to have a windows machine in a few areas for peripheral support, one of which is our shipping office for use with the UPS label printer and a laserjet, I am unsure what is out there for nix support, but it wouldn't be a big deal to GPO a machine down to nothing and install those devices, then toss the user to a terminal session to do all their work, only using the windows box more or less to pass access to the peripherals to the server. I am also going to work with our accountant to do a cost analysis on our current printers vs 1 network printer, this would also make my life easier.

 

[Deleted member 12106]

I'm using Wyse S10 and S30's with no problems. I'm running a terminal services cluster on Server 2003 VMware images and a Baracuda load balancer. I also have some older PC's imaged with Thin Station Linux which works great as well.

Are you able to get the thin station to auto-load direct to a terminal session?

 

[blarg]

Are you able to get the thin station to auto-load direct to a terminal session?

Yes, they pull their config from a Wyse wnos file that just tells them to connect to
\\session-server From there that Server 2003 box is acting as a session server. It used to do the load balancing for the cluster but Microsoft's "network heartbeat" system creates a ton of traffic. Now that session server just points at the Baracuda load balancer and it sends the session to the least busy server.

 

[calvinj]

I love the thin os and wyse linux for that wnos file. Currently I have that setup too. the v50l picks up the profile i have set from the ftp server. then auto launchs the citrix published desktop. it is the best