Thin client question - (I think?)

[Patton Echols]

On 02/23/2008 06:10 PM, Patton Echols wrote:
> On 02/23/2008 08:44 AM, Dave Woyciesjes wrote:
>   
>> Brian McKee wrote:
>>   
>>     
>>> On Fri, 2008-02-22 at 23:11 -0800, Patton Echols wrote:
>>>
>>>     
>>>       
>>>> My suggestion was to have one fairly robust XP box, replace all the 
>>>> other desktops with lightweight linux diskless "thin clients."   (Is 
>>>> that the correct term?)  I envision something like a DSL box 
>>>> http://tinyurl.com/b6l35 that uses something like terminal server client 
>>>> to remote to the XP box where everyone logs in.  Windoze would then do 
>>>> the authentication of each user to it's server and (license issues 
>>>> aside) 1/2 dozen or so users can all work simultaneously. 
>>>>       
>>>>         
>>> You have the concept right.  But, the server has to be a Windows Server
>>> product, not XP, and Windows Terminal Server (as I understand it - I'm
>>> not a user of that product) requires a license for every computer that
>>> attaches to it - a CAL (Client Access License)  IIRC it comes with 5 and
>>> every one past that is extra.  Those CALs might be enough money to
>>> negate the gains from a linux client.
>>>
>>> This is exactly how things like HP's thin client (which runs Debian)
>>> work, or boxes like the koolu work
>>> http://koolu.com/Koolu-WE-Appliance/Works-Everywhere-Appliance.html
>>>
>>> Citrix works on that principle too, but I don't know their pricing
>>> model.
>>>
>>> If you want to try it - you can get a demo version of Windows Server
>>> 2008 that works for 3 months or so and 'have at it' as a proof of
>>> concept.
>>>     
>>>       
>> 	Yep you are pretty darn close. I setup a Windows Server 2003 Standard 
>> box at work. There are 2 licensing schemes for it, one is per seat, and 
>> the other I don't recall at the moment. Sorry... But a search on Google 
>> (BTW, Google is a name, proper noun, _not_ a verb!) turned these up:
>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/technologies/terminalservices/default.mspx
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/823313
>> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/overview/termservlic.mspx
>>
>>   
>>     
>
> Thanks, I have not read those yet, but some of my -googling- er, sorry 
> searching on Google indicates that windows terminal server is also the 
> service that provides remote desktop on XP pro, but it is only enabled 
> for single users.  I found one alternative called elusiva 
> http://www.elusiva.com/  At US$249 for 5 connections, I wonder if it is 
> cheaper than win 2003 server.  More reading to do I guess . . .
>
>   
For anyone who wonders, pricing of the required MS licenses would be 
about 7x that amount . . . Hmmm.