Multistation OS

[Mark Haney]

Wade Smart wrote:
> 20081027 0718 GMT-6
> 
> http://www.omni-ts.com/newsroom/linux-for-education.html
> http://www.omni-ts.com/linux-desktop/
> 
> A short while back I posted some questions about using Thin Clients at 
> the local school. That fizzled out. I received a email this morning from 
> the school wanting to know if I could setup a multi-station lab like 
> what is in this email.
> 
> The second link tells about what they are doing.
> 
> This is just what I was talking about - right?
> Just done only in one location and district wide.
> 
> Wade
> 
> 

I fail to see how this is different from a thin-client solution.  At 
least in it's basic elements. You are still using a single machine to 
provide desktops to other systems.  They claim:

The Linux Desktop Multiplier, powered by Userful, allows up to 10 
thick-client user stations to connect to a single SUSE Linux Enterprise 
Desktop computer. User stations consist of only a monitor, USB keyboard 
and mouse.

But, this is kinda contradictory, by definition a 'thick client' is a 
full desktop system (more or less, including notebooks, etc).  But if a 
'user station' doesn't have a MB/CPU combo (all inclusive), then this is 
nothing more than another type of thin client setup.

Personally, you'd almost be better off just running remote X sessions on 
each system (use XFCE or something) to provide a 'full desktop'.  That 
works pretty much the same way this setup works.

Either way you look at it, it's a remote desktop design.  Each 'station' 
must get it's desktop from central location and it doesn't matter if the 
'station' is a full client or a thin one.


My $0.02 anyway.



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Mark Haney
Sr. Systems Administrator
ERC Broadband
(828) 350-2415

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