Thin Client

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Thin Client

A "Thin_Client" is a PC which has no hard drive. It depends on another machine for operation. The advantages of a thin client are added security, because obviously the machine it depends on, actually controls the "life blood" of the thin client. This way, whatever security is set up on the host machine, is what rules the thin client's access. A thin client is really just a fancy way to allow a serving machine to host a client. Mainframe and other terminal type systems work on this principal. The client's screen and access to software and file structures is secured at the host. In a business setting, the costs of LAN maintenance is reduced because there is little ability of the thin client user to affect any settings which are critical to the business or workflow operation. In a perfect world all users are "good users", but as reality shows, mistakes are made everyday by curious people using computers. If you are a DP professional, you know this translates into a lot of technical support and help desk calls and operations. The thin client eliminates this. The thin client is also known as a "Network PC"; however, there is much to-do in the computer industry over just what actually constitutes a Network PC, so we use the term "thin-client".

NCs, NetPCs, and Java Network Terminals are based on the concept of thin client computing. Though their focus is at the OS level, the thin client-computing concept has been gaining more importance at the application level as well. Fat client, traditional client/server, applications are easier to design but have longer download times and require more client memory than thin clients.

Thin Client or Server-based computing is a model in which applications are deployed, managed, supported and executed 100% on a server. It uses a multi-user operating system and a method for distributing the presentation of an application's interface to a client device. The server-based computing model employs three critical components. The first is a multi-user operating system that enables multiple concurrent users to log on and run applications in separate, protected sessions on a single server. The second is a highly efficient computing technology that separates the application's logic from its user interface, so only keystrokes, mouse clicks and screen updates travel the network. As a result, application performance is bandwidth-independent.

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