[OPLINTECH] FW: Thin client computers

[JKENZIG]

However if your Thin Client has  XPe (windows xp embedded) on it and as long as you have enough room on the flash disk you very easily can use deepfreeze and workstation management software as well as lock it down with group policy and even steady state.  Xpe is just a lean version of XP that we used successfully for several years here at CCPL.  We've only recently gone back to full PC's due to the expanding plethora of necessary plugins for all of the different databases.   She specified she wants them for email so a TC would work beautifully for that. 

 

Jim Kenzig

Network Manager

Cuyahoga County Public Library 

 

From: oplintech-bounces at oplin.org [mailto:oplintech-bounces at oplin.org] On Behalf Of Chad Neeper
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 12:07 PM
To: oplintech at oplin.org
Subject: Re: [OPLINTECH] FW: Thin client computers

 

For what it's worth, I've used ThinStation (http://thinstation.sourceforge.net), which is a FOSS (Free Open Source Software) solution to turn nearly any old computer into a thin client. This way old decommissioned computers were given new life without any additional hardware expense. It works well with Microsoft's terminal services, so you can use a MS server as the back-end if you like. It also supports several other protocols besides RDP, so you have several back-end server options besides Microsoft.

If you want to purchase new TC devices, Neoware (recently purchased by Hewlett-Packard) makes some good thin clients with various models to choose from and reasonable prices. 

On the back-end, you have options also. Microsoft, of course, and then any number of free Linux options, might be among the most popular for libraries. I've even used a product called XPUnlimited (http://www.xpunlimited.com/) to share out a Windows XP desktop to a small number of computers. It looks like they have a version now that supports Vista, FWIW. Locking down either environment probably shouldn't be too difficult, depending on your expertise in your chosen server operating system. Locking down the thin client's themselves isn't the issue. It's the server and the user profiles that you need to focus on. In a TC environment, on the server, Deep Freeze and/or the full hard drive protection features of SteadyState probably aren't your best options.

Then the next hurdle is trying to get your pc reservation system and/or print management solution to work in a TC environment...

Plenty of hands-on testing and configuring to do here before you roll out your solution!

Good luck!

Chad

-----------------------
Chad Neeper
Senior Systems Engineer

Level 9 Networks
740-548-8070 (voice)
866-214-6607 (fax)

--   Full LAN/WAN consulting services   --
-- Specialized in libraries and schools --



Lucretia Wiley wrote:
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email



> below.



> 



> *Lucretia Wiley * *Computer Systems Technician* *Warren Trumbull



> County Public Library* *444 Mahoning Avenue* *Warren, OH 44483* 



> *330-399-8807 ext. 141* *Email: wileyl at wtcpl.org



> <mailto:wileyl at wtcpl.org> <mailto:wileyl at wtcpl.org> *



> 



> 



> ------------------------- *From:* Lucretia Wiley *Sent:* Monday,

July



> 21, 2008 12:36 PM *To:* oplintech at oplin.lib.oh.us *Subject:* Thin



> client computers



> 



> ** *Good Afternoon,* ** *I wanted to find out if any of you have

thin



> client computers at your* *library being used as email only

stations



> and if so, what brands and* *models do you have? Also, how are you



> locking them down and do * *you have a time limit as to how long

the



> patron can use the station?* ** *We currently use deepfreeze to

lock



> the computers down and PC * *reservation to reserve and limit the



> time a patron can use a computer.*



> 



> *I would like to look into using Windows Steadystate to lock the



> computers* *down with so any suggestions that anyone could give me



> would be highly* *appreciated.* ** *Thanks,*



> 



> *Lucretia Wiley * *Computer Systems Technician* *Warren Trumbull



> County Public Library* *444 Mahoning Avenue* *Warren, OH 44483* 



> *330-399-8807 ext. 141* *Email: wileyl at wtcpl.org



> <mailto:wileyl at wtcpl.org> <mailto:wileyl at wtcpl.org> *



> 



> 



> -------------------------



> 



> _______________________________________________ OPLINTECH mailing



> list OPLINTECH at oplin.org 



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