Thin Client Converter
These six PC to thin client. More tools for converting PCs to thin clients. Here are six non-Windows tools to help you convert old hardware to thin clients.
These six tools from some popular and lesser-known vendors all work with VMware View, Citrix XenDesktop/XenApp and Microsoft Remote Desktop (unless otherwise noted). Devon IT may not be well known, but it has worked some big name vendors over the years - including IBM and Dell. Devon IT is probably best known for its thin client hardware, but it also makes a PC conversion product called VDI Blaster. VDI Blaster can be installed via a Windows executable on the box, which creates a small partition used to house Devon IT's DeTOS thin client operating system without harming the Windows installation. You can also install it on a USB stick or directly to a hard drive without Windows. After reboot, DeTOS launches and the machine effectively becomes a Devon IT thin client.
Windows is still on the box, but is not available to the user (unless you want them to know it's there). From there, the device can be managed the same way as other Devon IT thin clients - with the Devon IT Echo Management Software. VDI Blaster retails for $29.99/device and can be purchased. Similar to VDI Blaster in that it places a thin client OS on a 'fat' desktop, Wyse PC Extender is based on SUSE Linux Enterprise Thin Client version 11. While this may not be the same OS available on other Wyse thin clients, it is manageable from the same location as all of Wyse's other thin clients: Wyse Device Manager. Wyse PC Extender retails for around $40/device, but it's available through channel partners, so your mileage may vary. Another offering from Wyse is the WSM solution, which allows you to create a 'Cloud PC' (yeah, that's what they call it).
Thin Client Hardware
It probably should have been in last week's article, since it deals with Windows, but better late than never. Basically, WSM streams both the Windows OS and applications to a stateless PC (that's the 'Cloud PC' part), where everything will live and be executed from memory. It supports both full and embedded versions of Windows XP Pro, Windows Vista and Windows 7. Wyse WSM has two prices, one for Wyse-branded 'Cloud PCs' and one for non-Wyse machines. The Wyse-branded machine retail price for WSM is around $200/device, and the non-branded machine retail price is around $250/device.
Like PC Extender, it is also available through channel partners. Stratodesk, formerly Liscon, wants to be the ultimate, flexible thin client solution. The company's NoTouch product repurposes x86 hardware as thin clients. You can install NoTouch on thin clients from different manufacturers, as well as your old PCs, and manage them all from the same management console (NoTouch Center). NoTouch is available from and prices start at $31.49 for one to 10 clients, decreasing from there. The company 2X has been around for many years, but I don't know of too many people who use its products. Its ThinClientServer is easily deployed via PXE, CD, USB stick or direct hard drive installation.
VMware View and Citrix XenDesktop are supported, but there is no mention of PCoIP, which leads me to believe that View is supported with RDP only. 2X ThinClientServer is priced at $23.80 per user for the first 25 users (sold as a 25-license pack for $595) with discounts as more licenses are purchased. ThinStation is one of a few free and open source solutions on the market. There are a few others mentioned in the next section, but ThinStation is the best documented and most updated solution out there with updates as recent as June 28, 2011. It supports all of the major desktop virtualization systems, including XenApp/XenDesktop, View, Remote Desktop, and 2X (they have a server solution, too). It also comes with several terminal solutions built in. ThinStation can run off the network via PXE, or from USB, LiveCD, or hard drive installations.
A perfect circle live dvd. Check out Stone and Echo: Live at Red Rocks by A Perfect Circle on Amazon Music. Stream ad-free or purchase CD's and MP3s now on Amazon.com. Progressive alt-rock band A Perfect Circle have announced that they will be releasing a 1 DVD/4 CD box set entitled A Perfect Circle Live: Featuring Stone And Echo on November 26th. The DVD features the full live DVD featuring the band’s August 11th, 2011 performance at the Red Rocks Amphitheater. Find great deals on eBay for a perfect circle live and tool live. Shop with confidence.
It's available for free from. There are several other products that aren't frequently maintained or are hard to find information about online.
Thin Client Convert 1 Million Seats
If you're in the market to convert PCs and don't mind a bit of a challenge, do some searching for MultiFrame, ThinWin and Cult. All of these have some presence on the Web, but those locations appear to be moving targets with little information. Still, it might be up your alley at the right price. The takeaway from these PC-to-thin client articles is that you don't need to replace all the hardware in your organization to. There are plenty of tools out there to help you find that happy place between 'unmanaged endpoint wasteland' and having to manage two instances of Windows for every person (one in the data center and one on the desktop). Any of the tools mentioned in these two articles can help you get the most out of your existing investment and save you from buying all new hardware before you need to.
Note: There are a lot of packages out there, and it's hard to keep track of which ones are still being maintained, let alone keep up with any new ones. If you're aware of any that didn't make the list, or leave a note in the comments. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gabe Knuth is an independent industry analyst and blogger, known throughout the world as 'the other guy'. He has been in the application delivery space for over 12 years and has seen the industry evolve from the one-trick pony of terminal services to the application and desktop virtualization of today. Gabe's focus tends to lean more toward practical, real-world technology in the industry, essentially boiling off the hype and reducing solutions to their usefulness in today's corporate environments. You left out two: IGEL UDC - Universal Desktop Converter The Universal Desktop Converter allows you to migrate your existing PC or old thin client hardware into a fully manageable IGEL Universal Desktop thin client-like device.
It is capable of delivering Citrix®, VMware and Terminal Server desktop applications, utilizing the full software functionality of our Entry, Standard or Advanced Feature Packs. With our free, thin client deployment and management software, you can quickly and securely manage and administer your converted desktop infrastructure. The IGEL Universal Desktop Converter is an ideal introduction to thin client technologies and minimizes the initial procurement costs of new client hardware. Virtual Bridges Verde LEAF -VERDE Live Environment Access Format LEAF provides both connected (access to remote virtual desktop sessions) and disconnected (virtual desktop session is locally cached and executed on the client machine) access. LEAF is a self-contained local desktop virtualization platform that is fully secure, so there’s no need to worry about external endpoint security solutions.
LEAF also includes integrated VOIP (Skype) applications. Add My Comment. ThinManager ACP makes software for industrial process control environments. ThinManager is a complete thin client management solution.