On Sat, 2007-06-16 at 16:38 -0700, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > I could use more tutoring on the salient differences between a > "diskless thick client" and "diskless thin client."
A thin client is basically a video device that allows you to see what is running on a server. With thin clients, all of the processing occurs on the server, the video is sent over the network and simply displayed by the client. Above a certain point, extra power in a thin client is just wasted. The nice thing about thin clients is that you can upgrade a whole lab just by upgrading the server. Also thin clients tend to have effective lifetimes of several years because they have few, if any, moving parts and don't need more processing power as applications become more intensive. A diskless thick client is a computer that downloads its operating system and applications from a central server, but runs the applications itself. The major advantage is that, because the applications are run locally, not on the server, one server can accommodate many more clients. Also, video doesn't need to be sent down to each client, so the network demands are considerably smaller than with thin clients. The major disadvantage is that the client must be powerful enough to run the applications--considerably more powerful than a typical thin client. Thick clients also tend to have shorter life expectancies than thin clients, because they must be upgraded to keep up with the increasing demands of more complicated software. On the other hand, having a really powerful server with thick clients isn't as important as long as it has relatively quick disk access. HTH, Todd -- edubuntu-users mailing list edubuntu-users@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/edubuntu-users
