Win2000Mag Thin-Client UPDATE March 1, 2000 [1/3]
Konstantin Gusev
THIN-CLIENT UPDATE
The biweekly thin-client update newsletter
from Windows 2000 Magazine
http://www.win2000mag.com/ourproducts/email/thinclient/
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This week's issue sponsored by
SmarTerm Office for Citrix
http://www.persoft.com/wnttc22
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March 1, 2000 - In this issue:
1. FROM THE EDITOR
2. THIN-CLIENT NEWS AND VIEWS
- Windows 2000-Compatible TSE Products Released
- SCO Readies Tarantella for Monterey/64 and 64-Bit Linux
- Citrix Acquires Innovex Group
3. ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Join the 60,000 Professionals Who Read SQL Server Magazine
UPDATE!
- Enterprise Storage UPDATE - Free Email Newsletter
4. KEEPING UP WITH TERMINAL SERVICES
- Ghost in the Machine
- Delayed Gratification
- Now You See It ... Now You Still See It
5. NEW AND IMPROVED
- Remotely Wake Up Workstations
- Thin-Client Support for Windows 2000
- New Thin Client
6. GET THE SKINNY
- Installing and Working with Citrix VideoFrame
7. PICK OF THE WEEK
- Hot Thread: Processor Utilization
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Want to sponsor UPDATE? Contact Martha Schwartz (Western and
International Advertising Sales Manager) at 212-829-5609 or
mscw...@win2000mag.com, OR Tanya T. TateWik (Eastern Advertising
Sales Manager) at 877-217-1823 or ttat...@win2000mag.com.
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1.========== FROM THE EDITOR ==========
Greetings all:
Given that Microsoft formally announced Windows 2000 (Win2K) recently,
I should devote this space to Windows 2000 Server Terminal Services.
However, if you're reading this, you're probably familiar with the
concept: Terminal Services is now part of the core OS, RDP now supports
client-side printing and a shared clipboard, and the licensing
structure differs only slightly from that of Windows NT Server 4.0,
Terminal Server Edition (TSE). If you're not familiar with the concept,
you'll get more from the articles I've written for Windows 2000
Magazine or the chapter I contributed to Mastering Windows 2000 Server
(Sybex, 2000) than you could from one editorial anyway. So instead,
let's talk about the server-based computing market and how it's
perceived.
Come to think of it, this discussion is about Win2K to some degree.
As many have observed, Microsoft's decision to make multiuser computing
a core service of its network operating system (NOS) should boost
terminal services use by reducing the risks of adopting the technology
and by providing remote administration capabilities, which can benefit
even those who are committed to the PC-centric model. But once you get
past the tinkering stage and are thinking seriously about whether to
deploy Terminal Services on even a small scale, you'll probably have to
convince a higher-up that it's a good idea.
Trouble is, the higher-up might know the server-based computing
model as thin-client computing, which is how the trade press (and this
newsletter) often refers to it. (When we started this newsletter, we
weren't quite sure what to call it. Server-Based Computing UPDATE is
unwieldy, and nothing else really fit, so we finally decided that
people would at least know what we meant if we called it Thin-Client
UPDATE.) The trouble with calling the model thin-client computing is
that the name puts more emphasis on the client than the server, which
is really the opposite of how this computing model looks to the people
running it.
Confusing people is rarely a good idea, and it's worse yet when
you're trying to promote an unfamiliar concept. For enthusiasts who
don't really know the model, thin-client computing implies talking
about how well terminals work and how great terminals are. For the less
enthusiastic who don't really know the model, such a name provides an
easy way of pointing out that desktop-based applications are far from
dead--after all, PCs still outnumber Windows-based terminals (WBTs) on
the desktop by more than 2:1, and PC manufacturers aren't seeing demand
for WBTs.
Ironically, I have to agree with the pessimists' surface argument.
Server-based computing isn't always about scrapping the PC. Sometimes,
to be sure, a terminal is a better choice than a PC. However, so long
as mainframes are still in use--and probably punch cards, somewhere--no
one will get me to say that one computing model will completely edge
out another. However, I also think that focusing on the relatively
small market for terminals (compared with PCs) misses the point. That
most PC OEMs (with the notable exception of Compaq) are leaving the
terminal-making to others proves nothing about the viability of the
server-based model. Of course PC OEMs aren't making WBTs--the market is
crowded and the unit replacement is low. If I were trying to exploit a
market and had a reputation for building PCs and servers, I'd stick
with servers, which bear the brunt of computing and are therefore more
likely candidates for replacement or expansion than a terminals that
are meant to be "set and forget." So yes, Hewlett-Packard has
discontinued its Windows terminal line and Dell doesn't sell a
terminal, but both companies build servers for the server-based
computing market.
My point is that if you're trying to introduce terminal services to
your organization, be careful not to get too hung up on the terminal
side of the equation. There are definite benefits to WBTs--no doubt
about it--and they can outperform some PCs for some applications.
However, terminals aren't the right answer for everybody. Server-based
computing is about centralized administration, easy interoperability,
and uncomplicated deployment of new OSs and applications without
upgrading desktop hardware--not necessarily about how fabulous WBTs
are. I suspect that you'll have a lot more luck persuading strong
supporters of the PC model that server-based computing can work if they
don't think that you're trying to take their PCs away. (If you are, you
can work on that after you've sold them server-based computing.)
See you next time,
Christa Anderson, Thin-Client UPDATE News Editor
thinc...@win2000mag.com
2.========== THIN-CLIENT NEWS AND VIEWS ==========
(contributed by Christa Anderson, thinc...@win2000mag.com)
* WINDOWS 2000-COMPATIBLE TSE PRODUCTS RELEASED
OK, you ran out and bought one of the first boxes of Windows 2000
(Win2K) to hit the shelves, and you think it's nice to have Windows
2000 Server Terminal Services incorporated in the core OS. But what if
you miss the third-party terminal services tools you used with Windows
NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition (TSE)? Good news: Citrix and
Network Computing Devices (NCD) have announced Win2K-compatible
versions of MetaFrame and the ThinPath suite, respectively.
The Win2K version of MetaFrame 1.8 terminal services software has
the same feature set as Metaframe 1.8 for TSE, with one exception: it
includes NFuse. NFuse is a Web-based version of MetaFrame's Program
Neighborhood that lets you publish applications running on a MetaFrame
server farm. It lets users click an icon to open applications without
specifying a server. NFuse shows published applications' icons on a Web
page so users can access interactive applications and content through a
Web browser, using either Java or ActiveX controls. For practical
purposes, this means that clients connecting to NFuse applications
don't have to specifically install an ICA client on their computers and
don't have to worry about whether their version of ICA supports the
Program Neighborhood. Although Citrix is positioning NFuse as a tool
for the next stage of application service provider (ASP) offerings,
those who use inhouse terminal services might also be interested in the
tool to deploy their own applications. Although Citrix's just-released
MetaFrame for Windows 2000 Server (Win2K Server) is the first MetaFrame
version to support NFuse directly, MetaFrame 1.8 for TSE users can
download support for NFuse from the Citrix Web site
(http://www.citrix.com). Those wanting to migrate from MetaFrame for
TSE to MetaFrame for Win2K will have to purchase a migration license,
which retains the existing client licenses. With Subscription
Advantage, the migration license costs US$1499 for each server; without
it, the it's $499 for each server.
NCD's ThinPath suite for Win2K, currently the same program as the
suite for TSE, automatically detects which version of terminal services
is present. Eventually, NCD hopes to provide a separate program for
Win2K that can take advantage of the new Microsoft installer
capabilities, but the company will offer the two installation programs
on the same CD-ROM so people can upgrade to Win2K without penalty.
Announcements of Win2K support weren't limited to terminal services
software. Boundless announced a Win2K-compatible version of its Capio
Windows-based terminals, meaning that the terminal uses RDP 5 instead
of RDP 4. It's important to note that any terminal supporting RDP can
connect to Terminal Services, but RDP 5 adds some capabilities that RDP
4 didn't provide, such as support for client-side printers.
* SCO READIES TARANTELLA FOR MONTEREY/64 AND 64-BIT LINUX
SCO announced that it's readying its Tarantella Web-enabling software
for the Monterey/64 and 64-bit Linux platforms, using an Intel Itanium
processor-based server prototype. These OS platforms will benefit from
the remote administration capabilities that Tarantella provides, and
provide users with secure, Web-based access to Windows, Linux, UNIX,
and mainframe applications.
Previously code-named Merced, the Itanium processor employs 64-bit
architecture and enhanced instruction handling. At the Intel Developer
Forum in mid-February, eight leading system vendors showed prototype
servers and workstations (running three different OSs and featuring
several e-business-related applications) based on the Itanium
processor. Not surprisingly, Intel is promoting Itanium servers to the