"unix servers"

[yenuwine]

Hi, I posted a question about servers that run unix on the general board and was told to post here. I apologize for misuse of terminology, but I was wondering if anyone could explain how these servers work. All I know is that there is a main server which does most of the processing and there are many "dumb" terminals which are connected to the server. Some questions I am looking to get answered are: How much do such configurations cost, server and terminals, and how many terminals are supported by a typical server (if there is no such thing as a typical server, then what are some of the ranges), What are the advantages to such a set up compared to having pc's in a network. Thanks for your replies.

 

[NewBlackDak]

Check out LTSP(Linux Terminal Server Project).

The terminal server can be anything from an all out 8-way ultrasparc, to a dual opteron to your 233MHz laptop. It all depends on your need for the server. Just google for LTSP, and you should find everything you ever wanted to know and more.

 

[n0cmonkey]

I had a lengthy response to this all typed up, but it didn't go through. I guess I should have copied it off before I hit reply. :|

Anyhow, to continue my post in the other thread:

Ok, the thing you sit at is typically a dumb terminal. It does almost nothing. The server is called a server.

Anyhow, 10mbit should work for those, but 100mbit makes it a lot smoother. I got the chance to use one briefly at a SUN training center and I was half inspired to sell my family to buy a setup. These thin clients are nifty. I think the one I used was closest to the 1g. Anyhow, everything is run on the server, and I think you can have just about any sun server for this, but there are minimum requirements depending on how many clients.

These thin clients let you have a smart card keyed to you. You enter your username and a password after putting the card in. Your desktop pops up. If your workstation is being used by someone else for some reason, you can jump on another one, pop in your card, login, and the stuff you were working on before lunch comes up. Everything is stored on the server (have I mentioned that yet).

You need a fairly beefy server if you have a lot of clients. Can't remember the specs, but they should be in the documentation there somewhere. With OpenOffice/Staroffice, I'm thinking that these could be a great solution for offices.

Hopefully that rambling gives you a place to start.

There is a link to a system requirements guide on that page. It recommends a V210/V250 with 2 processors and 4GB of ram for 20 users doing fairly intensive tasks, or a V440 with 4 processors and 8GB of ram for 40. Each of those thin clients will cost you a few hundred ($359USD-$1,049), and the servers anywhere from $10,000USD on up.

Some of the benefits would be the central management, and the ability to switch computers without losing any work or having to shut anything down. All of the OS changes would take place on the server, and the clients would be updated automatically when they boot.

A similar solution using Linux may work and be a lot cheaper, but I have not seen any professional solutions out there.

 

[groovin]

just wanted to say that unix servers/terminals is not the only way to set a unix network....

im sure everyone here knows that, but just wanted to add that incase anyone who doesnt know happens along in the future.

 

[drag]

Ya it depends on what you mean by "Servers"

Most servers on the internet run Unix or unix variant like one of the BSD's or Linux.

There are no limit to how many clients you can have. You can have as many as your hardware allows, and the bandwidth allows. Most stuff you get, like Sun Solaris or Redhat, there are no limits. Some propriatory software, like databases, may say "you may have only 20 or 30 clients" depending on the liscencing scemes.

What sort of server are you think of? Like a internet server, or a coporate LAN setup, or a database server, or a simple file or application server?

 

[yenuwine]

thanks for the replies. I took a look at the websites you gave me n0cmonkey and it seems as if each terminal comes out to be around 750 dollars. I was wondering how the performance would compare to a 400-750 dollar computer bought from dell. I'm thinking somewhat of a corporate LAN setup (i'm not really sure what an application server is but that sounds like it also may be what i'm interested in).

 

[Nothinman]

Performance generally isn't the main concern when using a terminal server setup, usually you do it because you want centralized management or you need to run something on a central server but control it from many workstations.