Thin, but no flakes: 4 thin-clients reviewed



Thin, but no flakes: 4 thin clients tested Last month we looked at thin-client terminals. This month RMIT examines the back end for thin-client setups.


Contents
Introduction
 Acer Altos R510
 Primergy RX200 S2
 SunFire V20z
 SunFire V210
 Specifications
 Editor's choice
 About RMIT IT
In many server applications, the most critical performance factors are drive and LAN I/O because in many situations the server quite simply serves files and this usually has minimal CPU overhead. A powerful file server can make do with a single processor as long as you have a fast disk system and of course lots of disk cache to help it along.

Exceptions are of course things like database servers and thin-client servers, where not only are our clients requesting file data they are also putting a load on the server's CPU as it processes tasks such as a database index or, in the case of thin clients (TC), actually carrying out each TC's processing requirements.

In thin-client servers pretty much everything needs to be on steroids -- your disk subsystem, LAN I/O, CPU, and memory. Which is why each of the four servers in this product comparison feature dual CPUs and, in most cases, loads of memory.

Redundancy also needs to be a seriously considered. In a PC and server environment, if the server goes down, or at least the LAN link to it fails, then the PCs are quite capable of carrying out work locally meaning your staff can continue on with their work. Naturally there are plenty of scenarios where, even with PCs, productivity grinds to a halt and that is precisely what is going to happen with most thin-client workstations. Most TC workstations rely on the server for its applications, virtual processing, and system memory so if you lose the server it means your workers can only sit and twiddle their thumbs.

For me, an ideal thin-client server would need redundant power supplies, hard drives, disk controllers, CPUs and LAN ports (of course you would also need to support this with a sensibly-designed LAN infrastructure that offered path redundancy).

In terms of this review, all of the servers supplied to the Lab were only one rack unit (1RU) in size, so we know that expecting loads of redundancy in such a small form factor is a big ask. However, much to our surprise, Fujitsu actually managed to squeeze dual redundant power supplies into its 1RU chassis.

With the exception of the SunFire V210, all the servers feature direct mouse, keyboard, and monitor connectivity so they can be configured locally. The V210 on the other hand must be configured remotely via LAN or serial port.

When calculating the interoperability star rating, we assessed the server's support of network operating systems -- while bonus points were awarded for the support of Novell Netware, for example, it is not necessary for either of the major thin-client operating systems from Microsoft and Citrix.

Unfortunately, the Lab was unable to complete performance testing of the servers in time for this issue of T&B but will provide an update on the relative performance of each server in the next issue.

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