Thin client machines offer potential benefits like lower costs, centralized management, and energy efficiency compared to traditional fat clients. However, thin clients require substantial upfront infrastructure investments and may not support all tasks like multimedia. Schools should carefully consider their objectives and needs, learn from others' experiences, and plan for supporting both thin and fat clients.

1. Fat & Thin Client Machines
In Education
ESF - Bede Academy - Interview Presentation 2
Chris Down
19th March 2013

2. Terminology
• Fat client
– Traditional computer
– Contains all required components to process &
manipulate information
– Relatively expensive
– High running costs / TCO
– Energy hungry
– Generate heat & noise
– Prone to mechanical & electrical failure

3. Terminology
• Thin client
– Generic term
– May look nothing like a computer
– Much smaller & lighter
– Box contains very little
• Basic I/O connectivity for USB, keyboard & mouse
• Display chip & connector
– Much cheaper than traditional ‘fat’ pc
– Uses less energy
– Generates less heat & noise

4. Battle of the Bulge ?
Fat Clients
Thin Clients

5. Not Necessarily !
• It’s Not Just Size
• Fat vs Thin
– has to do with how much processing is done on
the desktop itself vs. on a central remote server
– Older computers can be redeployed as ‘thin
clients’
– Thin clients are typically ‘dumb terminals’ – they
can’t do anything unless connected to a server

6. Thin Client Scenario

7. Thin Client - Pros
• Lower TCO
• Increased ICT provision
• Centralised management
• Easier to deploy
• Greater consistency across suites
• Very reliable
• Reduced tampering = less support

8. Thin Client - Pros
• Longer service life
• More secure
• Lower risk of virus infection
• Improved learning environment
– Smaller
– Less heat
– Less noise

9. Thin Client - Cons
• Initial infrastructure cost can be high
– Require increased server capacity
– Require resilient high speed network
• Initial setup specialised & can be time
consuming & expensive
• Not suitable for all tasks
– Lack of multi-media support
• Compatibility issues

10. Thin Client - Cons
• Licensing issues
• 100% performance dependant on
– Server performance
– Network performance
• Single points of failure
– If either the server or network fails, everything
stops
• Unfamiliar - not what students expect

11. Key Considerations
• Why are thin clients being considered?
– Environmental
• Space, noise, power & CO2
– Financial
• Attractive whole life TCO
• Redeployment of older pcs to extend service life
– Improve accessibility
• Lower cost, smaller footprint = more terminals
• Facilitate home use access via broadband link

12. Key Considerations
• Learn from others
– Visit a similar school that already has a TC solution
• Define clear objectives
– Know what you want to achieve
– Are there any other / better ways to achieve aims
• Look beyond 3 yr plan
– Increasingly multi-sensory / media rich world
– Increasing pace of change
– Will thin client option still be suitable in 3 – 5 years

13. Key Considerations
• How will they be used?
– Great for low impact work such as data capture,
text editing etc
• Eg library system, sims, basic classroom file access
– Generally unsuited to multi-media or any work
involving image / video editing
• Improving support for viewing multi-media but very
dependent on server performance
• Commercial learning packages are increasingly media
rich

14. Key Considerations
– Peripheral & whiteboard support can be poor
• May not be suitable for students with SEN
– Need mixture of fat & thin clients within the
classroom
• Technical and managerial issues of having to maintain both
system types in one environment

15. Considerations
• Where will they be used?
– Fat clients, pcs & laptops, will work anywhere
there is power
– Thin clients need a physical connection back to
the server
• Direct link
• Internet link – enables home use access
– Network infrastructure and capacity needs to be
carefully planned and monitored

16. Considerations
• Infrastructure & Support
– Massive increase in server & network load
– Don’t underestimate costs of upgrading &
increasing server & network capacity
• Citrix XenApp rec 30/40 TC : server
– Infrastructure needs to be scalable
– Is the expertise available to support and manage a
mixed thin/fat deployment
• Training may be required

17. Summary
– Thin Client solutions can deliver significant
benefits
• Greater accessibility
• measurable reductions in TCO
• more environmentally sustainable
• No one size fits all option
• Needs careful planning
• Will always need a mix of thin and fat clients