TODAY’S CLIENT-SERVER STRATEGY
BY JAMES PYRICH, PRESIDENT/CEO SOFTWARE FIRST, INC.
"Everything old is new again" is the song sung in today’s corporate offices where older client-server methods are being reevaluated in favor of more traditional ones. The major players in corporate computing have actively been developing and selling solutions for thin and lean clients to replace the existing fully loaded PCs that have been purchased for common usage. The thin client is designed to run your office applications from servers and does not need unnecessary computing power and resources. This result is a less expensive, more reliable workstation than your average PC.
With the price drops in the PC industry, the installation of fully loaded desktop clients attached to servers has become a standard approach to connectivity. The difference between a low end PC and a high-end desktop (or small server) in terms of price, function and performance is relatively small compared to 5 years ago. Usable PCs for under $1,000 are advertised and installed on networks for common tasks such as data entry, inquiry and Internet connectivity. A host of preinstalled software such as Microsoft office suites accompanies most units giving the user many tools and options.
"Let the buyer beware", there are hidden costs of owning any full-featured PC…the increased possibility of application and hardware failure. A downed PC requires knowledge to diagnose and resolve the error. Rebooting and reinstallation of applications is a moronic and insulting "solution" to fixing these common problems. However, often it is the only choice for the technician in terms of their time to work on the problem. The user needs to work, the technician needs to go on to other problems and the company loses valuable time and money from all sides. Hardware failures are much worse.
In the early days of corporate computing the user had access to a centralized repository of applications they needed to use. Their workstation was simple, cheap and secure. Downtime came from three sources:
Two of these three problems are easily fixed or replaced and the user is back in business. In retrospect, these early days weren’t too bad in terms of productivity. The wealth of applications was dependent upon what was running on the server. A number of companies have looked at this situation and reworked the old client-server model to have the best of both worlds.
Microsoft and IBM offer some of the best choices. Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Terminal Server Edition is nearing its one-year anniversary of release. Recent price drops on the thin-client software have made it an attractive option to many corporate offices. The Terminal Server manages the thin-clients by providing rapid software application upgrades and additions, high level data security and a greater degree of virus protection than the common "PC on every desk" approach. The IBM AS400 is another excellent server choice for thin-clients as its OS400 operating system is designed to manage client applications in an efficient and reliable manner. Applications and data reside on the servers and the thin-clients access it through the network. Client management software provides the Network Administrators with up to date knowledge of who is on the system, what applications are being run and if there are any problems. The more comprehensive software even performs load balancing across servers to help speed up thin-client access.
On the thin-client side we have also seen performance increases and price decreases. Base models of the IBM Network Station are currently under $400. Intel has recently released a lean-client standard to determine the best choice for the user in question. A number of network terminal server models have also hit the market which are optimized to support the specific needs for the users on the network.
Be sure to consider this thin-client strategy for client-server usage. It provides:
Not every user will fit into this mold but for the more common corporate offices, thin is in.
Since 1979 Software First, Inc. has provided Property Management and HUD software solutions to the New York area. Solution/2000 software integrates accounting, property management, HUD tracking, work orders and inventory. For additional information contact Fred Seltzer: 800-227-7038 or Email: seltzer@sfisolutions.com – Home Page:www.sfisolutions.com