What do i need to set up a central computer with 5 terminals for a small business?

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Hello all. I jus tgot a call from someone who asked me if I could buid or make the following setup:
- One central computer, with 5 terminals. Each terminal should have a monitor, keyboard and mouse. HE wants a windows platform. He wants each terminal to work with applications on the central computer, however not all terminals will be running the same applications.

I do not know if windows is capable of this, but if some of you would tell me how I could build this (hardware, software), I would appreciate it. I also would appreciate it if you told me of some other company that does this so that if I find it too difficult I can refer the client to the other company.

Thanks in advance.

 

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bump

 

[Sestar]

I would combine windows advanced server, on a low end server(933mhz, 768mb SDRAM) with 5 diskless workstations, OR some old 200mhz desktops(pick em up on ebay for 50$ a pop, 100$ with screen). Setup terminal services on the server, and you should be able to do it just fine. If you have low end users, I would go with linux, a city goverment in florida deployed 400 diskless workstations and had a server that could handle 300 at a time consist of only dual 933mhz pentiums and 1.5gigs of RAM(As well as SCSI Storage but thats a given 🙂).

 

[HappyPuppy]

To be serious, if you don't have the proper background and experience, I would suggest backing away from this job.

If all your client wanted was a simple peer to peer network with a file server the people here could walk you through it fairly easily.

What your client wants is "dumb terminals" or "thin clients" and that involves a completely different setup and administration.

Just my thoughts.

 

[cleverhandle]

Yeah, I concur with HappyPuppy - put a network like this together in your basement first before you take a job on it. Whether Windows or Linux, it's going to be a ton of work your first time through. See if the client will accept a LAN with a central file server instead - depending the applications he needs, it might not be any less efficient or more expensive.

 

[Gunbuster]

Terminal services licensing is a pain in the ass and costs big $$$

 

[Daovonnaex]

<< Hello all. I jus tgot a call from someone who asked me if I could buid or make the following setup:
- One central computer, with 5 terminals. Each terminal should have a monitor, keyboard and mouse. HE wants a windows platform. He wants each terminal to work with applications on the central computer, however not all terminals will be running the same applications.

I do not know if windows is capable of this, but if some of you would tell me how I could build this (hardware, software), I would appreciate it. I also would appreciate it if you told me of some other company that does this so that if I find it too difficult I can refer the client to the other company.

Thanks in advance. >>

Centralized computing is too expensive and inefficenient on a small scale, which is why only large enterprises use them. 5 PCs linked to a server via LAN would be cheaper and more effective in such an application.

 

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Thanks for your replies... I will tell the person pretty much what you guys said... and there is n oway im messing with anything "advanced" from microsoft 😉 Thanks again.

 

[kjmcdonald]

Basically your options are:

1) a PC running Windows 2000 Terminal Server and either cheap PC clients or HW terminals designed for W2K TS.
2) a Sun Server with a SunPCi card running Win2k TS, and 5 SunRAY terminals. (If you can get your apps on UNIX then
you could ditch the SunPCi card and the Win2K TS.

3) Again if the apps can run on UNIX, then you could also do a PC or Sun Server with Cheap PC's running an Xserver
or maybe (if you can find them!) some Xterminals.

Win2K TS isn't cheap.

Sun Servers aren't normally either. but I think for only 5 terminals, you might get away with a $995 SunBlade 100.
Add a $400 (I think) SunPCi card, and 5 $700 SunRAY terminals (Lease for about $9/mo) and this might not be
that expensive after all - well until you add in the Win2K TS license that is...

-Kyle