Transferring users to thin clients

Question

Virtualization

In general, there is an idea to transfer users from ordinary stationary PCs to thin clients.
There is a more or powerful server running Windows Server 2008. The maximum number of concurrent users is about 150 people. Users must have a WinXP operating system with the necessary programs on their end machines. Because clients are planned to be thin, then the OS should be loaded from the network, respectively. There should be some single image with the system for all users. The administrator delivers some kind of program there, it appears for all users.
The task must be somehow implemented by means of Microsoft. Which way to look? Toward Terminal-server or maybe Hyper-V? Can you advise something else?

Answer 1

You are confusing concepts.
PXE is one thing, Terminal server is another, Hyper-V is a third.
With PXE, the image is downloaded from the server to the client, the terminal server gives RDP access to an already deployed non-server system running on server resources, and Hyper-V virtualizes hardware to run multiple operating systems within a single server.
Why do you want to do network booting?

Answer 2

Thin clients are suitable for running a minimal OS and connecting to a terminal server. And you. as I understand it, you want to drive a full-fledged OS on them, and even execute programs locally? Will not work. Describe at least an approximate range of tasks / applications.

Answer 3

Thin client != diskless workstation. A thin client may or may not be diskless. The only task of a thin client is to open the terminal in the required way (say, RDP), and spinning Windows on client machines for this is an absolutely useless and completely thankless task, given the desire to download all this pleasure over the network.
It is worth considering what is actually required. If you only need a thin client, you can either look towards ready-made solutions from a decent vendor, because with a large number of machines you will need to conveniently manage them, and I think that vendors of products aimed at the corporate segment should have such control tools well developed, or on linux distributions (Thinstation, OpenThinClient, LTSP and others like them).
In defense of the first, I can say that such TCs are compact fanless system units and have a built-in flash drive: loading the OS and storing any settings on a local machine against a sagging network in the morning (when everyone comes and turns on their workstations) and hemorrhoids with OS images and binding them to machines by mac-addresses. You may have to suffer with printers, but print servers or CUPS usually remove the issue.
The second method also has its advantages: system units can be assembled from any rubbish outdated for several generations, you can boot over the network, the costs are minimal.

Answer 4

Based on your description of the problem, several solutions can be proposed:
-classic terminal access, when users from thin clients connect to a server or a farm of several servers using remote access protocols (for example, RDP) and run all applications on a remote server. Of the examples already mentioned - Microsoft Remote Desktop Services (Terminal Services) or Citrix XenApp.
- virtual workstation infrastructure (VDI), users from thin clients connect to a farm of virtual machines with installed client OS (Windows XP) using remote access protocols. Each user gets their own virtual machine at their disposal (permanently or for the duration of the session). Examples include Microsoft Remote Desktop Services, VMware View, Citrix XenDesktop, etc.
- simple virtualization of workstations, from a centralized server to client machines, a VM image is loaded with an installed client OS (Windows XP), which runs on the user's local computer. Since the VM is running locally, the client machine is in fact no longer a thin client, because resources are required to run the VM. Examples include Microsoft MED-V, VMware Ace, Citrix XenClient + XenDesktop Synchronizer.
- a solution for centralized delivery of OS images, client machines are loaded over the network and connected to the server on which the OS image is located, after which they run it locally. Similarly, the client machine is no longer a thin client. An example is Citrix Provisioning Services.

Answer 5

A little strange wording "There is a more or powerful server with Windows Server 2008"? Although in general the meaning is clear - a more or less powerful server. In any case, what kind of thin client on personal computers? To download a “thin” client to a personal computer, there must already be a “client” - an operating system. The message will be only in the way of loading. Here we can talk about either a diskless workstation or terminal access. Thin clients are only for programs. Windows itself cannot be made a thin client. It's either on the car or it's not. In any case, one can hardly imagine such a single server in terms of hardware that can pull 150 words running at the same time ... I perfectly understand when the authorities feel sorry for the money for new computers ...

Answer 6

Anyway… welcome to network administration and software deployment. If the purpose of your question is software deployment, then this is a rather deep topic and not every program can be deployed automatically, but by the way, the mentioned office can be deployed this way. In addition, not all programs support the simultaneous launch of multiple copies on the same machine - this must also be taken into account.