Thin Client Integration
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Thin Client Benefits
Reduce Hardware/Software Costs
When deploying Terminal Services for a HMI, hardware costs can be greatly reduced. No longer do you need powerful workstations for each operator station running the latest operating system. The power is in the server. The clients can be dumb boxes with only a keyboard, mouse, and monitor connected. There are many ACP enabled industrial terminals available with options such as touch screens.
Reduce Maintenance Costs
Your client computer dies at 3 AM. Without Terminal Services, maintenance needs to get a computer, install the correct version of the HMI software, install licensing files or dongle, install the latest version of the project, possibly install I/O cards, set up I/O servers, and set up ODBC connections. With Terminal Services, maintenance pulls out the old terminal, installs the new terminal, and turns it on. The session is running on the server, so the client even comes up with the last screen the operator was on.
Reduce Upgrade Costs
In the future when you decide to upgrade your version of your HMI and your operating system, you should be able to use your clients in the field. The operator stations will get the benefits of the new versions without having to make any hardware or software changes on them.
Increased Security and Reliability
All processing is done on the server. With no floppy or CD-ROM drives in the field, the chance of an operator accidentally loading a virus or a game on the HMI station is eliminated. There are no hard drives on the operator stations to fail either, which allows Thin Clients to be put in harsh industrial environments.
Reduce Downtime
Money spent on the server to increase its reliability, will in turn reduce the downtime of all connected clients. This includes normal server hardware such as raid hard drives, and redundant power supplies and fans.
Automatic Failover
Each terminal can be assigned to a series of terminal servers. If the terminal server fails, the terminal will drop the connection and connect to the next available terminal server on the list. This switchover time only affects the terminal on the failed server.
Reduce Theft
The Thin Client boxes are useless without the server. There is no incentive for theft.
Remote Control
Through a client terminal, an administrator can monitor a user, take Remote Control of a user session in case the user is having a problem, and even send the user messages.
Increase LAN Throughput
On typical Client/Server HMI Applications, a large amount of I/O data is passed from the server application to the client application, possibly causing an Ethernet bottleneck. With Thin Clients, the server and client applications are both running on the server. The only information which needs to pass across Ethernet between client and server is keyboard presses, mouse movements and clicks, and screen updates.
Reduction In Total Cost Of Ownership
All the above benefits reduce the Total Cost Of Ownership of an HMI system, making this a better option than deploying individual computers in many cases. Contact Syntronix to evaluate your installation.
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