Running an Internet Browser on a Thin-ClientServer System

The last part of this chapter is devoted to running an Internet browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, from the WinFrame server. After installing Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator on a WinFrame server, users can run the browser by starting an ICA thin-client/server session on their local devices. They can access the browser from a desktop displayed in the ICA session, or they can access an ICA session in which the browser is the published application.

You can run Internet browsers on a server and view them from a thin-client machine.

When the browser is executed on the server, it takes advantage of the server s power, speed, and connection to the Web. Browsers also seem to download Web pages very quickly when run on a server. Another advantage of running the browser on the server is that a single IP address is shared.

On a user s desktop, you can set up an icon to an ICA session that starts a browser. The browser session would appear in a separate window, and it would look like any other application running on the computer. Currently the only reason that you wouldn t want to run a browser in an ICA session is the lack of sound and video support. However, Java applets and animation, as well as GIF, JPEG, and bitmap graphics, would work just fine. I m sure that you ll be seeing support for streaming sound and video in the near future.

The implications for publishing Internet browser applications are tremendous. You will be able to use the thinnest possible client hardware, such as Windows-based terminals, older PCs, or simply an alternative to a desktop. As an alternative to a desktop, as mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, applications can be launched from a Web page.

Using the ICA client to run an Internet browser over a dial-up session provides a very efficient way to browse the Internet or an intranet. You can take advantage of the server s connections and speed while leveraging the performance of the ICA client.