Preface

Until my immersion in the topic of thin-client/server computing, I hadn t fully understood either the impact on IS professionals or the complications involved in supporting networks with a mix of devices that included PCs with rapidly changing hardware and software technology. The more familiar I ve become with this topic by writing this book and by providing support to my clients the stronger my convictions have become about an increasing role for the thin-client/server computing model within the information infrastructure of large corporations, small businesses, government institutions, health care organizations, educational institutions, and other organizations. The prognosis for thin-client/server technology to rapidly deliver computing solutions to further the business goals of any organization is extremely positive.

Thin-client/server computing helps IS departments to cost-effectively manage and rapidly deploy applications across an enterprise.

This book introduces the topic of thin-client/server computing. Simply put, the thin-client/server computing model is a multiuser server-based computing model in which 100 percent of the application executes on a server. Mouse and keyboard input are sent from the client device, with the server returning only the dis-play. The implementation by Citrix Systems allows applications to be efficiently delivered to any hardware platform, regardless of network bandwidth. Using this technology, familiar applications using the Microsoft Windows graphical user interface can be rapidly deployed faster and further. Understanding Thin-Client/Server Computing is not intended as an exhaustive volume; rather, it explains how this computing model works, its potential for rapid application deployment, and the way that it helps computing infrastructures evolve efficiently and cost-effectively.

This book provides an introduction to thin-client/server computing.

IS professionals, administrators, and technology planners will find the information in this book invaluable. If you are responsible for furthering the goals of your organization but have been stymied by the human resources needs and equipment costs of computing infrastructures, you should also read this book. Whether you read the entire book straight through or just skip around the chapters, you ll gather a lot of vital information.

The book is intended for anyone who is required to make a network technology decision.

This book is the result of extensive cooperation with Citrix Systems, Inc., the leader in thin-client/server computing. The company opened its archives and provided the conceptual and technical source materials that went into building this first book devoted to the topic of thin-client/server computing. Citrix Systems opened its doors in 1989 when it began development of a multiuser version of OS/2. WinFrame, the company s first multiuser-based product for Windows NT, shipped in 1995.

The book was written in cooperation with Citrix Systems.

Citrix Systems became a public company in 1995. Citrix technology added a great deal of value to the Windows NT platform and caught Microsoft s attention. Microsoft certainly validated thin-client/server computing when it licensed the Citrix multiuser technology for its multiuser version of Windows NT, code-named Hydra.

The emerging thin-client/server technology discussed in this book will continue to evolve for years to come, improving access to the latest computing technologies. At the same time, it will present the opportunity for new markets to benefit from computing solutions. This book will jump-start your thinking in terms of how formerly unattainable computing solutions for meeting your organization s goals are now within reach. It should also provide hope in terms of your being able to easily and continually take advantage of new computing solutions that will allow your organization to prosper and to grow.

Thin-client/server technology provides a foundation for businesses to live long and prosper.

Joel P. Kanter, Ph.D.
Kanter Computing, Inc.