Chapter Six: Planning Your Thin-ClientServer Environment

Because the Microsoft Windows graphical user interface (GUI) has significantly improved the usability of the PC, Windows has become the most prominent desktop operating system in use today. Although Windows has brought computing power directly to the user s desktop, using this platform can be a nightmare for the IS manager who has to manage a dozen, a few hundred, or even several thousand desktop PCs running Windows. Many IS managers pine for the good old mainframe days of centralized system management.

Employees and employers are now convinced that a computer on every desktop is an essential component for getting work done; a growing number of organizations are using networks of PCs running Windows. This growth has many implications for the IS department of any company. IS managers are now asking themselves the following questions:

The proliferation of Windows-based PCs has created management and support challenges.

• How do we share data across large geographic areas without overinvesting in expensive communications capacity?

Implementing widespread data communications systems can become very costly. Among the choices for communications systems are T-carriers such as T3 and T1, the frame relay protocol, and the ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network). But the cheaper the media, the lower the bandwidth, and lower-bandwidth solutions can sometimes create uncomfortable situations for the user.

• How do we control computers that are physically far away?

Remotely deploying and managing new applications over a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN) can account for some serious time hits and expenses not to mention headaches for IS managers.

Careful planning and preparation are the key to a reliable network that supports a thin-client/server environment. In planning a successful network configuration, you must identify current needs and predict future ones and then determine the best ways to meet them. In this chapter, I ll provide information that can help you determine how you can add thin-client/server computing support and how you can optimize the computing infrastructure and resources in your existing environment.