{"id":8177,"date":"2022-03-21T15:49:10","date_gmt":"2022-03-21T13:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tekmart.co.za\/t-blog\/?p=8177"},"modified":"2022-03-21T15:49:12","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T13:49:12","slug":"zero-client-ultrathin-client-computing-model-examples-benefits-and-drawbacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tekmart.co.za\/t-blog\/zero-client-ultrathin-client-computing-model-examples-benefits-and-drawbacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Zero client (ultrathin client) computing model; examples, benefits and drawbacks."},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time-approximately:<\/span> 4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

These, zero clients, are also known as\u00a0ultrathin client<\/em>, are server-based computing models in which the end user’s computing device has no local storage.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Ben<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By Ben Lutkevich<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zero client, also known as\u00a0ultrathin client<\/em>, is a server-based computing model in which the end user’s computing device has no local storage. A zero client can be contrasted with a\u00a0thin client<\/a>, which retains the operating system and each device’s specific configuration settings in flash memory.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A typical zero client product is a small box that serves to connect a keyboard, mouse, monitor and\u00a0Ethernet\u00a0connection to a remote server.\u00a0The server, which hosts the client’s operating system (OS) and software applications, can be accessed wirelessly or with cable. Basically, they are bare-bones computers that rely on a server to handle many functions that a traditional PC, or\u00a0thick client, would normally handle using its own hardware and software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zero clients are often used in a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environment. This makes them ideal for remote work situations or distributed work environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do zero clients work?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Zero clients are essentially input\/output (I\/O) redirection units. All user inputs (mouse clicks, keystrokes, etc.) are sent to a remote server, which returns data to display on a connected monitor. This is where the name “zero client” comes from — almost all processing takes place on the server side, and almost\u00a0zero\u00a0<\/em>processing takes place client-side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zero clients don’t use an operating system and instead use firmware to connect to a remote device. An onboard processer is designed to use a sole protocol to communicate with a remote server — usually\u00a0PCoIP\u00a0protocol to connect with the device. Firmware can be altered to support a different sole protocol, such as Microsoft\u00a0RDP\u00a0or Citrix\u00a0HDX, but can only generally be optimized for one protocol at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No data is stored on zero clients, because there is no local storage. Therefore all applications are provisioned and managed on a server in a remote data center, and served to the zero client device using its protocol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zero client hardware specifications<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Zero clients are often physically small pieces of hardware — meaning they have a small form factor. They are generally not more than a foot tall, around two inches wide, and weigh approximately two pounds. They typically include a processor with basic firmware installed on it, and some combination of ports including HDMI, DVI,\u00a0DisplayPort, USB and Ethernet. There is also a port for a power supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zero clients also tend to have line out and mic in ports, and usually also support wireless and VESA mounting. Some zero clients support multiple monitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do zero clients differ from thin clients?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Both devices are used for the same purpose — as high-performing endpoints that connect to a remote device and manage a centralized computing infrastructure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zero are clients are more lightweight, however. They have no operating system whereas a thin client has a minimal operating system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zero clients are only optimized for one connection type from one connection broker — Microsoft, VMware and Citrix, for example — and that broker’s specific connection protocol. Thin client devices are optimized for multiple connection types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basically, zero clients do no client-side computing, and thin clients do minimal client-side computing. This makes zero clients more dependent on a network connection than thin clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A diagram comparing zero clients to thin and thick clients.<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Benefits and drawbacks of zero client devices<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The benefits of zero clients include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n