[KLUG Members] Thin clients over an internet connection

[Adam Williams]

>I was reading the Linux Terminal Server Project page, 
>http://www.ltsp.org/documentation/index.php , that Glenn Jacobson discussed 
>in his presentation.
>The project is to create systems of thin clients connected to a server, where 
>a thin client is a motherboard, RAM, video card, network card, boot CD and 
>player (or network card eprom), monitor and keyboard.  All the actual 
>applications are run on the server.

Exactly.

>Does anyone know if this could work over an internet connection?  

Yes.  Startup/boot would be a little more complicated,  but the basis of
LTSP is X11 which is just an IP application protocol.  You can certainly
run X11 over the Internet (I've done it),  but I don't think you'd want
to on a day-to-day basis.  X11 requires pretty good throughput and the
latency of the Internet would make performance pretty bad.

>Substituting the network card for a modem or some type of internet connection 
>device.
>It seems that the components for the thin client are all solid 
>state and could be put onto one card and encased into an unbreakable media, 

Like a palm pilot?

>and maybe mounted underneath a keyboard.  So you connect your keyboard device 
>to the internet connection cable, and to the monitor, connect to the server 
>and you have a "desktop machine".

If your going to run over the Ineternet I'd suggest you take a look at
VNC.  VNC is much more suitable to Internet use as it requires less
intelligence at the client (can even run on a Palm Pilot) and generally
quite a bit less bandwidth than X11.

http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/
http://www.hexonet.de/software/x0rfbserver/
http://www.tridiavnc.com/
http://vnccam.sourceforge.net/
http://www.tightvnc.com/

VNC also has the advantage that it runs on just about every bit of
hardware homo sapiens have ever slapped together, pointed at, and
grunted "compuder. 

I even just installed a phone/voice mail system that supports remote
administration over VNC.  Of course they tout it like it was some great
feature they came up with,