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Virtualization allows a single computer to run a number of different operating systems. This is done by creating an abstraction layer and then installing these operating systems in their own environment. What you end up creating is essentially a new program that is a virtual PC with installed applications. This "program" can then be run on almost any PC, regardless of the native OS.
For instance, you could take a standard PC with XP Home and on that PC you could run Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows 2003 Server. You select which machine you want to run and that is the OS that you see. You can also "install" applications under each of these different systems, and when you boot to that virtual machine you will have the applications ready to run. Even if it is a program that only runs on Windows Server, the abstraction provided by the virtualization software allows it to run on your XP Home PC. These virtual machines are isolated and can even be run at the same time.
Each of these virtual machines can be fully configured with its own "virtual hardware" to run an operating system and applications. One of the most popular features of these machines is that they can be moved from one physical machine to another without having to worry about interaction with other applications. For instance, once you have a Windows 2003 Server configured with all your applications you can simply move that entire setup to another PC within a matter of minutes and have it run the same way.
While virtualization will let you run multiple operating systems on a single server, Thin Clients let you run multiple users on a single operating system - without all the virtualization overhead. To allow multiple users with virtualization you would need to have a virtual machine for each user. With Thin Clients you start up a standard version of Microsoft 2003 Server, install applications, and then start plugging in Thin Clients. All users run the same OS so there is just one server to maintain.
Thin Clients and ThinManager also give you the easy way to rapidly deploy these user's sessions anywhere in your company just by adding a Thin Client. The client displays the session that is running back on the server, allowing the operator to control it with his local touchscreen, keyboard or mouse.
It is possible to combine virtualization and Thin Clients by running the Thin Clients on a virtual 2003 Server. While there may be cases where this makes sense, it is usually just adding a layer of complexity that you don't really need. In fact you could install two virtual servers on a single PC and then use ACP's MultiSession to view both virtual machines from a single Thin Client. However using these two virtual machines for failover or redundancy is really just asking for trouble.
For more information on ACP and Thin Client management software, please visit our web site at www.thinmanager.com
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