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In 1999, ACP introduced the first true industrial thin clients. Since that time we have been refining our products, adding features specifically designed for support of the industrial market, and educating the market about thin clients. Now we are making a move that will have a major impact in the Industrial Automation market - we are making our technology available to companies that want to bring a thin client of their own to market. And while we have just started this program, we already have some big names that will soon be selling ACP enabled thin clients - Advantech, Xycom and Nematron.
Entry into the program starts with ACP doing an initial hardware evaluation. Most companies that make industrial computers already have a product that is suitable to become a thin client. Because of the tremendous efficiency of our client software, hardware requirements are minimal. Many vendors are taking products that were being used as embedded computers or low-level workstations and bringing them back as state-of-the-art thin clients. Almost any x86-based systems can be easily converted to boot and run as a fully functional thin client given the following hardware specifications:
Because this product will become a true thin client, non-volatile storage (disk-on-chip) or disk drives are not required.
The participating company then sends their pre-qualified unit to ACP, where we create an ACP Boot Image for the system. This boot image enables the unit to remote boot from a Microsoft Windows Server running ACP's ThinServer service. At boot-up, the modified unit receives its operating system and the Client Communication Protocol software from the Server. Once the enabled client has booted, it reconnects to the Server and requests its configuration. The unit is now functioning as a thin client computer.
Under normal conditions, ACP can turn qualified hardware into a thin client in less than 1 week. Participating companies like the 1-week turnaround - rather than spending 6 to 9 months developing an entry-level thin client offering, they can take one week and have a fully functional machine. The features supplied by ACP's enabling technology are designed to meet the needs of the industrial customer, and are not available on any other thin client on the market. Features like touch-screen support (with remote calibration), Fieldbus support, and support for multiple high-speed serial interfaces on each client.
In addition to the client's capabilities, ACP enabled thin clients run under ACP's ThinManager management software. This fully functional client management tool collects information about all of the ACP enabled thin clients on the network into one easy to use Windows interface. Using the configuration capabilities of ThinManager, administrators can change individual client parameters, add or group clients, configure different video resolutions or specify an application to be run when the client boots. And if new clients are set to auto-configure, the end user can add a new client anywhere on the network by simply plugging it in and turning it on, without even having access to the server.
At this point, the computer manufacturer receives detailed instructions regarding the modification of his hardware (usually only a BIOS change), and can begin producing and selling an ACP enabled product. Each thin client that is sold will require an ACP license, which is installed on the server and usually purchased separately by the end user. ACP license packs (along with ThinManager) are sold in 5, 10, and 25 client versions, and packs can be combined to support additional clients.
While we are very close to adding a few more companies to our enabled hardware list, we are aggressively looking for new companies who recognize the need to quickly enter the thin client market. The whole process moves so quickly that companies that contact us in June can easily have a thin client product to exhibit in our booth at the ISA show in August.
We keep a list of all of the companies who have equipment enabled with ACP thin client technology, and have published it on the web at http://www.acpthinclient.com/products/shl.shtml. Check back here often, and watch the growth in the number of companies providing industrial thin clients enabled with ACP's thin client technology.
For more information on ACP Industrial Thin Client computers, please visit our web site at http://www.thinmanager.com
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