Where should ThinManager be installed?

The answer to this question depends to some extent on the size and configuration of the Thin Client system. Frequently ThinManager is installed directly on one of the Terminal Servers, but often this is not the best solution.

ACP's ThinManager software is a configuration and management tool for Thin Clients and Microsoft's Terminal Server. Included with ThinManager are the ThinManager licenses, with a license needed for each Thin Client that will be used in the system. This license is not a license to allow the Thin Client to connect to the Terminal Server - rather it is a license that is required for the Thin Client to boot.

The Thin Client Boot Process

Each time a ThinManager Ready Thin Client is turned on or rebooted it looks for a valid ThinManager license. Once it receives this license it loads its software and configuration and then connects to a Terminal Server.

Imagine a large installation with 500 Thin Clients and 25 Terminal Servers where the ThinManager licenses are provided by an unlimited ThinManager Enterprise license. These licenses work just like the standard ThinManager 5, 10 or 25 client packs except that they will authorize an unlimited number of Thin Clients to boot.

In a situation like this the Enterprise license files will be installed on two machines (other than the Terminal Servers) on the network in a redundant configuration. Each Thin Client that boots will receive its license from one of these machines, and then be directed to any of the 25 available Terminal Servers, usually selected based on the server with the most available resources (Load Balancing).

Redundant ThinManager should not be confused with ACP's Failover. Redundant ThinManager refers to an installation where there are two independent PCs, each with enough ThinManager licenses to support all of the installed Thin Clients. Failover and Instant Failover ensure that each Thin Client has multiple Terminal Servers available to host its sessions.

Smaller Installations

Users with 20 or so Thin Clients and only two Terminal Servers will frequently choose to install the ThinManager licenses on the Terminal Servers directly. The initial configuration will result in 1/2 of the Thin Clients running on one server and the remaining running on the other. If one of the Servers was to fail, all of its clients will switch over to the other Terminal Server. If each Terminal Server also has enough licenses for all 20 Thin Clients, then the user has achieved a Redundant ThinManager system with backup Terminal Servers (for Failover) - all with only two PCs.

As the smaller customer continues to expand his system he will probably reach a point where he wants to move his licenses away from the Terminal Servers and onto a primary and a backup ThinManager License server. This will result in a configuration similar to the larger Enterprise customer, where his existing 5, 10 and 25 client ThinManager packs are combined onto two licensing servers.

For more information on ACP Industrial Thin Client computers, please visit our web site at http://www.thinmanager.com

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