Free Sample
The Complete Handbook of Thin & Zero Clients
A practical reference for IT professionals, business buyers, and enthusiasts — covering hardware, deployment, maintenance, and strategy for thin and zero client computing.
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: Understanding Thin & Zero Clients
Defining the Devices
A thin client is a computer designed to be managed and used primarily as a remote endpoint. Its entire purpose is to connect to a more powerful server or virtualized desktop environment, which hosts the operating system, applications, and data. The device itself has a modest processor, some memory, flash storage for its own micro-OS, and the necessary ports for user interaction — monitors, keyboard, mouse, and often USB peripherals. It is not a full PC; it is a window into a PC that lives somewhere else.
A zero client takes this a step further. It has no local operating system that the user interacts with. It contains just enough firmware to boot and run one specific remote protocol, such as PCoIP (PC-over-IP) or HDX (a set of protocols for Citrix), and to authenticate to the network. Everything the user sees is rendered by the server or the virtualization platform and streamed to the screen over the network. The practical implication is that a zero client cannot be repurposed to run Linux or Windows locally, and it has no file system or local storage to speak of. A thin client, by contrast, typically has a small embedded OS (like ThinOS or ThinLinux) that can be updated and configured, and may even support a small set of local applications like a web browser or media player.
To make this concrete, imagine a hospital nurse station. The staff needs fast access to