Most thick client PCs are idling all day long. A power user may get an average utilization of 10% for browsing and word-processing. Linux terminal services are a way to harness that unused power: run processes for users at remote terminals. With a new PC, a typical user needs about 50 MB or RAM, and 100 MHZ of CPU power to be happy. The response time is kept low by using one of the newer CPUs with dual-core and lots of RAM so files are cached. Multiple discs helps, too, so several users at once may seek a file. The usual PC with 512 MB can handle perhaps 10 remote clients. 3-4 GB can run 30 easily and 50 with some noticeable slowing. When you consider that the server costs $1500 or so, you are only spending $50 or so on the box per user. This small contribution matched with the decreasing prices on monitors means the average seat on the system costs about $500. You can use almost any old PC as a thin client or you can buy a new one designed for the purpose for less than $200 + monitor keyboard and mouse.
With Free Software this is an unbeatable combination. That other OS cannot match the low per-seat cost of LTSP because Bill charges per-seat on his licences for servers, clients, and Office. Bill charges $40 per seat, just to access one of his servers on the LAN. We get to buy the server for that price with Linux.
Besides the capital cost advantages, a Linux terminal server is one machine needing software maintenance for 30 clients instead of 30 clients needing software maintenance. Is that a powerful motivator. At one school I designed. There were 700 computer accounts, six servers, and 130 thin clients. I needed only a few minutes each day to supervise the process, check the uptime, issue new passwords to the forgetful, and so on. The software maintenance was a few commands typed on any terminal sent to all the servers at once with a script. K12LTSP and EdUbuntu are two distros designed to set up LTSP on installation. One can set up a lab or workgroup on a LAN in less than an hour (a bit longer if you are a newbie and need your hand held). Even school teachers can do it. (;-) I are one…
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