<s>
In	O
computer	B-Architecture
networking	I-Architecture
,	O
a	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
is	O
a	O
simple	O
(	O
low-performance	O
)	O
computer	O
that	O
has	O
been	O
optimized	O
for	O
establishing	B-Protocol
a	I-Protocol
remote	I-Protocol
connection	I-Protocol
with	O
a	O
server-based	O
computing	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
are	O
sometimes	O
known	O
as	O
network	B-Operating_System
computers	I-Operating_System
,	O
or	O
in	O
their	O
simplest	O
form	O
as	O
zero	B-Device
clients	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
server	B-Application
does	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
work	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
include	O
launching	O
software	O
programs	O
,	O
performing	O
calculations	O
,	O
and	O
storing	B-General_Concept
data	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
contrasts	O
with	O
a	O
rich	B-Protocol
client	I-Protocol
or	O
a	O
conventional	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
;	O
the	O
former	O
is	O
also	O
intended	O
for	O
working	O
in	O
a	O
client	B-Operating_System
–	I-Operating_System
server	I-Operating_System
model	I-Operating_System
but	O
has	O
significant	O
local	O
processing	O
power	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
latter	O
aims	O
to	O
perform	O
its	O
function	O
mostly	O
locally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
occur	O
as	O
components	O
of	O
a	O
broader	O
computing	O
infrastructure	O
,	O
where	O
many	O
clients	O
share	O
their	O
computations	O
with	O
a	O
server	B-Application
or	O
server	B-Operating_System
farm	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
server-side	O
infrastructure	O
uses	O
cloud	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
software	O
such	O
as	O
application	B-Operating_System
virtualization	I-Operating_System
,	O
hosted	O
shared	O
desktop	O
(	O
HSD	O
)	O
or	O
desktop	B-Protocol
virtualization	I-Protocol
(	O
VDI	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
combination	O
forms	O
what	O
is	O
known	O
as	O
a	O
cloud-based	B-Architecture
system	O
,	O
where	O
desktop	O
resources	O
are	O
centralized	O
at	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
data	B-Operating_System
centers	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Example	O
of	O
hardware	O
resource	O
optimization	O
:	O
Cabling	O
,	O
bussing	B-General_Concept
and	O
I/O	B-General_Concept
can	O
be	O
minimized	O
while	O
idle	O
memory	O
and	O
processing	O
power	O
can	O
be	O
applied	O
to	O
user	O
sessions	O
that	O
most	O
need	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Example	O
of	O
reduced	O
software	O
maintenance	O
:	O
Software	O
patching	O
and	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
(	O
OS	O
)	O
migrations	O
can	O
be	O
applied	O
,	O
tested	O
and	O
activated	O
for	O
all	O
users	O
in	O
one	O
instance	O
to	O
accelerate	O
roll-out	O
and	O
improve	O
administrative	O
efficiency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Example	O
of	O
improved	O
security	O
:	O
Software	O
assets	O
are	O
centralized	O
and	O
easily	O
fire-walled	B-Application
,	O
monitored	O
and	O
protected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
hardware	O
generally	O
supports	O
common	O
peripherals	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
keyboards	O
,	O
mice	O
,	O
monitors	O
,	O
jacks	O
for	O
sound	O
peripherals	O
,	O
and	O
open	O
ports	O
for	O
USB	B-Protocol
devices	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
printer	O
,	O
flash	O
drive	O
,	O
webcam	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
include	O
(	O
legacy	B-Device
)	O
serial	B-Protocol
or	O
parallel	B-Device
ports	I-Device
to	O
support	O
older	O
devices	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
receipt	O
printers	O
,	O
scales	O
or	O
time	O
clocks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
software	O
typically	O
consists	O
of	O
a	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
(	O
GUI	B-Application
)	O
,	O
cloud	O
access	O
agents	O
(	O
e.g.	O
,	O
RDP	B-Protocol
,	O
ICA	B-Protocol
,	O
PCoIP	B-Protocol
)	O
,	O
a	O
local	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
,	O
terminal	B-Application
emulators	I-Application
(	O
in	O
some	O
cases	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
basic	O
set	O
of	O
local	O
utilities	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
using	O
cloud-based	B-Architecture
architecture	O
,	O
the	O
server	B-Application
takes	O
on	O
the	O
processing	O
load	O
of	O
several	O
client	O
sessions	O
,	O
acting	O
as	O
a	O
host	O
for	O
each	O
endpoint	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
client	O
software	O
is	O
narrowly	O
purposed	O
and	O
lightweight	O
;	O
therefore	O
,	O
only	O
the	O
host	O
server	B-Application
or	O
server	B-Operating_System
farm	I-Operating_System
needs	O
to	O
be	O
secured	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
securing	O
software	O
installed	O
on	O
every	O
endpoint	O
device	O
(	O
although	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
may	O
still	O
require	O
basic	O
security	O
and	O
strong	O
authentication	O
to	O
prevent	O
unauthorized	O
access	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
combined	O
benefits	O
of	O
using	O
cloud	O
architecture	O
with	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
desktops	O
is	O
that	O
critical	O
IT	O
assets	O
are	O
centralized	O
for	O
better	O
utilization	O
of	O
resources	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unused	O
memory	O
,	O
bussing	B-General_Concept
lanes	O
,	O
and	O
processor	O
cores	O
within	O
an	O
individual	O
user	O
session	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
can	O
be	O
leveraged	O
for	O
other	O
active	O
user	O
sessions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
simplicity	O
of	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
hardware	O
and	O
software	O
results	O
in	O
a	O
very	O
low	O
total	O
cost	O
of	O
ownership	O
,	O
but	O
some	O
of	O
these	O
initial	O
savings	O
can	O
be	O
offset	O
by	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
a	O
more	O
robust	O
cloud	O
infrastructure	O
required	O
on	O
the	O
server	B-Application
side	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
alternative	O
to	O
traditional	O
server	B-Application
deployment	O
which	O
spreads	O
out	O
infrastructure	O
costs	O
over	O
time	O
is	O
a	O
cloud-based	B-Architecture
subscription	O
model	O
known	O
as	O
desktop	B-Protocol
as	I-Protocol
a	I-Protocol
service	I-Protocol
,	O
which	O
allows	O
IT	O
organizations	O
to	O
outsource	O
the	O
cloud	O
infrastructure	O
to	O
a	O
third	O
party	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
computing	O
is	O
known	O
to	O
simplify	O
the	O
desktop	O
endpoints	O
by	O
reducing	O
the	O
client-side	B-Operating_System
software	O
footprint	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
a	O
lightweight	O
,	O
read-only	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
(	O
OS	O
)	O
,	O
client-side	B-Operating_System
setup	O
and	O
administration	O
is	O
greatly	O
reduced	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Cloud	O
access	O
is	O
the	O
primary	O
role	O
of	O
a	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
which	O
eliminates	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
a	O
large	O
suite	O
of	O
local	O
user	O
applications	O
,	O
data	B-General_Concept
storage	I-General_Concept
,	O
and	O
utilities	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
architecture	O
shifts	O
most	O
of	O
the	O
software	O
execution	O
burden	O
from	O
the	O
endpoint	O
to	O
the	O
data	B-Operating_System
center	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
the	O
server	B-Application
must	O
be	O
robust	O
enough	O
to	O
handle	O
several	O
client	O
sessions	O
at	O
once	O
,	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
hardware	O
requirements	O
are	O
minimal	O
compared	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
a	O
traditional	O
PC	O
laptop	O
or	O
desktop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Most	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
have	O
low-energy	O
processors	O
,	O
flash	B-Device
storage	I-Device
,	O
memory	O
,	O
and	O
no	O
moving	O
parts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Numerous	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
also	O
use	O
Raspberry	B-Operating_System
Pis	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
consist	O
of	O
fewer	O
hardware	O
components	O
than	O
a	O
traditional	O
desktop	O
PC	O
,	O
they	O
can	O
operate	O
in	O
more	O
hostile	O
environments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modern	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
have	O
come	O
a	O
long	O
way	O
to	O
meet	O
the	O
demands	O
of	O
today	O
's	O
graphical	O
computing	O
needs	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
New	O
generations	O
of	O
low	O
energy	O
chipset	O
and	O
CPU	O
(	O
Central	B-General_Concept
Processing	I-General_Concept
Unit	I-General_Concept
)	O
combinations	O
improve	O
processing	O
power	O
and	O
graphical	O
capabilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Video	O
codecs	O
are	O
often	O
embedded	O
on	O
the	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
to	O
support	O
these	O
various	O
multimedia	O
formats	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
host	O
software	O
stacks	O
makes	O
use	O
of	O
User	B-Protocol
Datagram	I-Protocol
Protocol	I-Protocol
(	O
UDP	O
)	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
accelerate	O
fast	O
changing	O
pixel	O
updates	O
required	O
by	O
modern	O
video	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
typically	O
support	O
local	O
software	O
agents	O
capable	O
of	O
accepting	O
and	O
decoding	O
UDP	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
graphically	O
intense	O
use	O
cases	O
remain	O
a	O
challenge	O
for	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
can	O
be	O
addressed	O
at	O
the	O
host	O
server	B-Application
using	O
dedicated	O
GPU	B-Architecture
cards	O
,	O
allocation	O
of	O
vGPUs	O
(	O
virtual	O
GPU	B-Architecture
)	O
,	O
workstation	O
cards	O
,	O
and	O
hardware	B-General_Concept
acceleration	I-General_Concept
cards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
solutions	O
allow	O
IT	O
administrators	O
to	O
provide	O
power-user	O
performance	O
where	O
it	O
is	O
needed	O
to	O
a	O
relatively	O
generic	O
endpoint	O
device	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
achieve	O
such	O
simplicity	O
,	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
sometimes	O
lag	O
behind	O
desktop	O
PCs	B-Device
in	O
terms	O
of	O
extensibility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
if	O
a	O
local	O
software	B-Application
utility	I-Application
or	O
set	O
of	O
device	O
drivers	O
are	O
needed	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
support	O
a	O
locally	O
attached	O
peripheral	O
device	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
printer	O
,	O
scanner	O
,	O
biometric	O
security	O
device	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
may	O
lack	O
the	O
resources	O
needed	O
to	O
fully	O
integrate	O
the	O
required	O
dependencies	O
(	O
although	O
dependencies	O
can	O
sometimes	O
be	O
added	O
if	O
they	O
can	O
be	O
identified	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modern	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
address	O
this	O
limitation	O
via	O
port	B-Protocol
mapping	O
or	O
USB	B-Protocol
redirection	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
running	O
local	O
productivity	O
applications	O
goes	O
beyond	O
the	O
normal	O
scope	O
of	O
a	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
,	O
it	O
is	O
sometimes	O
needed	O
in	O
rare	O
use	O
cases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
License	O
restrictions	O
that	O
apply	O
to	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
can	O
sometimes	O
prevent	O
them	O
from	O
supporting	O
these	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
important	O
to	O
acknowledge	O
that	O
network	O
bandwidth	O
and	O
performance	O
is	O
more	O
critical	O
in	O
any	O
type	O
of	O
cloud-based	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
model	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
similar	O
risk	O
exists	O
inside	O
the	O
data	B-Operating_System
center	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
cloud-based	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
model	O
,	O
the	O
servers	O
can	O
also	O
represent	O
a	O
single	O
point	O
of	O
failure	O
risk	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
a	O
server	B-Application
fails	O
,	O
end	O
users	O
lose	O
access	O
to	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
resources	O
supported	O
by	O
that	O
server	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
risk	O
can	O
be	O
mitigated	O
by	O
building	O
redundancies	O
,	O
fail-over	O
processes	O
,	O
backups	O
,	O
and	O
load	O
balancing	O
utilities	B-Application
into	O
the	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Popular	O
providers	O
of	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
include	O
Technologies	O
,	O
Dell	O
(	O
acquired	O
Wyse	O
Technology	O
in	O
2012	O
)	O
,	O
HP	O
,	O
ClearCube	B-Protocol
,	O
IGEL	O
Technology	O
,	O
LG	O
,	O
NComputing	B-Protocol
,	O
,	O
Samsung	O
Electronics	O
,	O
and	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
have	O
their	O
roots	O
in	O
multi-user	B-Operating_System
systems	I-Operating_System
,	O
traditionally	O
mainframes	B-Architecture
accessed	O
by	O
some	O
sort	O
of	O
computer	B-General_Concept
terminal	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
computer	O
graphics	O
matured	O
,	O
these	O
terminals	O
transitioned	O
from	O
providing	O
a	O
command-line	B-Application
interface	I-Application
to	O
a	O
full	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
,	O
as	O
is	O
common	O
on	O
modern	O
advanced	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
prototypical	O
multi-user	B-Operating_System
environment	O
along	O
these	O
lines	O
,	O
Unix	B-Application
,	O
began	O
to	O
support	O
fully	O
graphical	O
X	B-Protocol
terminals	I-Protocol
,	O
i.e.	O
,	O
devices	O
running	O
display	O
server	B-Application
software	I-Application
,	O
from	O
about	O
1984	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
X	B-Protocol
terminals	I-Protocol
remained	O
relatively	O
popular	O
even	O
after	O
the	O
arrival	O
of	O
other	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
in	O
the	O
mid-late	O
1990s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Modern	O
Unix	B-Application
derivatives	O
like	O
BSD	B-Operating_System
and	O
Linux	B-Application
continue	O
the	O
tradition	O
of	O
the	O
multi-user	B-Operating_System
,	O
remote	O
display/input	O
session	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Typically	O
,	O
X	O
software	O
is	O
not	O
made	O
available	O
on	O
non-X-based	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
,	O
although	O
no	O
technical	O
reason	O
for	O
this	O
exclusion	O
would	O
prevent	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
became	O
capable	O
of	O
multi-user	B-Operating_System
operations	O
primarily	O
through	O
the	O
efforts	O
of	O
Citrix	B-Application
Systems	I-Application
,	O
which	O
repackaged	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
3.51	I-Device
as	O
the	O
multi-user	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
WinFrame	O
in	O
1995	O
,	O
launched	O
in	O
coordination	O
with	O
Wyse	O
Technology	O
's	O
Winterm	B-Device
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
licensed	O
this	O
technology	O
back	O
from	O
Citrix	B-Application
and	O
implemented	O
it	O
into	O
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
4.0	I-Device
Terminal	O
Server	B-Application
Edition	O
,	O
under	O
a	O
project	O
codenamed	O
'	O
Hydra	O
 '	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
NT	I-Device
then	O
became	O
the	O
basis	O
of	O
Windows	O
2000	O
and	O
Windows	O
XP	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
Windows	O
systems	O
support	O
graphical	O
terminals	O
via	O
the	O
Remote	B-Protocol
Desktop	I-Protocol
Services	I-Protocol
component	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Wyse	O
Winterm	B-Device
was	O
the	O
first	O
Windows-display-focused	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
(	O
AKA	O
Windows	O
Terminal	O
)	O
to	O
access	O
this	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
was	O
coined	O
in	O
1993	O
by	O
Tim	O
Negris	O
,	O
VP	O
of	O
Server	B-Application
Marketing	O
at	O
Oracle	B-Application
Corporation	I-Application
,	O
while	O
working	O
with	O
company	O
founder	O
Larry	O
Ellison	O
on	O
the	O
launch	O
of	O
Oracle	B-General_Concept
7	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
Oracle	B-General_Concept
wished	O
to	O
differentiate	O
their	O
server-oriented	O
software	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
desktop-oriented	O
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ellison	O
subsequently	O
popularized	O
Negris	O
 '	O
buzzword	O
with	O
frequent	O
use	O
in	O
his	O
speeches	O
and	O
interviews	O
about	O
Oracle	B-General_Concept
products	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ellison	O
would	O
go	O
on	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
founding	O
board	O
member	O
of	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
maker	O
Network	B-Operating_System
Computer	I-Operating_System
,	O
Inc	O
(	O
NCI	O
)	O
,	O
later	O
renamed	O
Liberate	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
earlier	O
term	O
'	O
graphical	O
terminal	O
 '	O
had	O
been	O
chosen	O
to	O
distinguish	O
such	O
terminals	O
from	O
text-based	O
terminals	O
,	O
and	O
thus	O
put	O
the	O
emphasis	O
heavily	O
on	O
graphics	O
–	O
which	O
became	O
obsolete	O
as	O
a	O
distinguishing	O
characteristic	O
in	O
the	O
1990s	O
as	O
text-only	O
physical	B-General_Concept
terminals	I-General_Concept
themselves	O
became	O
obsolete	O
,	O
and	O
text-only	O
computer	O
systems	O
(	O
a	O
few	O
of	O
which	O
existed	O
in	O
the	O
1980s	O
)	O
were	O
no	O
longer	O
manufactured	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
'	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
 '	O
also	O
conveys	O
better	O
what	O
was	O
then	O
viewed	O
as	O
the	O
fundamental	O
difference	O
:	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
can	O
be	O
designed	O
with	O
less	O
expensive	O
hardware	O
,	O
because	O
they	O
have	O
reduced	O
computational	O
workloads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
2010s	O
,	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
were	O
not	O
the	O
only	O
desktop	O
devices	O
for	O
general	O
purpose	O
computing	O
that	O
were	O
'	O
thin	O
 '	O
–	O
in	O
the	O
sense	O
of	O
having	O
a	O
small	O
form	O
factor	O
and	O
being	O
relatively	O
inexpensive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
nettop	B-Protocol
form	O
factor	O
for	O
desktop	O
PCs	B-Device
was	O
introduced	O
,	O
and	O
nettops	B-Protocol
could	O
run	O
full	O
feature	O
Windows	O
or	O
Linux	B-Application
;	O
tablets	B-Device
,	O
tablet-laptop	O
hybrids	O
had	O
also	O
entered	O
the	O
market	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
while	O
there	O
was	O
now	O
little	O
size	O
difference	O
,	O
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
retained	O
some	O
key	O
advantages	O
over	O
these	O
competitors	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
not	O
needing	O
a	O
local	O
drive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
'	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
 '	O
can	O
be	O
a	O
misnomer	O
for	O
slim	O
form-factor	O
computers	O
using	O
flash	B-Device
memory	I-Device
such	O
as	O
compactflash	B-Device
,	O
SD	B-Device
card	I-Device
,	O
or	O
permanent	O
flash	B-Device
memory	I-Device
as	O
a	O
hard	B-Device
disk	I-Device
substitute	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2013	O
,	O
a	O
Citrix	B-Application
employee	O
experimented	O
with	O
a	O
Raspberry	B-Operating_System
Pi	I-Operating_System
as	O
a	O
thin	B-Device
client	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
then	O
,	O
several	O
manufacturers	O
have	O
introduced	O
their	O
version	O
of	O
Raspberry	B-Operating_System
Pi	I-Operating_System
thin	B-Device
clients	I-Device
.	O
</s>
