Ultra Thin-Client Technology
FlexSystem Ultra Thin-Client
Ultra Thin-Client Technology is solely developed by FlexSystem, which combines the latest multi-tier application server technology with effective compression and communication algorithm, to help the enterprise running its operations via Internet/Intranet in the most effective and cost saving manner. Directly embedded into ERP solutions, FlexSystem Ultra Thin-Client utilizes most of the best practices to handle different kinds of client/server communication needs, to guarantee the lowest bandwidth consumption and 10 times better performance compared with other Thin-Client products on the market.
Bandwidth Consumption
Under client/server architecture, system performance depends a lot on bandwidth consumption. The large amount of data being transmitted, the higher the bandwidth required in a given period of time.
Terminal services product has been developed in a way that any activities on the workstation (including non-command activities, such as cursor movements and page up/down) are transmitted from the workstation to the server. Once transmitted, a screen refresh will travel back to the workstation to update the display unit. Due to the excessive amount of data transmitted back and forth between the client and the server, heavy network traffic and slow system processing result.
Hardware Resources
Generic terminal emulation tools, which have to be executed several layers of applications to mimic a thin-client environment, consume a tremendous amount of server resources (i.e. CPU and RAM). Comparatively, ultra Thin-Client is built on top of FlexSystem's proprietary application server technology to cater for enterprise date computation. It requires 80% less of server resources and supports 5 times the concurrent client sessions, maximizing the server resources effectively.
Compared with others, FlexSystem Ultra Thin-Client Technology only requires the transmission of relevant information (such as action and data) between the workstation and the server, so that the data to be transmitted is minimized and user can enjoy the speedy performance even in a narrow bandwidth connection (for example 9.6kps mobile communication). In case for the broadband is available, multiple concurrent clients can share a single connection, thus effectively lowering the communication cost by over 70% than traditional thin-client products.
Scalability
Ultra Thin-Client's date cache layer is specially designed for the handling the massive data transaction. Its cache management algorithm has been fine-tuned to make the most effective usage of server memory and processing power, delivering the fastest performance and providing more concurrent access from a single server. As the server reached its fully capacity, it also support multiple application server, allowing enough room to accommodate the needs associated with the business grows.
Security
User is given the access to share directory in order to update the date in the date server under the client/server environment. Such drive mapping practice exposes the risk to endanger the data security because any user can simply log on to a local or remote client PC to gain access to all the crucial information in the PC, as well as in the network. But in case of Ultra Thin-Client, the access points are effectively controller. The client program should be installed in the client terminal to access the application server, marking the obvious difference with Terminal Services and Browser-Based Applications which use common client programs.
Virus and Hacker Protection
A virus is a piece of programming code inserted into other programming to case some unexpected undesirable event. Under the Terminal Services environment, any infected file, the host server will also be infected. And since all other workstations are connected to the host server, sharing the resources as well as the applications, the whole network will be infected within a very short period of time.
In the case of Browser-Based Applications, system might also be infected through virus web components such as virus Active X objects.
On the other hand, there is lower chance of virus attacks while using FlexSystem Ultra Thin-Client because workstations are connected to the server via its proprietary communication methods such that the server and the client workstations are totally isolated. If a single client is infected, the virus cannot infect the host server and other client workstations.
Moreover in hacker prevention, the URL or IP address of the application server is known to all client terminals for Browser-Based Applications. Although the application may have Authentication process, it is not 100% safe. Hence the high level of security is guaranteed if the server address is not disclosed to users like FlexSystem Ultra Thin-Client.