ThinManager is well known for its ease of use when it comes to managing Terminal Servers and Thin Clients. Now, the new Platform 4 has many of ThinManager's powerful modules rolled into the core product.
Evolving to a level worthy of the "platform" designation
IP video, Virtual Machine support and more - Moving beyond terminal servers and managing sessions - Expansion of ThinManager’s MultiSession core now allows even more insight into the industrial process. Now ThinManager allows you to run IP Video through a thin client as one of many sources of information you might want to display. You can even overlay the video on top of another session.
Multiple Monitors gives you greater insight - ThinManager Platform 4 supports the MultiMonitor module which allows up to five monitors on one thin client.* Because multiple sessions are available for display through a single client and because each monitor can display more than one session, you can potentially view your entire factory process through one thin client hooked up to five monitors.
Secure Your Terminals - ThinManager uses the TermSecure** module to allow managers to set security parameters that go far beyond the standard username and password authentication. TermSecure will allow you to have only authorized applications delivered to end users based on your settings. TermSecure also supports technologies like RF Card IDs and USB key authentication.
Updated terminology - In Platform 4, a Display Server (like a Terminal Server) creates displays of client sessions (or Display Clients). IP video cameras or VMWare servers are Display Servers which generate Display Clients as well. Display Clients in turn generate Virtual Displays that can be assigned to terminals or users in a ThinManager environment. Once displays are assigned via ThinManager they can be laid out on an array of monitors in almost any fashion. Displays can even be assigned to a particular user so that their displays follow them from terminal to terminal as they log in and out.**
ThinManager has moved beyond just being terminal services management software to a full-fledged platform for visualizing your entire process control environment.
Quicker installs with less configuration
No hard drive means no software to install on the Thin Clients. Terminal Server environments allow a single install of each application for use by all connected Clients. Configuration Wizards make setup easier than ever before.
Lower cost
Lower cost CPU, no floppy or hard drives, and less memory means Thin Clients are less expensive.
Less maintenance
Maintenance is reduced to a few servers in a central location. The constant maintenance of distributed PC operating systems is eliminated with Thin Clients.
Improved At-A-Glance Management
Manage your entire network from ThinManager by viewing all ThinManager Servers and all Terminal Servers in one tree. See which Clients are online and follow graphically the network path from the Clients back to all the servers. Configure and maintain each Client individually in ThinManager, or put the clients into groups, and manage many Clients at once.
Remote Administration
View multiple servers and clients from a single ThinManager screen. This allows management of the Terminal Server network from a single machine regardless of how many clients or servers make up the system.
MultiSession
Simultaneously connect two or more terminal servers and run the applications you need. Switch between your sessions using a mouse click or keystroke. Now on ThinManager Ready thin client can give you access to all of your servers and programs.
SmartSession
Imagine a computer network that can make decisions about how to best allocate its resources. That’s what SmartSession does for your terminal server network. As resources are used, SmartSession decides where to assign users to keep the Terminal Servers running at peak efficiency. SmartSession’s unique Queuing feature helps administrators manage the terminal server’s processor load by pausing individual clients before connection if necessary.
Automatic Failover
In the event of a Terminal Server failure, the client will fail over to a back up server and continue working. Imagine the peace of mind this provides. ThinManager allows every Client to be assigned to several Terminal Servers. If the current Terminal Server fails, the Client will switch to another designated Terminal Server, allowing the unit to continue functioning in the event of a server failure.
Instant Failover
The Instant Failover Module allows Clients to run sessions on two Terminal Servers simultaneously. If the primary Terminal Server fails, the Client will instantly switch to the waiting session.
Graphs
ThinManager includes real time memory and CPU usage graphs, and SmartSession enabled Terminal Servers have the ability to trend the graphs for up to one hour. ThinManager will even graph the load of all the servers in a SmartSession group, allowing improved terminal server network administration.
Event Logging
ThinManager retains and displays a history of terminal events that can be used to monitor thin client usage or troubleshoot.
Modules
Adding additional functions to Clients is as easy as selecting a module from the module list. Available modules include: Touch Screen, Screen Savers, USB Keyboard and Mouse, Local Storage and Local Printer modules.
Eliminate the 2 a.m. phone call
Equipment failure is a crisis demanding quick attention. ACP ThinManager allows any ThinManager Ready Thin Client to be replaced by anyone in minutes instead of the hours required for standard Windows PC replacement. Turn down time into your time.
MultiMonitor
ACP's MultiMonitor allows ThinManager users to take advantage of ThinManager Ready Thin Clients from Arista and Advantech and display up to five screens on a single Thin Client. While a few other Thin Client companies have started to offer multiple monitors, ACP is the first to allow the client to display a different session on each of the screens.
The MultiMonitor module, combined with one of the new MultiMonitor capable clients, can be used to span sessions across monitors and/or run individual sessions on each monitor. Touch screens are also supported, and if using a keyboard the single keyboard entry follows the mouse focus. "Sliding" the mouse off the edge of one screen moves it onto the adjacent screen.
Users can locate monitors at any location within the virtual space, and can even combine spanning and multiple sessions on a single Thin Client. For instance, two adjacent monitors might be used to span a single session while two other monitors are each used to display sessions running on other servers. Wizards make configuration of all the screens a snap.
MultiMonitor Thin Clients come in 1, 3 or 5 monitor configuration and support resolutions up to 1920 x 1440 with 64K colors on each monitor. Spanned sessions are limited by the maximum Terminal Services session size 4096 x 2048.
TermSecure
Secure your thin clients and applications with TermSecure.
Increase the effectiveness of your ThinManager Ready thin client network by adding users to your management tree. Control user access with a ThinManager user name and password and login manually or automatically using proximity cards or USB flash keys. Grant or deny user access to thin clients and terminal server applications and sessions with permission groups.
Wherever you go your applications follow.
Don’t waste time running back to your office to access your ongoing work. Login at any terminal, at any time, and your current terminal server sessions and the applications you are running come right back to you. Make every thin client on your network do double duty.
Picture this…
You have five thin clients on a production line running your application and licensed with TermSecure. You can now add maintenance workers to the ThinManager tree and give them access to the application plus grant them access to two additional applications - say "work orders" and "specifications". When you have a maintenance issue on your line your maintenance user leaves his office and walks out to the thin client nearest to the problem. If you have added a standard proximity receiver the maintenance worker will be authenticated when he comes within range and the work order and spec applications will be added to the thin client. When the worker walks out of range or logs out manually the thin client will return to its normal operating mode with only the original application visible.
TermSecure™ for ACP ThinManager® Ready clients adds tremendous functionality to the plant floor. Strong security, yes. But this new layer of security actually boosts productivity and flexibility. We call this “Secure Access, Smart Context.” Read on, and you’ll see that it’s just plain smart.
Protect
TermSecure adds an additional layer of security to your Windows environment; providing you with the protection you need.
and serve...
Authorized users still need quick access to their applications. As you move from client to client, TermSecure logs you in and instantly reconnects you to your existing terminal server sessions. Your programs follow you and appear on screen, served up and ready to use as you approach. Very cool. Walk away and your applications disappear.
Authenticate
Identify yourself at a TermSecure enabled device using an RFID proximity card (short or long range), a USB flash key, or login manually. Combine authentication methods and greatly increase security.
Control
Control user access to applications through group permissions, or to terminals using both group permissions and terminal scheduling. Limit a specific user to a weekly, daily or hourly schedule or disable the terminal itself at any time you choose.
Extend
Drop our ActiveX control into your applications and you can program in terminal and user specific functionality, including session switching, event logging, and terminal status and management.
Save
Prevent a single unauthorized access to your systems and you might also be preventing a downtime event that more than pays for this software. Save a minute or more each time you access applications from a client over the life of your systems and now you have money in the bank.
WinTMC - ThinManager Client for Windows
Completing your Terminal Server Network
With the addition of WinTMC, ThinManager provides a complete solution for organizations that need to use PCs as part of their terminal server network. For many network administrators, WinTMC may be the missing piece to help their network be more cost effective, productive and easier to manage.
WinTMC brings ThinManager Ready Client functionality to your Windows PC
Imagine being able to use versatile ThinManager functions such as SmartSession, MultiSession, AppLink, Instant Failover, and other features normally reserved for use on ThinManager Ready hardware on your Windows PC. You will now have more options when managing, configuring and designing your entire Terminal Server Network.
Remotely Manage your PCs
Not only can you centrally configure WinTMC using ThinManager, but you can also manage the PC directly from ThinManager. Network Administrators can use ThinManager's shadowing capability to remotely view and control the PC's desktop even when the user does not have an active terminal server session. Just think of the administrative time your IT department will save.
Lower your Total Cost of Ownership
Management and configuration of PCs can be the most significant cost when determining your network's Total Cost of Ownership. The addition of WinTMC will allow you to manage your PCs and host applications on Terminal Servers for both Thin Clients and PCs. This will greatly simplify network-wide updates. We feel confident that WinTMC and ThinManager can significantly reduce your TCO.
Run applications on your PC or Terminal Servers
Some users may have the need to run local applications. With WinTMC they can easily switch between applications running locally and WinTMC terminal server sessions. This way, they'll be able to capitalize on both the benefits of a PC and a Terminal Server environment.
WinTMC provides the flexibility to upgrade over time
WinTMC can be configured to act just like a ThinManager Ready Thin Client. This is ideal for gradually moving from PCs to dedicated ThinManager Ready Thin Clients. This provides flexibility in your IT budget to invest in new Thin Client hardware when it's best for you. This way, you won't have to compromise on your budget or on your hardware.
WinTMC makes ThinManager a Complete Solution
Running WinTMC on your PCs in conjunction with dedicated ThinManager Ready hardware provides a complete Terminal Server Network solution. ThinManager allows you to centralize the configuration and management of your entire Terminal Server Network in a single software product, even providing management of your Terminal Servers.
Simplify Software Requirements
Unlike other Terminal Server related software products, implementing a ThinManager based solution means you no longer need to rely on multiple software packages from different vendors to get the administrative and system features you require. For example, you will not need one software package to manage your thin client hardware and a different product to provide functions such as load balancing and published applications - ThinManager does it all!
John Deere Automates with ACP Thin Client Technology
John Deere Automates with ACP Thin Client technology
While Deere & Company was started in 1837, they didn't purchase their first ACP Enabled Thin Client until 164 years later. But since 2001 they have installed almost 100 clients at their 325,000 square foot plant in Tennessee - the factory that builds the John Deere L100 lawn tractors sold at Home Depot and John Deere retailers. Every forty-five seconds, two tractors roll off the end of the line, ready to be shipped to stores across the country.
The Challenge: Improve operator access to product specifications
Before the implementation of the ACP solution, John Deere created special instructions that had to be tracked on paper. These Operator Method Sheets (OMS) were physical printouts that were kept in a three ring binder. Access to the binder was limited, and, more importantly, updates to assembly data was difficult. John Deere needed a way to keep the line running smoothly while allowing for enhanced OMS updates.
Implementing ACP Technology
One obvious solution was to move to online versions of the Operator Method Sheets. The L100 is produced on two identical lines, both of which run at the same time. While there was room to add a display above the workstations, there was not enough room for a PC, especially when access to the PC would be required for maintenance and software updates. A Thin Client solution solved the space problem by allowing the installation of compact hardware that would not require any access for support.
Visual Basic was chosen to drive the displays, and screens were developed that showed not only the Method Sheets but also production data. 19" displays were added throughout the lines, and 90 ACP Enabled Thin Clients were installed. The small size of the client (less than 7" by 5"), and the fact that it can be mounted in any orientation made it easy to find space without disrupting the existing production line.
The Thin Clients feed the two lines with a variety of information. The screens are generated with Microsoft Visual Basic, and much of the data comes from the SQL Server Databases. Production points are pulled from the PLCs in real time with an OPC server.
Because of the low overhead of the Visual Basic application, John Deere is able to host all of the clients on just two Terminal Servers, with a third server used for the SQL database and to run the ACP ThinManager software. The Thin Clients are in one of two groups (one group per line), and each client is named for the station it supports. Each Thin Client is configured to run an initial program that provides the information needed for that specific location.
The new dynamic display allows John Deere to provide the operators with information that was previously unavailable. By simply glancing at the Thin Client screen, an operator can see all of the visual work instructions for his particular station, in a much-improved format than was presented on the old Operator Method Sheets. Additionally, he now has access to a quality index (updated hourly), an up to the second count of the number of units produced, and an indication of the number of units that the line is ahead or behind the production goals. The new displays also show the quantity and model number of the next units that will be run down the line.
Future Plans
In addition to upgrading their server system to add another SQL server, John Deere is also investigating an ACP Enterprise License. This will allow them to deploy an unlimited number of industrial Thin Clients and to take advantage of redundancy and server load sharing.
ACP is the oldest industrial Thin Client company, and we are proud that one of the oldest companies in the United States has chosen to use ACP Enabled Thin Clients to help them achieve even greater success.
Overall impression of ACP and Thinmanager:
Overall impression of ACP and Thinmanager was good. Very easy to use, reliable, liked ease of replacement, and that you can just install and forget about it.
Most beneficial outcome using ACP:
Loves the low maintenance aspect – install and forget about it. Ease of replacement and that the line wouldn’t stop if the thin client went down. Little or no downtime if Thin client goes down and no application information will be lost. Kind of gives him a little peace of mind, one less thing to worry about
Most surprising benefit using ACP:
How easy it is to get around in the program, it’s so simple to use.
Jeff Williams
Technical Associate
John Deere Power Products