Wyse Revamps Thin Client OS For Collaborative ComputingWyse Revamps Thin Client OS For Collaborative Computing

Wyse Technology, the thin-client supplier, has revised its flagship operating system, Wyse Thin OS 6.3, to include a collaborative processing architecture.

Collaborative processing architecture (CPA) detects when a server is engaged in a CPU-intense activity, such as multimedia decoding, on behalf of an end user, and shifts that activity to the CPU in the thin client. The intelligence built into CPA is meant to share processing responsibility between server and client, increasing the role of the client, now that more powerful processors are being built into thin clients.

Designing end user computing around thin clients can save on the servers, heat dissipation, and electricity used in the data center, said Wyse VP of product management Ricardo Antuna in a statement this week announcing Wyse Thin OS. With WTOS, the thin-client user isn't deprived of a desktop-style computing experience. Multimedia and graphics appear smoothly and large data sets get displayed quickly.

The collaborative processing architecture allows "users to stay ahead of the curve on user experience, server scalability, and security," said Antuna in a prepared statement on the thin operating system, announced Wednesday. It will become available in mid-December, he said.

This version of the operating system connects to Microsoft Terminal Services 2008 and supports Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol with 32-bit color and font smoothing. RDP and other protocols used to deliver end user presentations from servers typically deliver cruder impressions of fonts and colors than users are used to, due to the protocol's limited speed of operation. WTOS is erasing some of the differences with processing at the thin client.

WTOS also has enhanced 802.1x wireless support and Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 support; FIPS 140-2 is an encryption standard for protecting sensitive government information. It also includes support for CPA use by the latest components, such as USB drives, audio devices, and multiple displays.

In a second announcement, Wyse said it was launching new thin-client machines designed to handle the display of virtualized desktops capable of displaying high-resolution and high-definition video for knowledge workers. The virtual machines could be generated by either VMware, Citrix XenServer, or Microsoft Hyper-V hypervisors. The Wyse R50LE and R90LE offer the highest processing power in the Wyse line; the Wyse R50L and R90L are next highest, followed by Wyse V10L and mobile Wyse X50L.