Author: Kevin West

Real World ThinManager | Part 10

Kevin West

Mining

PROBLEM:
• User interface needed underground in dusty, harsh environment.

SOLUTION:
• Servers installed at ground-level in controlled rooms.
• Thin clients deployed in the mine.
• IT maintains and monitors from the ground-level.

One of the shafts in this mine extends over a mile into the earth into an extremely dusty environment that is particularly hostile to computers. A PC failure meant an hour delay while a replacement is brought down from the surface. The only alternative was to setup a computer shop manned by IT underground. Neither alternative was acceptable. [...]

ThinManager 5.0 XLi to be Released Hot on the Heels of v4.1!

Kevin West

Just last month we announced the March release of ThinManager 4.1 that will include Virtualization management tools and a brand new iPhone app.

This month we are proud to announce the June release of ThinManager 5.0 XLi!

This version of ThinManager will be able to boot thin clients from a wide range of vendors like HP, Wyse, Lenovo and many others. You can check our compatibility list to see what thin clients already work. If you don’t see your model just fill out the MyThinClient form at thinmanager.com and we’ll test your model to see if it will work with the new ThinManager XLi! [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 9

Kevin West

Transportation

PROBLEM:
• IT and production are in separate facilities.
• IT was losing valuable resources while traveling to other sites for maintenance.

SOLUTION:
• ThinManager Remote Administration allows IT to control and manage a remote site from one location.

Many companies have one IT department that covers a number of locations requiring the IT staff to make regular visits to the other plants for maintenance and repair.

Using standard ThinManager utilities this same staff has access to all remote sites allowing the IT staff to manage them from a central location. They can even shadow sessions and view process and load statistics. [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 8

Kevin West

Warehouse

PROBLEM:
• Paper oriented dispatch system forced operators to central area for each new order.

SOLUTION:
• Wireless thin clients mounted on forklifts allowed operators to receive instructions “on the go”.
• Scanners on serial port allowed verification using barcodes on delivered products.

A manufacturer used a primitive paper system for dispatching the forklifts to deliver materials used in the process. After each run the forklifts would need to return to the dispatch office for the next package of paperwork. [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 7

Kevin West

Food Production

PROBLEM:
• Night-shift worker installed an application with a virus on a PC.
• The infected PC controlled the HVAC system and could not close vents for fumigation.
• The plant had to stop production for 4 days to allow re-scheduling of the required treatment.

SOLUTION:
• Thin clients prevent access to operating system.

Fumigation of a large food production site takes careful planning and coordination to guarantee safety and prevent contamination. Fumigations are scheduled during employee holidays to prevent production interruption. [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 6

Kevin West

Manufacturing in a Dusty Environment

PROBLEM:
• As many as 3 PCs failing each week requiring IT and maintenance support.

• Up to 6 hours of lost production time for each failure.

SOLUTION:
• No moving parts mean that ThinManager Ready thin clients are more reliable.
• Failures can be replaced by operator in 15 minutes or less..

A manufacturing plant had PCs in a dusty environment. The fans sucked in dust and debris causing overheating and failure after about a year. Since the company had 200 PCs, several had to be replaced each week. [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 5

Kevin West

Power Generation

PROBLEM:
• Critical remote auxiliary gas turbine is rarely used but must be ready immediately when demand arises.

SOLUTION:
• Turbine area now controlled from main control room.
• Redundancy and Instant Failover make sure it’s always ready to be put into action.

A coal-fired power plant added a gas turbine generator to help meet power demand during peak usage periods.

The gas turbine generator has to be ready at all times but is used infrequently enough that it is unmanned. [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 4

Kevin West

Chemical Processing

PROBLEM:
• PCs scattered throughout a multi-acre site made routine maintenance a major hassle.

SOLUTION:

• ThinManager Ready thin clients are managed in the central control room.
• Thin clients no longer need to be visited for maintenance.

A chemical plant had PCs all over a huge refinery, including some located in towers that were up 10 flights of stairs. Maintaining and patching the PCs took hours of walking and climbing.

ThinManager and terminal servers were deployed, allowing the PCs to be replaced with ThinManager Ready thin clients. [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 3

Kevin West

Cheese Manufacturing

PROBLEM:
• Humid environment causing frequent PC failures.

SOLUTION:
• Replaced PCs with thin clients
• Thin clients are more reliable and less sensitive to harsh environments than PCs.
• Small form factor allows thin clients to be placed in a protective panel to combat humidity.

Part of the cheese making process requires a saltwater rinse to cure newly made cheese as it passes through an extruder. The mist from the process coats the entire room with a thick condensation. Because of the requirements of the food manufacturing process every surface is hosed down each day with strong cleansers to maintain sterility. Even though bags of silica gel were stacked in the panels to try to protect the PCs from the moisture, the elements were still affecting the PCs as fans circulated air through them for cooling. [...]

Real World ThinManager | Part 2

Kevin West

Chemical Plant

PROBLEM:

• Outmoded paper strip charts were a hassle and did not give instant real-time trending.

SOLUTION:
• Replaced strip charts with thin clients.
• Collected I/O in SQL server and backed up and archived.
• Archive gave operators the ability to see trending patterns in a more efficient manner.

Emission monitoring charts are critical to pollution control. Before their thin client installation this company captured this data on paper strip charts printed on machines that require oiling, inking, and paper refills. [...]