"WinSun": deploying the Windows desktop on a Sun Ray

Abstract

The Information Technologies-User Services department at the University of Delaware is experimenting with replacing standard "fat" Windows PCs with Sun Ray thin clients connecting to a Windows 2003 server running Terminal Services. This allows the Sun Rays to connect to a Sun Ray server configured with Control Access Mode (CAM) to run a remote desktop session on the Windows 2003 server. Our objective is to establish a cost effective, reliable solution with minimal impact on staff resources. Our goal is to maintain the Windows desktop on the Windows 2003 server instead of on many individual fat PCs. This should reduce staff support time, minimize security vulnerabilities, require user authentication and reduce hardware costs due to scalability. Our initial phase is to replace 16 express stations with Sun Ray thin clients in the fall of 2006. Express stations are Windows PCs dedicated to providing a limited number of computing services to the user with an automatic generic login. These include browsing the web, reading e-mail and printing using specific application viewers that don't allow editing. Based on the results of our initial testing, we hope to be able to replace an entire un-staffed Windows PC computing lab with Sun Ray thin clients as our next phase.