This year, Q-mation saw tremendous growth in ThinManager sales but we still have customers that are not aware of the tremendous benefits of thin client installations and the power of ThinManager to manage those installations.  If you want to get away from dealing with obsolete plant floor computer changeouts, the need to update operating systems on multiple computers, and the need to update applications on multiple computers, you must take a look at thin client architectures and ThinManager.

Why do I need ThinManager?
Our Thin Client and Terminal Server software, ThinManager, was designed to enhance Microsoft Terminal Services and make it much more powerful. We explain to people everyday how ThinManager can simplify and enhance almost any Terminal Services and Thin Client deployment by offering benefits such as:

MultiMonitor - Locate (visually) each of up to five Thin Client monitors at any spot within the virtual space using ThinManager's visual user interface. Users can combine spanning and multiple sessions on a single Thin Client. For instance, two adjacent monitors might be used to span a single session while three other monitors are each used to display sessions running on other servers.

Greatly simplified Thin Client installation - With ACP ThinManager simply plug in a new Thin Client and turn it on. Configuration, including user account creation, can even be done automatically, and no software has to be installed on the Terminal Servers.

Greatly simplified Thin Client replacement - If something does go wrong with the Thin Client hardware, even in the middle of the night, anyone in the plant can replace the unit without having to access the Server or configure the client.

Automatic Server failover and redundancy controlled by the clients - Unlike many Thin Clients, every ACP Enabled client constantly monitors the server and will automatically switch to another server if it detects a problem. This is especially important for industrial users as many other clients indicate server failure by freezing the display, depending on the user to reboot when the client is unresponsive. Industrial displays are frequently just glanced at to check production or alarm status, and could be locked up for hours before anyone noticed.

Smoother software upgrades - Many plants do not update their software because of the risk of loosing production. A line must be taken out of service, the software enhancements made and the line must be started up again. Hopefully the changes were made correctly and everything will work without having to try and rollback to a previous version. With Thin Clients, the administrator can simply upgrade the software on a separate Server. When it is working correctly, pick any Thin Client and switch it over to that server. If all is OK, switch the other clients and update all the servers. If there is a problem, fall back to the original server and do some more tweaking.

Load Balancing - ThinManager will direct Thin Clients to the least loaded Terminal Server. No software needs to be installed on the Terminal Server, and the operator can view graphs showing the load of each machine.

Enterprise Licensing - Allows a user to pay a single price for a ThinManager license and then use as many Terminal Servers and ThinManager Ready Thin Clients as desired.

Multi-Session - A single Thin Client can control an almost unlimited number of sessions on any number of Terminal Servers. Switch between sessions with a drop-down menu.

WinTMC - Turn unused PCs into Thin Clients by installing ACP's 'soft' client, WinTMC. These sessions are seen and controlled by ThinManager.

Automatic login, user session following and enhanced security with TermSecure - With TermSecure administrators can control user access with a ThinManager user name and password and allow manual or automatic login using passwords, proximity cards or USB flash keys - or a combination. Add Windows Permissions and you have an additional level of granting or denying access. Users will not even have access to the network unless they make it through this proprietary security layer. Once the TermSecure user logs in to a Thin Client his current terminal server sessions and the applications he was running come right to him.

Shadowing - Administrators can view and even control Thin Clients on the network, whether the client is in the next room or in Greenland. And unlike other Thin Clients, ThinManager shadows the actual Thin Client itself, not just the session. This means that the user can also do administrative functions and diagnose problems before the client is even running a session.

Improved reliability of the workstation - Users who would like to have fault tolerant or redundant workstations throughout the plant but can't afford the expense can achieve the same result by installing Thin Clients running on a redundant Terminal Server. Pay for a single fault tolerant Server and get a fault tolerant workstation with each Thin Client added.

Centralized support for any combination of ACP Enabled Thin Client hardware - No matter who the vendor, if the product has the ThinManager Ready label it will work just like all other ACP Enabled Thin Clients. This means that a unit from Arista is a drop-in replacement for a unit made by Allen-Bradley.

Secure clients with no local OS or local storage to harbor viruses or expose data - ACP Enabled Thin Clients keep the configuration for each client on the Server, so particulars such as touch screen model, Server IP addresses, I/O port configuration, initial application, and user login preferences all transfer to any replacement Thin Client without any customization from the operator. This means no local storage is necessary, so even if the client is removed from the area it will not contain any of your data. And the proprietary Thin Client operating system (and lack of a local boot device) makes the client impervious to any traditional hacking methods.

Keyboard and Mouse sharing - Connect up to 5 ACP Enabled Thin Clients together and use only one keyboard and mouse. The user simply slides the mouse pointer to the edge of one screen and onto a different client's screen.

Key Blocking Module - Allows administrator to keep clients, or group of clients, from being about to use certain key combinations. This is done at the keyboard driver for the Thin Client so, unlike many PC programs, there is no chance the blocked key sequence will reach the application.

To learn more follow this link or call us at 215-675-5800.

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