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https://www.ncomputing.com/
Assuming the devices just need to access a web-based monitoring tool or terminal session(s). They use remote desktop sessions to the server end which creates virtual remote desktops for each device. The server allows for viewing the remote session and provides control for remote troubleshooting. The nice thing for the end user is if there are any problems they just flip the power switch off and on. The devices automatically log back in and launch their scripts. It may be more expensive than a custom-built solution but if you want something with 3rd party service and support they work great for us.

This can already be done for $70 per seat, under linux or Windows XP/windows 2003r1-2008r2 server.

http://www.ncomputing.com/

we buy the x550s as they have the best bang-for buck in a classroom, but the L300s look pretty awesome for a more robust business setup. Couple servers set to failover, redundant data storage... Complete system redundancy for less than standalone workstations.

They are taking an expensive container unit, and a very expensive solar array, and buying ten thin clients, and the main computer is a Pentium 4?

That's just crazy. All I can think is that they are a computer recycling outfit, and they had a Pentium 4 on hand and just said "Eh, good enough."

I would have spent a few hundred and gotten an AMD dual-core or even quad-core chip and some ECC RAM. And probably a flash boot drive. You want the computer to be as bulletproof as possible, and it would be nice if it was energy-efficient. A Pentium 4 is basically a device for heating a small room... in other words, not power-efficient. It has a single core. I don't believe any Pentium 4 chipset supports ECC RAM. (Hence the AMD suggestion. Yes, I am an AMD fan, but Intel reserves ECC as a feature of only their expensive server chipsets; whereas ECC has been a standard feature with AMD for years now.)

If you are sharing one computer among ten users, extra cores would be a very good thing. Large cache would be a very good thing. Both of those argue for a modern CPU.

The article didn't say what the OS is. However, the article has a link to another article about the first such cyber cafe, and that previous article says they are using NComputing thin client technology. NComputing appears to be a solution for hooking up external thin clients to virtual machine images running on a host. Which begs the question: ten virtual machine images running on a Pentium 4?!? Let's hope they are least are using one of the models of Pentium 4 that supports the Intel virtualization "VT-x" instructions.

Oh well, I'm sure it works, and it's a heck of a lot better than nothing.

steveha

I found out recently a reseller here in Italy distributing the Ncomputing client, which strictly speaking is not a computer, rather a screen repeater; I've had the occasion to try it , and it worked fine for a small office, especially if there are security considerations involved, since there's an actual box that does not have an USB port; there' s no way to take data out except via email.
The price is quite reasonable, and for the vast majority of office work it's vastly simpler than virtualization via the usual suspects.

Any approved machine can netboot (or copy) the system image, mount a home directory and work. Try to do that with Windows. *All* applications must work.

How about using this device? We got a demo of these units from a company.. and I hate trying to advertise their equipment because we haven't fully tested it yet. So far it looks good.. you just install the software on the server, and the clients find the server via network broadcasts. When you connect you get a Windows login where you are actually logging into the server. Not using remote desktop, terminal services, or anything else. You are actually logging in locally to the computer. Home directory, applications, whatever else you want will work that would normally work locally on the computer. How is the end result of this any different than using netboot image and accessing the server remotely?

Sorry but your perception of "being real" and calling Windows a "complete joke" is an elitist attitude that only shows how smug you are and does not help to get the point across that you are trying to make, no matter how valid it might be.

Check out http://www.ncomputing.com/ncomputing/products/dire ct.php

You can install this PCI card and have up to 4 users on a single Windows PC at the same time. Install 2 cards and have up to 7 users.

One card and 3 extenders cost less than $225.

As I have been in your exact situation, I know how it is. The best solution I have found is the Xtenda X series from http://www.ncomputing.com/ . It is a PCI card and a small box that will allow you to attach up to 3 additional K/V/M sets to a single host computer. If your host PC is powerful enough, you can install 2 PCI cards and run an extra 6 PC's from the host. For only about $200 for a kit (1 PCI card, 3 K/V/M boxes and the software) they are very affordable. Good luck.

You're thinking of nComputing and they're still around: http://www.ncomputing.com/ They have a nice hardware setup that allows up to 30 users on a single PC, and it runs on Windows 2000, XP, Server 2003, and Linux. You can also find them on TigerDirect http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTool s/search.asp?keywords=ncomputing&image1.x=0&image1 .y=0