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Lenovo to Sell Blade Desktops
Some guy writes "Having acquired IBM's PC division, Lenovo will become the first major reseller of blade desktops. Blade desktops feature only input devices and a 'networking unit,' connecting to a blade server for computational power. Such thin client designs reduce support needs and cluttered desk space, but require complex deployments to work well."
Here's a link containing some more detailed information about ClearCube's technology.
So...thin clients are back in vogue yet again...let's see if they stick this time. With the Blade Desktop's modular architecture and ability to run the KVM over standard, existing LAN infrastructure, this iteration might have a shot.
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~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey
Lenovo will resell blade desktop systems from ClearCube Technologies as the Chinese giant kicks off its effort to woo the international set.
Under the deal, the two companies will cooperate to sell ClearCube's blade systems, initially to the customers Lenovo acquired when it IBM's PC unit. The units sold by Lenovo will bear ClearCube's brand. IBM Global Services already resells ClearCube desktop systems.
Similar to blade servers, blade desktops are complete desktop PCs, but instead of coming in a plastic chassis, the computers are circuit boards stuffed into a rack in a computer room. At their desk, users have only a keyboard, mouse, monitor and a networking unit that connects them to their computer.
Putting the PCs in a rack cuts support and real estate costs, according to Raj Shah, chief marketing officer of ClearCube. Several financial firms and branches of the military have installed the company's computers. (The North American Aerospace Defense Command uses them
The company is also in the midst of a trial with health care specialist McKesson. At select hospitals, a swivel screen is placed in patient rooms. Patients can order movies or get information on their problems; doctors can also log in to the system with a magnetic card to retrieve patient records.
Though the market is small, it's growing rapidly, according to ClearCube. Revenue for the small company tripled last year, albeit from a small base, said Shah, and is growing in triple figures this year. Hitachi's services organization and SAIC also resell the company's computers.
So far, Hewlett-Packard is the only major computer maker with its own blade PC system, but its take on the concept has not sold particularly well, according to analysts. One reason is that the first versions relied on chips from Transmeta, the struggling processor designer.
If blades are so promising, why don't other manufacturers jump in? The management and security software layers required in blade deployments take time, energy and money, which few want to risk.
"The PC companies have been asleep at the wheel for the past few years. No one is innovating," Shah said. "How much has the corporate desktop PC changed in the last 20 years?"
Shah also pointed out that ClearCube has about 80 patents; competitors therefore would have to figure out how to get around the company's intellectual property.
The IBM purchase marks the point of no return for Lenovo's long ambitions to become an international tech powerhouse. Except for some token sales in Italy and Southeast Asia, the company has sold PCs only in China. Even there, it has lost market share to Dell and HP in recent quarters.
The company unfurled a tablet PC back in June and said it planned to open a center to design different types of PCs for different markets such as potentially cheap PCs for places such as India.
Thin clients keep all their info on the server. This is NOT a thin client. It might be called a remote client, but each blade has its own CPU, disk drives, etc. Each blade is a full PC, serving just one desktop. The only thing unusual is that the PC is located in the server room instead of on the desktop. Thin clients are really just a minor variation on the old timeshare model of big expensive computers. This could only be considered a thin client if you think of every user having their very own dedicated server.
Thin clients vs PCs are like taxis vs private cars. Blade PCs are like private cars kept in a communal garage, like an apartment block vs a private house.
You didn't even read your own link. This is a new low for slashdot, methinks.
Infuriate left and right
Lear-Siegler sells their ADM-3A 'thin client.'
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Oh wait! That was back in aprox. 1974. .
For those too lazy to RTFA...
These are not thin terms. It's a bunch of full function blade servers, on a managed KVM backplane. You then have remote 'end nodes' that supply DVI/USB/sound over Cat5, Fiber, or IP, your choice.
So far, this is pretty ho-hum, boring. The neat trick is the software that comes with it. Take an 8 blade chassis, setup 7 users on it, each with their own PC. Blade 8 is now your hot spare. Uh oh, Joe just had a failure? Fire up the management app from your desk, swap him to blade 8. Without getting up, Joe now has a new system, and you can deal with the failed blade on your time, either remotely via your end node, or in the server room.
No, it's not a huge advancement, but for places that maintain large fleets of desktops that run near identical OS/software installs, it makes system management and maint a bit easier by reducing time lost to running around shuffling hardware.