In the message "[MAGNet] Apple "dumb" terminals?", dated 2008-12-05,
E. Bond Francisco wrote:
>I would like to configure a local area network (6 users and a
>server) where the users access all their applications from the
>server, without having to purchase 6 individual Macs. I'm guessing I
>could do that with a combination of a Mac minis and maybe a 20"
>cinema display. I would expect to have Adobe CS4, Final Cut and
>OpenOffice installed on the server, for starters.
Is the goal to share expensive software, or also to run
resource-intensive software on a beefier central server to reduce
workstation hardware costs? If the primary goal is to share
software, there are at least two options that one can explore:
terminal server and launch metering products.
There are free terminal server solutions for Mac OS X, mentioned in
part in the previous responses to your question from Greg Merritt and
Bill Boyd. There's also at least one commercial product, about which
I know nothing except what is listed on their website:
"Aqua Connect Terminal Server"
http://www.aquaconnect.net/?page_id=26
There are also at least several launch metering products that allow
one to legally share one (or a few) copies of expensive, licensed
software among a larger number of Macintoshes.
One venerable and well-regarded product in that space is Sassafras
Software's K2 (formerly KeyServer):
These products work on the principle that often, only one or a few
people in your workgroup or unit need to access expensive software at
any one time. They can also help you better understand your group's
software need for software licenses and more centrally manage your
software purchases.
Aron Roberts
Information Services and Technology
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Received on Fri Dec 05 2008 - 12:22:27 PST
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