Alright, the screen and keyboard are extra, but still this is really good! I’m a web developer and IT consultant, so I immerse myself keeping up with the latest and greatest in the IT world, but I don’t sell hardware – until now! This little find has not yet hit our shores and is so good that I have set myself up as a reseller to help make it available.
This is new hardware from nComputing that enables you to dramatically cut computing costs by sharing the untapped power of existing PCs. In geek speak, it’s essentially a turnkey terminal server type hardware solution.
The NComputing X300 kit (a PCI card, 3 access terminals and software) efficiently harnesses excess computing capacity and enables multiple users to share a single PC. Two kits provide a maximum total of seven users sharing one PC simultaneously.
With the NComputing solution, each user still has a standard monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers. However, instead of connecting directly to the PC, these peripherals connect to the X300 access terminal on their desk. These very small, solid-state terminals connect over a standard Cat 5/6 cable to the host PC. The distance between the terminal and the PC can be up to 10 metres.
This actually works! If you aren’t trying to compute the paths of multiple stella constallations to 8 billion decimal places, your computer is actually fairly relaxed keeping up with your typing speed! The NComputing terminal services software (included) divides the PC’s resources into independent sessions that give each user their own full PC experience.
The next (small) step up is the NComputing L series solution. Rather than requiring direct point to point connections, the remote units connect securely over standard Ethernet to the host PC via your existing router/switch. The units are so small they can clip onto the back on the monitor (with a supplied bracket) and use up no desk space at all.
Up to ten users can be supported from one PC when running on a desktop operating system such as Microsoft Windows XP. With a server operating system on the host (Linux or Microsoft Windows 2003 Server) up to 30 users can be supported simultaneously.
nComputing have chosen Australia’s largest technology distributor as their wholesaler and are still finalising pricing. Depending on exchange rates, the X300 kit will be around $300 to $400 (for 3 new computers!) and the L series units around $150 to $230. Let me know if you are interested.
