Thin Client Industry Analysis

Legacy desktop infrastructure makes it difficult for organizations to comply with everchanging

regulatory, application, and security requirements. Sun Ray™ Software provides

an affordable, secure, and flexible solution for any organization that wants rich desktop

functionality without PC complexity and vulnerability.

Sun has always believed that "The Network is the Computer™", and our desktop software infrastructure

products are designed around this guiding principle, helping organizations to deploy more

agile and secure desktop solutions. Sun's desktop infrastructure software focuses on centralization

of applications and data, so that organizations can provide secure enterprise computing solutions,

not personal computing (PC) solutions.

Unique Sun Ray™ Software architecture

The unique Sun Ray Software architecture

removes management of complex PC or

embedded OS thin clients from the desktop

equation by offering a complete virtual desktop.

The architecture consists of two parts: Sun

Ray Virtual Display Clients and Sun Ray Software.

The environmentally friendly Virtual

Display Client is a low-cost device that, when

plugged into the network, delivers a secure,

network desktop. Sun Ray Software has three

core components: Sun Ray Server Software,

Sun Ray Connector for Windows, and Sun™

Desktop Manager.

Sun Ray Server Software

Acts as a broadcaster, delivering customized

content to each Sun Ray client on the network.

Channel 1 might be Microsoft Windows,

Channel 2 might be Linux, and Channel 3 might

be the Solaris OS. It provides user authentication

and encryption between server and client,

as well as user session management. This not

only enhances security, but also helps reduce

complexity and administration of the IT environment.

Sun Ray Server Software provides

automatic load balancing, optimizing performance

by distributing sessions across servers in

the group. Load balancing takes into account

each server's load and capacity -- the number

and speed of its CPUs -- so that larger or less

heavily loaded servers bear more of the load.

Sun Ray Connector for Windows

Enables a direct connection to Windows

Terminal Services, so that Microsoft Windows

applications can be displayed on the Sun Ray

client. In Controlled Access Mode, customers

can provide full-screen, Microsoft Windows

desktops to Sun Ray clients, with all the security

and mobility benefits unique to the architecture.

Sun™ Desktop Manager

Returns desktop control to system administrators

by providing a Web-based tool to

centrally control the Solaris OS desktop and

applications. Because it removes complexity

and increases management efficiency, this

helps reduce costs and administration workload

relating to desktop infrastructure.

Key benefits

For IT professionals

* Eliminate maintenance at the desktop

* No operating system or software to upgrade

physically at the desktop

* Simple "plug-and-work" set up or replacement

* No memory upgrades at the desktop for new

applications

* Centralized desktop management

* More efficient utilization of computing

resources

* Access to a broad choice of desktop environments:

Microsoft Windows, Linux, or

Solaris OS

* Proven technology backed by Sun's support

and service organization

For desktop users

* Instant access to a customized compute

environment from any Sun Ray client on the

local area network (LAN) or wide area network

(WAN)

* Seamlessly integrate full-screen windows

* Wide peripheral device support

A secure and manageable Microsoft