Terminal Software: An alternative to Client/Server?

By Rich Eichacker
Vibrance Technology Corporation

In the last issue of Productivity Reports, I made a case for upgrading your "desktop database" (products such as Microsoft Access or FileMaker Pro) to a client/server platform like Microsoft SQL Server. Depending on your situation, this may not necessarily be the best way to solve your problems. One of the biggest disadvantages to upgrading is the fact that you will most likely have to rewrite the software that connects to, and retrieves information from, the database.

An alternative to upgrading

An associate of mine who works in the networking business suggested an alternative to a client/server upgrade after reading my article.

His solution harkens back to the mainframe/terminal days of the 70's and 80's and even to the much ballyhooed ASP models of the past few years. It is to use a strong server computer to host the database application in conjunction with remote control/terminal software, such as Microsoft Terminal Server or Citrix MetaFrame. These packages allow multiple users to run programs directly on the server. This model shifts the processing load of the database (and/or other programs) from the client PC to the server, reducing network traffic and the need for powerful user PCs.

How The Model Works

Terminal software reduces network traffic because it only transmits mouse, keyboard and screen data - all other processing resides on the server. This data is tiny compared to running a desktop database over the network.

To implement this model, you would want to invest in a high-end, powerful server with lots of memory. You might even consider a multi-processor machine. Each user connected to the server would need to have the appropriate licenses. In the case of Microsoft Access, you would need a license for each user running the database.

Benefits

  1. Network traffic is significantly reduced.
  2. Client machines don't have to be high-power PCs.
  3. The software runs on the best hardware on the network - the server.
  4. Upgrades are easy. A change in the database's user interface need only be implemented on the server. All users will immediately have the changes available to them.
  5. Support problems are reduced. The IT department will not have to worry about configuration problems on client PCs. If the database runs on the server, then it will run on all the clients.

Clearly, there are a number of logistical and cost factors that you must address when considering this alternate approach. Ultimately, you must weigh the cost and benefits of a client/server upgrade against those of the terminal software approach.

Fall 2003 -Volume 13, Number 4

 

 

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