| Developer(s) | thinstation |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 2.2.2h / June 28, 2011 |
| Operating system | Linux |
| Type | Thin client Software |
| License | GNU General Public License |
| Website | http://www.thinstation.org/ |
Thinstation is a free and open source Linux implementation of a thin client operating system. It only requires standard 32-bit x86 PC hardware and can boot directly from the network via PXE or Etherboot from a TFTP server, or from local devices such as Hard disks, CompactFlash drives, USB keyrings and CD/DVDs. The minimum requirement is a Pentium class CPU and RAM dependent on the intended use, typically 32–128 MB.
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Thinstation is a standalone system, that does not require any modification of the server as long as the server accepts remote client connections. This is true for:
Even a light standalone desktop is available with Mozilla Firefox and some other basic application like editors and file managers. A web kiosk is a standard solution too (Mozilla Prism).
A Thinstation boot image can be created in three ways:
Thinstation compares with Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) except that Thinstation, unlike LTSP, is independent of NFS (Network File System) – although NFS can also be supported – and unlike LTSP, Thinstation supports non-Linux servers such as Microsoft Windows and Citrix. LTSP comes integrated with several Linux distributions whereas Thinstation is an independent project.
Thinstation started as a fork of Netstation in May 2003, hosted on SourceForge. It was originated by Miles Roper from New Zealand and joined by Paolo Salvan (Italy) and Mike Eriksen (Denmark). Shortly after Trevor Batley (Australia) joined the core staff, contributing TS-O-Matic and is currently the project leader. Marcos Amorim (Brazil) is heading the future version 3.0 development.