Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • PC Hardware
    • Virtualization

    VDI Client Supports VMware, Microsoft, Citrix with Zero Client Hardware

    By
    Cameron Sturdevant
    -
    January 19, 2011
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      The Pano System 4 uses a shiny, tiny brick-with ports for the video, keyboard, mouse and USB connectivity-that significantly advances practical and cost-effective virtual desktop infrastructure. By completely removing the need for any PC-like components from the hardware, Pano Logic has garnered an eWEEK Labs Analyst Choice rating for advancing the state of the art for data-center desktop virtualization.
      The Pano System integrates with VMware View, Microsoft Hyper-V and Citrix XenDesktop environments to connect DVMs (Desktop Virtual Machines) created using these virtualization platforms with users who are logging on via a Pano device. The Pano System is suitable for medium-to-large enterprises where desktop workloads don’t need more than two monitors-the current limit of the just-released second-generation Pano device.
      Pano System 4 was released Jan. 12 and costs $389 per device, which is competitive with the price of thin clients. The Pano System price includes all the server and connection licenses needed to use the device, along with a year of software maintenance and support. Additional support options are available to extend software maintenance for $20 per year per device and a combination of software maintenance plus support for $49 per year per device. No-cost Web-only support is also available.
      Although there are no direct Pano System competitors with an equivalent hardware form factor, the obvious point of comparison is with thin clients from HP, IGEL, Oracle and Wyse. The most notable difference between the Pano hardware and its thin-client cousins relates to size constraints. The chrome-plated Pano device measures just 3.5 inches wide by 3.5 inches deep by 2 inches tall and sips 3 watts of power. In general, thin clients are about 1.5 inches wide by 7 inches tall and 10 inches deep. That extra space is usually put to good use for organizations that need to accommodate a variety of connection and secured-communications options.
      For example, the second-generation Pano device I tested had a DVI (Digital Visual Interface) graphics port, four USB 2.0 slots, an RJ-45 network port and a micro-HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), along with an adapter that makes this the new, second monitor connections, along with a speaker jack. Thin clients, which are usually built as stripped-down PCs, typically offer a secure card reader, PS/2-style mouse and keyboard connectors, VGA and DVI video ports, four to six USB ports, speaker and microphone jacks, along with wireless options and sometimes a serial connection for use with old-style peripherals such as payment-card readers. Thus, for organizations that require the use of older peripherals, the Pano device isn’t the best fit. However, for offices that are using even moderately up-to-date keyboards and mice, the Pano device is a good fit. It also comes with a DVI-to-VGA adapter-a nod to fostering adoption in shops that may not have updated monitors in some time.
      The Pano System is composed of a Pano Manager server, Pano hardware devices that sit on the user’s desktop and the Pano Direct software agent to facilitate the connection of DVMs created in one of the supported platforms with users. In my VMware View test environment, this meant that I first installed the Linux-based Pano Manager server as a virtual machine. The installation, which took about an hour, was relatively easy because the Pano Manager is provided as a virtual appliance and comes in an OVF (Open Virtualization Format) that was a breeze to install.
      I should note that the Pano System comes with an administrator’s guide that is well over 400 pages. While the document is helpful, it is repetitive and sometimes switches installation directions. For example, the Pano System doesn’t support the default VGA driver installed by VMware tools in Windows guest virtual machines. The instructions for a workaround veered back and forth between Windows XP and Windows 7, sometimes putting the steps for one operating system first and sometimes the other, which tripped me up during the initial set-up that substituted the VMware SVGA II driver, which is supported.
      The Pano System doesn’t create the DVMs. For that, I used the Lab’s VMware View 4.5 virtual-desktop environment. I installed the Pano Manager virtual appliance and the integration wizard to identify the VMware Virtual Center server, the Microsoft Active Directory infrastructure and the desktops the Pano System would use.
      I created DVMs for the Pano System test, but I could almost as easily have used existing DVMs that were already configured in my test environment. The DVMs only needed to be modified with the addition of the PanoDirect agent, which is necessary to communicate with the Pano Manager server so that authorized users could be logged on to the right DVM. I used Windows 7 as the desktop OS for my DVMs. Installing the PanoDirect agent was a simple process, and the agent worked without flaws during my testing. I’ve already mentioned the video-driver change that is required if using a DVM that has already been installed with the latest VMware driver.
      After the Pano Manager was set up and my DVMs prepared, I connected the keyboard, video and mouse and a Logitech USB headset to my Pano device and then connected it to the network. The USB support worked okay with interactive voice applications. Video playback of Windows Media sample files worked only moderately well. Organizations that must use video communications via DVMs should pay careful attention to performance tests in production networks.

      Cameron Sturdevant
      Cameron Sturdevant is the executive editor of Enterprise Networking Planet. Prior to ENP, Cameron was technical analyst at PCWeek Labs, starting in 1997. Cameron finished up as the eWEEK Labs Technical Director in 2012. Before his extensive labs tenure Cameron paid his IT dues working in technical support and sales engineering at a software publishing firm . Cameron also spent two years with a database development firm, integrating applications with mainframe legacy programs. Cameron's areas of expertise include virtual and physical IT infrastructure, cloud computing, enterprise networking and mobility. In addition to reviews, Cameron has covered monolithic enterprise management systems throughout their lifecycles, providing the eWEEK reader with all-important history and context. Cameron takes special care in cultivating his IT manager contacts, to ensure that his analysis is grounded in real-world concern. Follow Cameron on Twitter at csturdevant, or reach him by email at [email protected]

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×