• A thick client is a computer that performs most, if not all, of the processing activity during project run time. It has sufficient processing power, memory, and graphics to run the complete project files, and it only exchanges data (i.e., function syncronization and tag value changes) with the project runtime server as needed. (A project runtime server can also be a thick client to another server.)

  In IWS, thick clients are handled through Remote Management.

• A thin client is a computer that depends primarily on the project runtime server for processing. It only needs to have a network connection to get screens and data from the server and a web browser to display the screens to the user.

Thin Clients in IWS

InduSoft Web Studio allows you to create screens that can be viewed on a remote station in a regular web browser. The station where the user can view the screens is called the thin client.

Figure 1. Typical thin client architecture

The actual InduSoft Web Studio software is installed only on the server station. All project files — the tags database, screen files, and task worksheets — are stored on the server, and all background and communication tasks are executed on the server.

The thin client simply loads your project’s graphical interface (i.e., the screens containing objects and animations) as needed and then uses that interface to represent data (i.e., tag values) on the server. You do not need to install the IWS development application or any of the project files on the thin client.

This solution provides a high level of flexibility because any computer that has a network connection to the server station (via TCP/IP) can access the project during run time.

Competitive Advantages of Thin Clients

Thin Client Licensing

The maximum number of simultaneous thin client connections depends on settings of the license installed on the project runtime server. The user does not need to install any license on the thin client.