At NComputing, we sometimes talk faster than you can write. And we sometimes get carried away with our enthusiasm for our products. This guide can help fill in some of the details we may have missed.
Premise
PC prices have been stuck at $400 - $700 for some time. Analysts estimate that if the cost of PC computing dropped significantly, another one billion new PC users around the world would join the information economy.
Promise
The NComputing solution is based on a simple fact: today’s PCs are so powerful that only a small fraction of their computing capacity is required for the vast majority of applications. NComputing taps this unused capacity by enabling up to 30 simultaneous users to run their own applications from a shared PC at a cost as low as $70 per additional user.
How it works
Each user’s monitor, keyboard and peripherals connect to a small NComputing access device (virtual PC) that then connects to the shared PC. The virtual PC is inexpensive and highly reliable because it has no CPU, memory or moving parts. NComputing virtualization software shares the overabundant processing power of the PC and transmits the signals between the virtual PC and the shared PC. The solution is easy to deploy and maintain. NComputing systems are compatible with Windows, Linux and standard PC applications. As a major leap forward in green computing, NComputing virtual PCs draw from 1 to 5 watts of power for each user versus 115 watts for a typical PC—a 90% reduction in energy consumption.
Two product lines
Customers tend to need either 1) flexible (long-distance) networking, or 2) high-end multimedia performance. NComputing offers products tuned to each market. The L-series uses standard Ethernet networking infrastructure, such as routers, switches and wide-area networks (so that users can be located many miles away from the PC) to connect to the shared PC. The X-series is ideal for workgroup clusters; it requires the users to be within 30 feet of the PC, but delivers the ultimate multimedia experience.
The NComputing L-series
The L series uses standard Ethernet infrastructure and has effectively no distance limitations. A decent PC can support 10 users with a desktop OS, 30 with a server OS, and hundreds with a virtualized server. The L series delivers web-quality multimedia and costs about $200 per user.
The NComputing X-series
An X300 kit includes a PCI card that installs into a slot in the shared PC, 3 access devices, and 3 cables (that connect the access terminals to the PCI card). With two kits in one PC, you get 7 users (3 on each card, plus one user on the PC). An X300 kit costs a little over $200 (which divided by 3 users equals about $70 per user).