ThinCan

Last updated
ThinCan
Artec ThinCan with Geode SC2200.jpg
A first-generation ThinCan, based on the Geode SC2200
Manufacturer Artec Group
Type Thin client
Media32 to 512 MB of flash
Operating system LinuxBIOS
CPU Geode
Memory64 to 256 MB of DRAM
Connectivity Ethernet
USB ports

ThinCan is a thin client manufactured by Estonian electronic design start-up Artec Group. The ThinCan remained relatively unknown outside Estonia until 2006, when a recent ThinCan iteration was selected as the hardware base for the Linutop, a network appliance that greatly stimulated the market for lightweight computing platforms. [1] The ThinCan was also commercialized by SmartLink under the Revnetek brand name.

Contents

Hardware

Functionally, all ThinCan production models offer similar features:

Aesthetically, the original ThinCan was an exercise in futuristic looks, with brushed aluminum end caps and a tubular aluminum shape that featured alternating patterns of decorative serrations along the surface of the tube. The tube came painted in one's choice of several transparent colors (black, dark blue, light blue, purple, red) for an authentic "Jetsons" feel.

After an early prototype based on a custom x86 core, supporting PS/2 keyboard and mouse, the platform was redesigned around an NSC Geode SC2200 supporting only USB peripherals. An optional on-board SmartCard reader attached to an internally mounted USB port made the original ThinCan an instant hit on the local market, due to an Estonian legislation dating from 2001 that mandated the issuance of a national Electronic ID card to all citizens and their use to access many public services.

Still, while the futuristic design received some attention in the IT press, the prohibitive cost of machining an extruded aluminum tube with intricate decorative serrations prevented the manufacturer from achieving commercial success with this early model.

In 2003, the company revised the design towards a simpler cost-effective flat boxy shape for their DBE60 model (initially commercialized as the ThinCan SE). Aside from the addition of a parallel printer port, the DBE60 is functionally identical to the original ThinCan and built around the same NSC Geode SC2200.

In 2005, this design was updated for the AMD Geode LX700-based DBE61 model, with USB 2.0 provided by a CS5536 companion chip. The parallel printer port was then removed, returning the design to an all-USB configuration. Linutop SARL retained this model as a starting point for their Linutop-1 product.

In 2007, the DBE61 design was upgraded with Gigabit Ethernet support. The manufacturer calls this the DBE62.

In 2009, the DBE62 design was reconfigured to use SO DIMM memory and IDE Compact Flash media. The manufacturer calls this the DBE63.

Software

Firmware

SC2200-based models boot using a proprietary loader called Clara that was developed by Artec.

All LX700-based models can natively boot using Coreboot. This started as a Geode GX port developed by AMD for the OLPC prototype, to which Artec added Geode LX support. That code was later adopted and further polished by AMD, after the OLPC switched to the LX700 for its production models. This Coreboot port was used on the SmartLink model and on several custom Artec models configured as network appliances.

Meanwhile, both Artec's PXE-boot and Linutop's USB-boot DBE61 models, plus all DBE62 and DBE63 models, use a General Software BIOS.

Operating system

The original ThinCan ran on Windows CE and launched into an RDP client for Windows Terminal Services.

DBE60 models come with either the same RDP client as the original ThinCan or with Etherboot support for UNIX terminal services.

DBE61 models come with either a BIOS with PXE support optimized for LTSP or with a BIOS for USB booting Linutop's own Linux distribution. Meanwhile, SmartLink preloads their DBE61 models with their own versatile firmware called R-BOX that can be user-configured to launch into either an RDP client or into a Web kiosk – both of which are implemented using Free Software components – and which makes use of the Coreboot port.

DBE62 models have a BIOS that first attempts booting from USB and, if no bootable USB media is found, then attempts PXE booting – essentially combining the boot options of Artec's and Linutop's models into a single configuration.

DBE63 models run on Embedded Windows XP and launch into a Web kiosk.

Timeline

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AirPort</span> Discontinued line of products by Apple Inc.

AirPort is a discontinued line of wireless routers and network cards developed by Apple Inc. using Wi-Fi protocols. In Japan, the line of products was marketed under the brand AirMac due to previous registration by I-O Data.

Internet Small Computer Systems Interface or iSCSI is an Internet Protocol-based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities. iSCSI provides block-level access to storage devices by carrying SCSI commands over a TCP/IP network. iSCSI facilitates data transfers over intranets and to manage storage over long distances. It can be used to transmit data over local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), or the Internet and can enable location-independent data storage and retrieval.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preboot Execution Environment</span> Standard for booting from a server

In computing, the Preboot eXecution Environment, PXE specification describes a standardized client–server environment that boots a software assembly, retrieved from a network, on PXE-enabled clients. On the client side it requires only a PXE-capable network interface controller (NIC), and uses a small set of industry-standard network protocols such as DHCP and TFTP.

Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) is a free and open-source terminal server for Linux that allows many people to simultaneously use the same computer. Applications run on the server with a terminal known as a thin client handling input and output. Generally, terminals are low-powered, lack a hard disk and are quieter and more reliable than desktop computers because they do not have any moving parts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geode (processor)</span> Series of x86-compatible processor

Geode was a series of x86-compatible system-on-a-chip (SoC) microprocessors and I/O companions produced by AMD, targeted at the embedded computing market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">QEMU</span> Free virtualization and emulation software

QEMU is a free and open-source emulator. It emulates a computer's processor through dynamic binary translation and provides a set of different hardware and device models for the machine, enabling it to run a variety of guest operating systems. It can interoperate with Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) to run virtual machines at near-native speed. QEMU can also do emulation for user-level processes, allowing applications compiled for one architecture to run on another.

coreboot Open-source computer firmware

coreboot, formerly known as LinuxBIOS, is a software project aimed at replacing proprietary firmware found in most computers with a lightweight firmware designed to perform only the minimum number of tasks necessary to load and run a modern 32-bit or 64-bit operating system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Ray</span> Series of thin client computer

The Sun Ray was a stateless thin client computer aimed at corporate environments, originally introduced by Sun Microsystems in September 1999 and discontinued by Oracle Corporation in 2014. It featured a smart card reader and several models featured an integrated flat panel display.

The Radeon Xpress 200 is a computer chipset released by ATI. The chipset supports AMD 64-bit processors as well as supporting Intel Pentium 4, Pentium D and Celeron processors. Additionally, it includes support for DDR400 RAM and DDR-2 667 RAM on the Intel Edition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personal Internet Communicator</span>

The Personal Internet Communicator (PIC) is a consumer device released by AMD in 2004 to allow people in emerging countries access to the internet. Originally part of AMD's 50x15 Initiative, the PIC has been deployed by Internet service providers (ISPs) in several developing countries. It is based on an AMD Geode CPU and uses Microsoft Windows CE and Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IBM BladeCenter</span> Blade server architecture by IBM

The IBM BladeCenter was IBM's blade server architecture, until it was replaced by Flex System in 2012. The x86 division was later sold to Lenovo in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepper Pad</span> Linux-based mobile computer

The Pepper Pad was a family of Linux-based mobile computers with Internet capability and which doubled as a handheld game console. They also served as a portable multimedia device. The devices used Bluetooth and Wi-Fi technologies for Internet connection. Pepper Pads are now obsolete, unsupported and the parent company has ceased operations.

The nForce 600 chipset was released in the first half of November 2006, coinciding with the GeForce 8 series launch on November 8, 2006. The nForce 600 supports Intel's LGA 775 socket and AMD's Quad FX platform and replaces the nForce 500 series.

The Linutop is a small, light, environmentally friendly Nettop computer containing a metal case and no moving parts, that runs the Linutop OS . Linutop Kiosk software and Linutop Tv server offer a full Digital signage solution. A variety of QT applications oriented towards secure web browsing and digital signage are available in the Operating system. Linutop is multimedia-capable and offers line-out/mic-in for sound. The device can be configured easily into a LTSP thin client. Linutop is suited for use in internet cafés, public libraries and schools.

fit-PC Small, light, fan-less computer

The fit-PC is a small, light, fan-less nettop computer manufactured by the Israeli company CompuLab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mini PC</span> Low power, small and cheap computer meant for light tasks

A mini PC is a small-sized, inexpensive, low-power, legacy-free desktop computer designed for basic tasks such as web browsing, accessing web-based applications, document processing, and audio/video playback.

gPXE is an open-source Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE) client firmware implementation and bootloader derived from Etherboot. It can be used to enable computers without built-in PXE support to boot from the network, or to extend an existing client PXE implementation with support for additional protocols. While standard PXE clients use TFTP to transfer data, gPXE client firmware adds the ability to retrieve data through other protocols like HTTP, iSCSI and ATA over Ethernet (AoE), and can work with Wi-Fi rather than requiring a wired connection.

Linksys manufactures a series of network routers. Many models are shipped with Linux-based firmware and can run third-party firmware. The first model to support third-party firmware was the very popular Linksys WRT54G series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SeaBIOS</span> Open-source implementation of x86 BIOS

SeaBIOS is an open-source implementation of an x86 BIOS, serving as a freely available firmware for x86 systems. Aiming for compatibility, it supports standard BIOS features and calling interfaces that are implemented by a typical proprietary x86 BIOS. SeaBIOS can either run on bare hardware as a coreboot payload, or can be used directly in emulators such as QEMU and Bochs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Next Unit of Computing</span> Small form factor PC designed by Intel

Next Unit of Computing (NUC) is a line of small-form-factor barebone computer kits designed by Intel. It was previewed in 2012 and launched in early 2013. The NUC has developed over ten generations, spanning from Sandy Bridge-based Celeron CPUs in the first generation through Ivy Bridge-based Core i3 and i5 CPUs in the second generation to Gemini Lake-based Pentium and Celeron CPUs and Kaby Lake-based Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs in the seventh and eighth generations. The NUC motherboard usually measures approximately 4 × 4 inches (10 × 10 cm), although some models have had different dimensions.

References

  1. "Linux web PC makers tout Linutop-like wares". 2006-11-30. Archived from the original on 2008-05-15. Retrieved 2007-05-11.