Windows Multipoint Server - Reducing the cost of computer labs by 66%

Visualize for a moment a complete room filled with computer equipment that delivers the equivalent computing horsepower that you now hold in the palm of your hand. It probably does not require much imagination, as many of you have witnessed the advances in technology that have made this possible.

But is another exponential improvement in computing capacity possible? Indeed. It has been with us now for several years.

Introducing one of the latest (drum roll): Windows MultiPoint Server! Tah dah…

Okay, so advances in computer technology don’t excite you? Here is something that will. The cost to provision a full computer lab for your school just dropped by 66 percent. The technology that brings this huge cost savings is Windows MultiPoint Server, a new operating system designed for education.  Offered by Microsoft, it is roughly a marriage of Windows 7 Desktop Operating System and the Windows Server Operating System.

Because of the tremendous power in a single desktop or workstation, you can now literally power multiple and unique computer sessions for several students using one computer, with extra keyboards, video displays, and mice of course. This might take a little imagination, so follow along.

Think about a basic desktop computer that has been configured with two keyboards, two video displays, and two pointing devices such as a mouse. Two students sit on opposing sides of a library desk and view their respective computer sessions, which are individual and unique in every sense. They can run programs, browse the Internet, and do everything they currently do on a Windows based computer. The only commonality in their experience is proximity and connection to the same physical PC.

Now let’s stretch your imagination and the library table cited above. Think about four students or more, (up to twenty) all sitting at the same table connected to that single computer each with their own keyboard, video, and mouse. And you now have a conceptual view of Windows MultiPoint Server. And aside from the matter of how to physically connect all of the keyboards, video displays, and mice, the configuration is a function of the Windows MultiPoint Server Operating System design.

Of course there are limits to how many users you can attach to a basic computer workstation. We recommend four, unless you invest in more powerful workstations. Even basic computer workstations now come with four processors (Quad Core) and with memory capacities previously found only in server-class computers. If you provide sufficient memory to accompany the powerful processors, you end up with a very similarly equipped PC that you would find in traditional configurations. The difference is you are only purchasing cables and devices to make the physical connection, rather than an actual computer workstation.

Now let’s start adding up the cost savings: 75 percent savings on computers, annual maintenance, and power consumption, a serious reduction in the cost of cooling a computer lab, and a significant reduction in help desk calls to replace parts or to fiddle with configuration issues.

Some of you with “thin client” experience may be thinking this is just a modern day version of a rather old centralized computing setup of years ago. Not so. While similar in appearance, the essential difference is Microsoft Hyper-V technology. This is an advanced computing concept where computer sessions are created “virtually” and on demand. Each session is just like having a brand new computer with a fresh copy of Windows 7 installed and configured according to the type of user experience desired.

Only specially designed “thin clients” (actually termed "zero Clients") work with Windows MultiPoint Server and they exist primarily to provide a more efficient and cost effective way to connect so many keyboards, video displays, and mice to a single piece of hardware. In fact a “zero client” connection is just one of three supported configurations using Windows MultiPoint Server. You may alternately choose to connect via USB or by adding video cards directly into the host computer.

There is one other cost saving we recommend in this solution. By using a Microsoft Open Volume Subscription for Education Services (OVS-ES) you would have all of the Software required to operate all of these “virtual’ computer sessions. And FYI, the cost savings numbers we quote are not ours alone. They come from a study done by Microsoft. Your savings may in fact be more.