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Application Deployment Architectures

Monday, 10 September 2007 by Michel Roth

Recently I ran into a incredible document by Michael Royster, a solution architect for Microsoft services. The article is titled Application Deployment Architectures, The "Rich" versus "Thin" debate and beyond. This paper discusses the benefits of the various application deployment architectures, The article covers a the most import (Microsoft ) components of application deployment architectures thus including:

� Traditional Windows Rich Client (Desktop and Notebook)
� Microsoft SoftGrid Application Virtualisation (for desktops)
� Microsoft Windows Terminal Services
� Microsoft SoftGrid for Terminal Services
� Citrix Presentation Server
� Windows Embedded Powered Thin Client Devices
� Blade-PC Solutions
� Windows Vista Enterprise Centralised Desktop
� Pure Browser Based Solutions

I have not yet found time to read the entire 35 page whitepaper thoroughly enough but my first impressions is that Michael Royster is of the opinion that Thin Client architectures have severe challenges to cope with in the future. The core of this prediction is because the graphical intensity of current applications is bigger and bigger and users expectations are based on this. Thin client architectures by there very nature are somewhat handicapped in this respect. I tend to agree with him. He's also keen enough to note that for example the old advantage that Thin Clients used to have in that they are cheaper to buy does not hold water anymore. The only architecture I am missing in this article is OS streaming.

So all-in-all a quite high level because of that a very interesting whitepaper. Read "Application Deployment Architectures, The "Rich" versus "Thin" debate and beyond" here. (.doc)