DXZC-AM and DXZC-AMC Manual
Security Edition
www.amulethotkey.com | 6
To ensure desktop responsiveness, the process of image
compression-encryption-transmission by the PCoIP host
and then decryption-decompression by the zero client
happens very quickly, typically in just one frame (or less than 15
msecs).
Because zero clients just decode pixels to display images, they
can be far simpler and more secure than a traditional desktop
PC and other thin client solutions:
■Increased security: Because PCoIP zero clients have a
stateless architecture and no local data storage, they are the
most secure endpoint available.
Pixel transfers to the zero client are encrypted with
advanced security algorithms. Zero clients are also immune
to viruses and never need anti-virus updates. Finally, zero
clients comply with the most stringent government and
security mandates. In particular, they support robust USB
hardware security authorization, including user
authentication and single sign-on (SSO) based on smart
cards, proximity cards and other SSO devices.
■Low maintenance: Zero clients are extremely easy to
manage and do not require regular updates or patches.
They have no application operating system, no general
purpose CPU or RAM, no graphics processor. And they have
no fan or hard disk to fail.
Because they perform only pure image decompression, they
are future proof. A zero client never needs a new operating
system or updates for drivers, media codecs, or anti-virus
signatures. Also, a zero client does not need to know about
the applications being used (it just has to decode the pixels
to display the image), so there are no version dependencies
between the zero client and the host PC. There is no risk
that future versions of an application will render the zero
client obsolete.
■Cost savings: Zero clients have significantly lower costs than
traditional PCs and thin clients. They use less power,
generate less heat, and often have a smaller footprint
(Amulet Hotkey zero clients are the size of a small book).
Also, because they are simple devices, zero clients require
minimal administration and have very low management
costs. And because they are future proof, their extended life
span is assured and they rarely need replacing.
For more general information about PCoIP zero clients, visit
www.teradici.com.
Note:
Other remote computing protocols use client
rendering. To render an image on the client, each
command from the host, and each response from the
client, must travel across the network. This degrades an
application’s performance while it waits for image
rendering to complete.
■Multi-codec display processing: A PC display includes
different types of image elements (text, graphics, icons,
video). Using the same codec to encode all these elements
would use excessive network bandwidth. Instead, PCoIP
continuously analyses and decomposes image elements,
using the right codec for each pixel.
PCoIP’s intelligent image decomposition and encoding
results in efficient transmission and decoding. This saves
bandwidth while delivering the best user experience. In
addition, PCoIP builds every pixel to a lossless state when
they stop changing, ensuring a pixel-perfect image on the
zero client regardless of network limitations.
■Dynamically adapts to network conditions: The PCoIP
protocol lets you easily set image quality settings to manage
bandwidth use and ensure the best possible performance is
delivered for the prevailing network conditions.
On congested networks , PCoIP adaptive encoders
automatically adjust image quality within the limits you set.
When the network is no longer congested, they
automatically resume maximum image quality.
1.3 About PCoIP zero clients
PCoIP zero clients are secure, hardware-based endpoints that
allow users to connect to a remote host PC or virtual desktop
over a local or wide area IP network. They support multiple
wide-screen formats, HD audio, and local USB peripherals,
providing a rich multimedia experience for users.
Zero clients can take many form factors, such as PCoIP
integrated displays and touch-screen monitors. The Amulet
Hotkey zero clients are small stand-alone devices.
Users can interact with their desktops from any type of zero
client and can even continue the same session if they move
between zero client devices.
PCoIP zero clients use a highly integrated TERA-series processor
to perform image decompression and decoding. At the desktop,
they decrypt, decompress and distribute video, audio and USB
data to the standard desktop peripherals such as monitors,
keyboard, mouse, and speakers or headset. A zero client also
passes user-generated USB and audio data back to a remote
PCoIP host (see section 1.4).
