PC TSC
Encyclopedia
Introduction
PC TSC is a free and open source tool that converts a PC with hard drive, CD-ROM, video, and network connection into a terminal serverTerminal server
A terminal server enables organizations to connect devices with an RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485 serial interface to a local area network . Products marketed as terminal servers can be very simple devices that do not offer any security functionality, such as data encryption and user authentication...
client (i.e., a thin client
Thin client
A thin client is a computer or a computer program which depends heavily on some other computer to fulfill its traditional computational roles. This stands in contrast to the traditional fat client, a computer designed to take on these roles by itself...
), supporting RDP
RDP
RDP may refer to:* Radiodifusão Portuguesa, a subsidiary of Rádio e Televisão de Portugal* Rally for Democracy and Progress, a generic name for a multi-national political party* Rassemblement Démocratique et Populaire...
and VNC.
It uses Tiny Core Linux
Tiny Core Linux
Tiny Core Linux is a minimal Linux operating system focusing on providing a base system using BusyBox and FLTK. The lead developer of the project is Robert Shingledecker. The distribution is notable for its size under 12MB, with additional functionality provided by extensions of which there are...
as its base.
Technical specifications
PC TSC produces an RDP or VNC thin client, working with:- Microsoft Windows Server (2000, 2003, 2008, 2008R2) using RDPRemote Desktop ProtocolRemote Desktop Protocol is a proprietary protocol developed by Microsoft, which provides a user with a graphical interface to another computer. The protocol is an extension of the ITU-T T.128 application sharing protocol. Clients exist for most versions of Microsoft Windows , Linux, Unix, Mac OS...
or VNC. - XP/Vista/7 versions for single user login (remote desktop) by RDP, or by VNC.
- Linux and Unix servers and other systems set up to accept connections by RDP or VNC.
- Several keyboard mappings and character sets.
- Many different screen resolutions.
PC TSC installs in three steps:
- Boot from default Tiny Core Linux ISO on CD or USB.
- Automatically install a basic Tiny Core setup onto the hard drive, by downloadable script.
- Automatically install packages and configure as a terminal server client, by downloadable script.
General architecture of the result:
- Tiny Core LinuxTiny Core LinuxTiny Core Linux is a minimal Linux operating system focusing on providing a base system using BusyBox and FLTK. The lead developer of the project is Robert Shingledecker. The distribution is notable for its size under 12MB, with additional functionality provided by extensions of which there are...
as base - rdesktopRdesktoprdesktop is a free, open source client for Microsoft's proprietary RDP protocol. It is released under the GNU General Public License and is available on Unix-like systems such as BSD and Linux....
for RDP, TightVNCTightVNCTightVNC is a cross-platform open source remote desktop software application that uses and extends VNC's RFB protocol to control another computer's screen remotely. It was created by Constantin Kaplinsky...
for VNC
Minimum hardware requirements:
- 1G hard drive
- 128M RAM
- NIC
- Xvesa-compatible video
- Install medium and hardware (USB, CD)
History
The PC TSC project began in 2009, was initially based on Puppy LinuxPuppy Linux
Puppy Linux is a lightweight Linux distribution that focuses on ease of use. The entire system can be run from RAM, allowing the boot medium to be removed after the operating system has started...
, and was reinitiated in 2010 using Tiny Core Linux
Tiny Core Linux
Tiny Core Linux is a minimal Linux operating system focusing on providing a base system using BusyBox and FLTK. The lead developer of the project is Robert Shingledecker. The distribution is notable for its size under 12MB, with additional functionality provided by extensions of which there are...
.