Windows Thin Client Design Template

Other versions of this page are also available for the following:

Windows Mobile Not SupportedWindows Embedded CE Supported

8/27/2008

The Windows Thin Client design template provides a starting point to help you design Windows Embedded CE powered thin clients.

Overview

A Windows Embedded CE powered thin client is a Remote Desktop client computer that connects to a server that is running Terminal Services in order to run programs, save files, and use network resources on that server. Enterprise environments frequently use these devices to improve operating efficiency and reduce the overall cost of ownership.

The following list shows some technologies that a thin client includes:

  • Device hardware that runs the Windows Embedded CE operating system and a resource-constrained shell
  • Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) client
  • Optional third-party emulators and presentation protocols
  • Optional Internet Explorer 6 browser

For more information about how to develop a thin client, see Developing a Thin Client.

Security Issues

For more information about how to make a Windows Thin Client OS design more secure, see the following topics:

Windows Thin Client Catalog Items

The Windows Thin Client design template is located in the Thin Client category in the Windows Embedded CE OS Design Wizard.

By default, when you use the Windows Embedded CE OS Design Wizard to create an OS design from the Windows Thin Client design template, Platform Builder includes a specific set of Catalog items in the OS design.

After you complete the Windows Embedded CE OS Design Wizard, you can add other Catalog items to your OS design. You may decide to add Catalog items that are not available in the original design template to meet special needs of your enterprise environment or to provide product differentiation. For more information, see Adding an Item from the Catalog.

By default, a thin client uses the Thin Client Shell and provides a default connection to a Windows Terminal Server. When this default connection is used, the shell prompts the user for a server name for the connection. You can change this default behavior by changing the default selections in the Windows Embedded CE OS Design Wizard. For more information, see Changing the Shell Startup Behavior in Thin Client.

Included Catalog Items

The following table shows the Catalog items included in the Windows Thin Client design template by using the Windows Embedded CE OS Design Wizard.

Default Catalog items that are included in the design template do not appear in the wizard. Recommended Catalog items appear as selected in the wizard. You can remove these default recommendations by clearing the associated check boxes in the wizard, if it is necessary.

Note

The following table shows the Catalog items in the order that they appear in the Catalog Items View.

Note

SYSGEN_RDP brings in the core technologies that are required to support the RDP protocol. SYSGEN_WBTSHELL adds the basic shell capabilities for a thin client.

Applications - End User

Catalog item Catalog item location Sysgen variable Included by default Recommended

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications - End User\Remote Desktop Connection

SYSGEN_RDP

X

 

Audio Playback Redirection

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications - End User\Remote Desktop Connection

SYSGEN_RDP_AUDIO

 

X

Cut/Copy/Paste Clipboard Redirection

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications - End User\Remote Desktop Connection

SYSGEN_RDP_CLIPBOARD

 

X

File Storage Redirection

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications - End User\Remote Desktop Connection

SYSGEN_RDP_DRIVE

 

X

Filtered File Storage Redirection

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications - End User\Remote Desktop Connection

SYSGEN_RDP_FILTERFSD

 

X

License Information

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications - End User\Remote Desktop Connection

SYSGEN_RDP_LICINFO

 

X

Printer Redirection

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications - End User\Remote Desktop Connection

SYSGEN_RDP_PRINTER

 

X

Serial and Parallel Port Redirection

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications - End User\Remote Desktop Connection

SYSGEN_RDP_PORT

 

X

Smart Card Redirection

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications - End User\Remote Desktop Connection

SYSGEN_RDP_SMARTCARD

Aa933894.note(en-US,WinEmbedded.60).gifNote:
If you use Smart Card redirection, the OS design must contain at least one Smart Card driver. For more information, see Device Drivers\Smart Card.

 

X

User Interface Dialog Boxes

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications - End User\Remote Desktop Connection

SYSGEN_RDP_UI

 

X

Applications and Services Development

Catalog item Catalog item location Sysgen variable Included by default Recommended

.NET Compact Framework 2.0

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications and Services Development\.NET Compact Framework 2.0

SYSGEN_DOTNETV2

 

X

OS Dependencies for .NET Framework 2.0

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications and Services Development\.NET Compact Framework 2.0

SYSGEN_DOTNETV2_SUPPORT

 

X

Active Template Library

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications and Services Development

SYSGEN_ATL

 X

 

C++ Runtime Support for Exception Handling and Runtime Type Information

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications and Services Development\C Libraries and Runtimes

SYSGEN_CPP_EH_AND_RTTI

 

X

Full C Runtime

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications and Services Development\C Libraries and Runtimes

SYSGEN_FULL_CRT

X

 

Standard I/O (STDIO)

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications and Services Development\C Libraries and Runtimes

SYSGEN_STDIO

X

 

Standard I/O ASCII (STDIOA)

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications and Services Development\C Libraries and Runtimes

SYSGEN_STDIOA

X

 

Standard String Functions - ASCII (corestra)

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications and Services Development\C Libraries and Runtimes

SYSGEN_CORESTRA

X

 

COM

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications and Services Development\Component Services (COM and DCOM)\Component Object Model

SYSGEN_OLE

 

 

DCOM

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications and Services Development\Component Services (COM and DCOM)\Component Object Model

SYSGEN_DCOM

X

 

String Safe Utility Functions

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications and Services Development

SYSGEN_STRSAFE

X

 

XML Core Services and Document Object Model (DOM)

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications and Services Development\XML\MSXML 3.0

SYSGEN_MSXML_DOM

 

X

XML Query Languages (XQL)

Core OS\CEBASE\Applications and Services Development\XML\MSXML 3.0

SYSGEN_MSXML_XQL

 

X

Communication Services and Networking

Catalog item Catalog item location Sysgen variable Included by default Recommended

Network Driver Architecture (NDIS)

Core OS\CEBASE\Communication Services and Networking\Networking - General

SYSGEN_NDIS

X

 

TCP/IP

Core OS\CEBASE\Communication Services and Networking\Networking - General

SYSGEN_TCPIP

X

 

IP Helper API

Core OS\CEBASE\Communication Services and Networking\Networking - General

SYSGEN_IPHLPAPI

X

 

Winsock Support

Core OS\CEBASE\Communication Services and Networking\Networking - General

SYSGEN_WINSOCK

X

 

Wired Local Area Network (802.3, 802.5)

Core OS\CEBASE\Communication Services and Networking\Networking - Local Area Network (LAN)

SYSGEN_ETHERNET

 

X

Core Server Support

Core OS\CEBASE\Communication Services and Networking\Servers

SYSGEN_SERVICES

X

 

SNTP Client with DST

Core OS\CEBASE\Communication Services and Networking\Servers\Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP)

SYSGEN_TIMESVC_DST

 X

 

Core OS Services

Catalog item Catalog item location Sysgen variable Included by default Recommended

Toolhelp API

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services\Debugging Tools

SYSGEN_TOOLHELP

X

 

Device Manager

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services

SYSGEN_DEVICE

X

 

Display Support

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services

SYSGEN_DISPLAY

X

 

Internet Appliance (IABASE) Support

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services

SYSGEN_IABASE

X

 

FormatMessage API

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services\Kernel Functionality

SYSGEN_FMTMSG

X

 

Memory Mapped Files

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services\Kernel Functionality

SYSGEN_NKMAPFILE

X

 

Message Queue - Point-to-Point

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services\Kernel Functionality

SYSGEN_MSGQUEUE

X

 

Target Control Support (Shell.exe)

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services\Kernel Functionality

SYSGEN_SHELL

X

 

UI-based Notification

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services\Notification

SYSGEN_NOTIFY

X

 

Notification LED Support

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services

SYSGEN_NLED

X

 

Parallel Port Support

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services

SYSGEN_PARALLEL

 

X

Power Management (Full)

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services\Power Management

SYSGEN_PM

X

 

Serial Port Support

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services

SYSGEN_SERDEV

X

 

UI Proxy for Kernel-Mode Drivers

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services

SYSGEN_UIPROXY

X

 

Windows Embedded CE Driver Development Kit Support Library

Core OS\CEBASE\Core OS Services

SYSGEN_CEDDK

X

 

File Systems and Data Store

Catalog item Catalog item location Sysgen variable Included by default Recommended

Compression

Core OS\CEBASE\File Systems and Data Store

SYSGEN_NKCOMPR

X

 

CEBD Database Engine

Core OS\CEBASE\File Systems and Data Store\Database Support

SYSGEN_FSDBASE

X

 

Storage Manager

Core OS\CEBASE\File Systems and Data Store

SYSGEN_STOREMGR

X

 

Release Directory File System

Core OS\CEBASE\File Systems and Data Store

SYSGEN_RELFSD

X

 

System Password

Core OS\CEBASE\File Systems and Data Store

SYSGEN_STOREMGR

X

 

Fonts

Catalog item Catalog item location Sysgen variable Included by default Recommended

Tahoma (Subset 1_07)

Core OS\CEBASE\Fonts\Tahoma

SYSGEN_FONTS_TAHOMA_1_07

X

 

Graphics and Multimedia Technologies

Catalog item Catalog item location Sysgen variable Included by default Recommended

Waveform Audio

Core OS\CEBASE\Graphics and Multimedia Technologies\Audio

SYSGEN_AUDIO

 

X

Gradient Fill Support

Core OS\CEBASE\Graphics and Multimedia Technologies\Graphics

SYSGEN_GRADFILL

X

 

Still Image Codec Support (Encode and Decode)

Core OS\CEBASE\Graphics and Multimedia Technologies\Graphics

SYSGEN_IMAGING

 

X

BMP Decoder

Core OS\CEBASE\Graphics and Multimedia Technologies\Graphics\Still Image Decoders

SYSGEN_IMAGING_BMP_DECODE

 

X

GIF Decoder

Core OS\CEBASE\Graphics and Multimedia Technologies\Graphics\Still Image Decoders

SYSGEN_IMAGING_GIF_DECODE

 

X

JPG Decoder

Core OS\CEBASE\Graphics and Multimedia Technologies\Graphics\Still Image Decoders

SYSGEN_IMAGING_JPG_DECODE

 

X

PNG Decoder

Core OS\CEBASE\Graphics and Multimedia Technologies\Graphics\Still Image Decoders

SYSGEN_IMAGING_PNG_DECODE

 

X

BMP Encoder

Core OS\CEBASE\Graphics and Multimedia Technologies\Graphics\Still Image Encoders

SYSGEN_IMAGING_BMP_ENCODE

 

X

GIF Encoder

Core OS\CEBASE\Graphics and Multimedia Technologies\Graphics\Still Image Encoders

SYSGEN_IMAGING_GIF_ENCODE

 

X

JPG Encoder

Core OS\CEBASE\Graphics and Multimedia Technologies\Graphics\Still Image Encoders

SYSGEN_IMAGING_JPG_ENCODE

 

X

PNG Encoder

Core OS\CEBASE\Graphics and Multimedia Technologies\Graphics\Still Image Encoders

SYSGEN_IMAGING_PNG_ENCODE

 

X

International

Catalog item Catalog item location Sysgen variable Included by default Recommended

Input Method Manager (IMM)

Core OS\CEBASE\International

SYSGEN_IMM

X

 

English (US) National Language Support only

Core OS\CEBASE\International

SYSGEN_LOCUSA

X

 

National Language Support (NLS)

Core OS\CEBASE\International

SYSGEN_CORELOC

 

X

Internet Client Services

Catalog item Catalog item location Sysgen variable Included by default Recommended

Windows Internet Services

Core OS\CEBASE\Internet Client Services\Internet Explorer 6.0 for Windows Embedded CE Components

SYSGEN_WININET

 

X

Security

Catalog item Catalog item location Sysgen variable Included by default Recommended

Authentication Services (SSPI)

Core OS\CEBASE\Security

SYSGEN_AUTH

 

X

Schannel (SSL/TLS)

Core OS\CEBASE\Security

SYSGEN_AUTH_SCHANNEL

 

X

Credential Manager

Core OS\CEBASE\Security

SYSGEN_CREDMAN

 

X

Cryptography Services (CryptoAPI 1.0) with High Encryption Provider

Core OS\CEBASE\Security

SYSGEN_CRYPTO

X

 

Certificates (CryptoAPI 2.0)

Core OS\CEBASE\Security

SYSGEN_CERTS

 

X

Shell and User Interface

Catalog item Catalog item location Sysgen variable Included by default Recommended

Minimal GDI Configuration

Core OS\CEBASE\Shell and User Interface\Graphics, Windowing and Events

SYSGEN_MINGDI

X

 

Minimal GWES Configuration

Core OS\CEBASE\Shell and User Interface\Graphics, Windowing and Events

SYSGEN_MINGDI

X

 

Minimal Input Configuration

Core OS\CEBASE\Shell and User Interface\Graphics, Windowing and Events

SYSGEN_MININPUT

X

 

Minimal Window Manager Configuration

Core OS\CEBASE\Shell and User Interface\Graphics, Windowing and Events

SYSGEN_MINWMGR

X

 

Windows Thin Client Shell

Core OS\CEBASE\Shell and User Interface\Shell

SYSGEN_WBTSHELL

X

 

Common Control

Core OS\CEBASE\Shell and User Interface\User Interface\Common Controls

SYSGEN_COMMCTRL

X

 

Common Dialog Support

Core OS\CEBASE\Shell and User Interface\User Interface

SYSGEN_COMMDLG

X

 

Control Panel Applets

Core OS\CEBASE\Shell and User Interface\User Interface

SYSGEN_CTLPNL

X

 

Mouse

Core OS\CEBASE\Shell and User Interface\User Interface

SYSGEN_CURSOR

X

 

See Also

Tasks

Creating an OS Design with the Windows Embedded CE OS Design Wizard

Concepts

Catalog Item Icon Types
Estimated Run-Time Image Sizes for OS Designs

Other Resources

Catalog Overview
Thin Client Architecture
How to Develop a Thin Client