Open Terminal Client - First Step
This is my first article on Habr. Thanks to Habra for providing this opportunity to our company.
We make the end device — an ultra-thin client — a terminal client for “all” (RDP, VMWare, SPICE, etc.) terminal systems. "All" in quotes because it is not yet implemented, but there are ways.
Now the prototype is ready - the DS-109 board (100mm * 100mm in size) - CPU 1 GHz, RAM 1 GB, NAND 4 GB, ...
DS-110 board production completed, opensourceclient.org/faq/specifications-ds-110 board specifications
Below I will briefly discuss the path that led us, under the leadership of me, to the present state of affairs.
It all started a long time ago. My high school came in the mid-80s, then I began to visit the radio circle in our village, which is at a distance of ~ 1900 km from Moscow and ~ 2500 km from St. Petersburg.
Thank you so much for organizing this circle to the military commander (at that time) of the village-forming agricultural technical school Mikhail Mikhailovich - thanks Papa ! Thanks to the permanent leader of the circle, Yuri Ivanovich (nicknamed “Yerevan”) for instilled interest in electronics, working with his hands and head.
')
In the late 80s, I saw a computer for the first time. Oh, it was a Yamaha class, I don’t remember the models, but I remember the black and green picture from the game of karate. Many thanks to the teacher of computer science for these excursions, thanks Mom !
In 1990, I assembled the first Sinclair ZX Spectrum with a soldering and launching stage using an oscillograph, then another with a disk drive. He played a lot, then it became more interesting to understand the programs. Written ZX Review, read to the holes. He went to study in St. Petersburg. He managed to serve in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, worked as a sysadmin, head of sysadmins. But money was not enough money, I went to sell.
They sold small terminal clients, those that launch the RDP client and connect to a distant or not very terminal Windows server and show the desktop. The production they were Chinese and very cheap. Built on SOC (system-on-chip) and WindowsCE 5/6 versions. The demand for them was less stable.
Over time, working for his uncle got tired and the question began to arise - what to do next.
Radio circle and sysadminst not passed for nothing. On the horizon, there were news about the Raspberry Pi. But you can make a terminal client on it, and it will be small. Pre-ordered Raspberry Pi. and the expectation, as well as communication with users of Chinese terminal clients, made it possible to clarify the requirements for an “ideal” terminal client.
But a number of requirements could not be satisfied by a thin client on the basis of www.raspberrypi.org (which is model B), namely:
From myself he added that it would be very convenient to connect not only to RDP servers but also to others (from VMware, RedHat, etc.).
During the pre-order period, Raspberry Pi, spending time looking for a solution that meets all requirements, came across Cubieboard , then the only version, now it is the version of Cubieboard1.
A direct comparison of Cubieboard’s performance with the Raspberry Pi (yes, I understand that this is not very correct, though ...) was in favor of Cubieboard, namely, more memory, faster processor, open AllwinnerTech SOC A10 specifications, video accelerator allowing playback of video up to 1080p , a large number of pin with various ports (I quote “96 extend pin interface, including I2C, SPI, RGB / LVDS, CSI / TS, FM-IN, ADC, CVBS, VGA, SPDIF-OUT, R-TP, and more”) . The latter is of course unnecessary for a terminal client, but this is already in the database, which means you can use the board to be embedded in other devices, such as 3D printers or a smart home - there is a powerful processor, there are many ports to control.
There is a NAND for storing firmware and an SD slot for a memory card.
You can boot from NAND, you can from a memory card.
You can download Android 4.0.4 , you can Ubuntu 12.04 ARM version with the ability to upgrade from the Ubuntu site.
There is initial support for FreeBSD .
In the end, you can run WindowsCE 6.0 - but this does not fit into the concept of an open terminal client.
The concept of an open terminal client in our understanding is the ability to use only open source software in the firmware.
In Cubieboard, everything is also not enough USB ports, there is no output to the VGA D-Sub, there is no case suitable for a "boxed" solution.
After spending a lot of time looking for and thinking about a possible solution, I came to the idea, and why not create something like Cubieboard yourself? Radio circle was not in vain ...
However, since then electronics has gone far (very far, one can say beyond the horizon) ahead. Having looked at the problem from different angles, it came to the conclusion that if you dive into designing the board yourself, it will not only take a very long time, it will take all the visible time and not a fact that will lead to a positive result.
They began to look for a professional who could do something like Cubieboard in the foreseeable time and means. The search for such a person / organization is a topic for a separate story. If there is interest, there will be history.
This search took a lot of time. As a result, an organization was found that carried out the development and production of the prototype. The prototype was tested, the requirements for the final version slightly changed, namely, they replaced the USB connectors with slightly different ones to reduce the overall height.
As a result, we have a function board similar to the Cubieboard1 board with some differences:
As a separate item, I single out that in full growth it is possible to use Linux / GNU as a special distribution kit for SOC AllwinnerTech sunxi - all source code is available.
You can use Ubuntu 12.04 ARM version, it will be updated from the official Ubuntu servers.
The images created for Cubieboard work. Software improvements are needed only in the form of switching video output from HDMI to VGA / dsub. You can use the full Android 4.0.4 .
Thus, you can use our board with firmware collected only from open source software.
You can use our board as a separate “computer-on-board” in self-made designs, for example, “smart home”, a print controller for a 3D printer, etc. - A huge number of different ports allows it.
It is unlikely that we will be able to open the documentation for the fee - it is very difficult to repeat the 6-layer board at home and not so much, probably even impossible. I don’t want to give documentation to competitors either. And the development of such a fee cost a lot of money - you first need to return them.
About the beginning of sales of boards DS-110 will be news on our site, until the end of this year, most likely next week.
Features of the board opensourceclient.org/faq/specifications-ds-110
For this board, we have a case and a monitor mount, and there is also a power supply unit.
Later we are planning to sell “boxed” devices - pulled out, connected wires, set up for connection to “any” terminal server and work.
References:
The site, which is dedicated to the open terminal client opensourceclient.org , there is also a forum. Habraeffekt likely will not sustain, we work over it.
A Linux distribution specifically for AllwinnerTech SOC A1X - http://linux-sunxi.org/Main_Page
Site board Cubieboard http://cubieboard.org/
Characteristics of the Cubieboard1 board http://docs.cubieboard.org/products/start#hardware_specs
Manufacturer AllwinnerTech SOC A10 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allwinner_Technology , of.site http://www.allwinnertech.com/
If you do not want to miss the start of the sale of our board - on the site opensourceclient.org you can subscribe to the newsletter (bottom left).
Upd-1 . Mail to opensourceclient.org/kontakt now works.
Upd-2 . Ready to ship Details.
We make the end device — an ultra-thin client — a terminal client for “all” (RDP, VMWare, SPICE, etc.) terminal systems. "All" in quotes because it is not yet implemented, but there are ways.
Now the prototype is ready - the DS-109 board (100mm * 100mm in size) - CPU 1 GHz, RAM 1 GB, NAND 4 GB, ...
DS-110 board production completed, opensourceclient.org/faq/specifications-ds-110 board specifications
Below I will briefly discuss the path that led us, under the leadership of me, to the present state of affairs.
It all started a long time ago. My high school came in the mid-80s, then I began to visit the radio circle in our village, which is at a distance of ~ 1900 km from Moscow and ~ 2500 km from St. Petersburg.
Thank you so much for organizing this circle to the military commander (at that time) of the village-forming agricultural technical school Mikhail Mikhailovich - thanks Papa ! Thanks to the permanent leader of the circle, Yuri Ivanovich (nicknamed “Yerevan”) for instilled interest in electronics, working with his hands and head.
')
In the late 80s, I saw a computer for the first time. Oh, it was a Yamaha class, I don’t remember the models, but I remember the black and green picture from the game of karate. Many thanks to the teacher of computer science for these excursions, thanks Mom !
In 1990, I assembled the first Sinclair ZX Spectrum with a soldering and launching stage using an oscillograph, then another with a disk drive. He played a lot, then it became more interesting to understand the programs. Written ZX Review, read to the holes. He went to study in St. Petersburg. He managed to serve in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, worked as a sysadmin, head of sysadmins. But money was not enough money, I went to sell.
They sold small terminal clients, those that launch the RDP client and connect to a distant or not very terminal Windows server and show the desktop. The production they were Chinese and very cheap. Built on SOC (system-on-chip) and WindowsCE 5/6 versions. The demand for them was less stable.
Over time, working for his uncle got tired and the question began to arise - what to do next.
Radio circle and sysadminst not passed for nothing. On the horizon, there were news about the Raspberry Pi. But you can make a terminal client on it, and it will be small. Pre-ordered Raspberry Pi. and the expectation, as well as communication with users of Chinese terminal clients, made it possible to clarify the requirements for an “ideal” terminal client.
But a number of requirements could not be satisfied by a thin client on the basis of www.raspberrypi.org (which is model B), namely:
- only 2 USB ports - it turns out that if you want to connect something other than a keyboard / mouse, then you need to fence a garland from a hub or use something else
- video output via HDMI only, at that time monitors with HDMI were rare, and even now there is a huge fleet of monitors with only VGA / D-Sub
- lack of a shell that would allow making a “box” solution
- USB power supply. There is nothing bad about USB power, but this is considered a disadvantage.
- Mandatory use of a memory card - any piece that sticks out of the case has a chance of disappearing or breaking
- some of the software used in the Raspberry Pi has the character of a proprietary one, which seems to be not very scary, but the legacy of sysadminism and the love for open systems suggested that it was wrong.
From myself he added that it would be very convenient to connect not only to RDP servers but also to others (from VMware, RedHat, etc.).
During the pre-order period, Raspberry Pi, spending time looking for a solution that meets all requirements, came across Cubieboard , then the only version, now it is the version of Cubieboard1.
A direct comparison of Cubieboard’s performance with the Raspberry Pi (yes, I understand that this is not very correct, though ...) was in favor of Cubieboard, namely, more memory, faster processor, open AllwinnerTech SOC A10 specifications, video accelerator allowing playback of video up to 1080p , a large number of pin with various ports (I quote “96 extend pin interface, including I2C, SPI, RGB / LVDS, CSI / TS, FM-IN, ADC, CVBS, VGA, SPDIF-OUT, R-TP, and more”) . The latter is of course unnecessary for a terminal client, but this is already in the database, which means you can use the board to be embedded in other devices, such as 3D printers or a smart home - there is a powerful processor, there are many ports to control.
There is a NAND for storing firmware and an SD slot for a memory card.
You can boot from NAND, you can from a memory card.
You can download Android 4.0.4 , you can Ubuntu 12.04 ARM version with the ability to upgrade from the Ubuntu site.
There is initial support for FreeBSD .
In the end, you can run WindowsCE 6.0 - but this does not fit into the concept of an open terminal client.
The concept of an open terminal client in our understanding is the ability to use only open source software in the firmware.
In Cubieboard, everything is also not enough USB ports, there is no output to the VGA D-Sub, there is no case suitable for a "boxed" solution.
After spending a lot of time looking for and thinking about a possible solution, I came to the idea, and why not create something like Cubieboard yourself? Radio circle was not in vain ...
However, since then electronics has gone far (very far, one can say beyond the horizon) ahead. Having looked at the problem from different angles, it came to the conclusion that if you dive into designing the board yourself, it will not only take a very long time, it will take all the visible time and not a fact that will lead to a positive result.
They began to look for a professional who could do something like Cubieboard in the foreseeable time and means. The search for such a person / organization is a topic for a separate story. If there is interest, there will be history.
This search took a lot of time. As a result, an organization was found that carried out the development and production of the prototype. The prototype was tested, the requirements for the final version slightly changed, namely, they replaced the USB connectors with slightly different ones to reduce the overall height.
As a result, we have a function board similar to the Cubieboard1 board with some differences:
- has 6 USB ports, of which 4 are accessible from the edge of the board
- Video output is possible on HDMI or VGA D-Sub (with a resolution of up to 1920 * 1080)
- power supply possible via USB-OTG and a separate plug
- in the final requirements deliberately did not put the presence of the WiFi module, because it increases the cost of production and very much increases the cost of importing such cards in the Russian Federation. If necessary, wifi can be added by USB “whistle” for which there is space on the board.
As a separate item, I single out that in full growth it is possible to use Linux / GNU as a special distribution kit for SOC AllwinnerTech sunxi - all source code is available.
You can use Ubuntu 12.04 ARM version, it will be updated from the official Ubuntu servers.
The images created for Cubieboard work. Software improvements are needed only in the form of switching video output from HDMI to VGA / dsub. You can use the full Android 4.0.4 .
Thus, you can use our board with firmware collected only from open source software.
You can use our board as a separate “computer-on-board” in self-made designs, for example, “smart home”, a print controller for a 3D printer, etc. - A huge number of different ports allows it.
It is unlikely that we will be able to open the documentation for the fee - it is very difficult to repeat the 6-layer board at home and not so much, probably even impossible. I don’t want to give documentation to competitors either. And the development of such a fee cost a lot of money - you first need to return them.
About the beginning of sales of boards DS-110 will be news on our site, until the end of this year, most likely next week.
Features of the board opensourceclient.org/faq/specifications-ds-110
For this board, we have a case and a monitor mount, and there is also a power supply unit.
Later we are planning to sell “boxed” devices - pulled out, connected wires, set up for connection to “any” terminal server and work.
References:
The site, which is dedicated to the open terminal client opensourceclient.org , there is also a forum. Habraeffekt likely will not sustain, we work over it.
Video with a demonstration of the prototype, the board DS-109
Demonstration of the work of the prototype board for Ubuntu 12.04
Demonstration of the prototype board for Android 4.0.4
Demonstration of the prototype board for Android 4.0.4
A Linux distribution specifically for AllwinnerTech SOC A1X - http://linux-sunxi.org/Main_Page
Site board Cubieboard http://cubieboard.org/
Characteristics of the Cubieboard1 board http://docs.cubieboard.org/products/start#hardware_specs
Manufacturer AllwinnerTech SOC A10 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allwinner_Technology , of.site http://www.allwinnertech.com/
If you do not want to miss the start of the sale of our board - on the site opensourceclient.org you can subscribe to the newsletter (bottom left).
Upd-1 . Mail to opensourceclient.org/kontakt now works.
Upd-2 . Ready to ship Details.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/206186/
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