They also report that 75 percent of survey respondents described thin clients as an acceptable alternative for some PC users and more than 50 percent of respondents have replaced PCs with thin clients. This surge of interest comes from the availability of more software solutions over thin-client hardware and the high cost of implementing Windows 2000 on individual PCs. The workhorse of the setup is the application server , a computer with enough processing power and memory to serve all clients and their application needs. The network infrastructure is the pipeline between the server and the client. Thin clients generally use standard Ethernet or telephone networks.
Wireless models are increasingly available as well.
The WAN bandwidth needs will vary depending on the applications, number of concurrent users, and the thin-client devices selected. Thin clients may use less bandwidth than traditional PCs because they transfer only mouse clicks and keystrokes to and screen images from the server. Network reliability is key to enable rapid screen refresh. Some thin clients come with local boot options and limited native applications to make them less network dependent. They do not need a hard drive, floppy drive, or CD-ROM drive.