14 DAY TRIAL // In the second half of February 2010, Microsoft released Windows MultiPoint Server 2010, a new offering designed to illustrate the evolution of the company’s vision in terms of shared computing resources. As of May 18th, the software giant is also offering guidance on how to deploy and configure the operating system. The Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 Deployment Guide is available from the Microsoft Download Center free of charge, and will prove to be a great resource to organizations that are not buying the OEM version of the platform pre-installed on a server.
“This document explains how to deploy and configure your MultiPoint Server system. The MultiPoint Server Deployment Task List is provided for you to use as a checklist of the tasks that you must complete for successful deployment. Additional sections provide recommendations for initial planning and configuration tasks such as establishing hardware and software requirements. Detailed information and procedures are provided that are required to complete deployment tasks, such as setting up the physical layout of your MultiPoint Server system, configuring user accounts, and updating device drivers, among other things,” an excerpt from the documentation reads.
Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 enables multiple users to leverage a single computer simultaneously, which creates the illusion that each has a personal PC. Multiple local stations can be connected to a Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 machine and allow several users access to the computing resources. Stations are typically comprised of just a station hub, monitor, keyboard, and mouse, allowing organizations to cut down on the costs necessary if they were to acquire multiple computers vs. a single server.
There are two different flavors of the OS, Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 and Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 Academic. Normally, the server platform comes pre-installed on OEM machines, but Volume Customers also have the option of acquiring it separately from hardware. Such a move implies that Windows MultiPoint Server 2010 would need to be installed and configured. This is where the guidance provided by Microsoft comes in.
“Volume Licensing customers will generally have to consider capacity planning, choose their own hardware, and install the server software (either manually or using Windows deployment tools for larger scenarios),” the company states.