Winterm 3315SE

Wyse's Windows CE-based terminal does it all

Wyse Technology's Winterm 3315SE is the first Windows CE-based terminal I'vetested that supports the Citrix Independent Computing Architecture (ICA)protocol and the Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Support for bothprotocols means you can deploy the Winterm 3315SE in any thin-client scenario: You can deploy the Winterm 3315SE with Windows NT Server 4.0, TerminalServer Edition or with Citrix WinFrame or MetaFrame. Furthermore, you can deploythe Winterm 3315SE in a LAN or WAN environment.

Plug It In
The base unit is a toaster-size device that you can set on a desktop ormount on a wall using the provided hardware bracket. The unit I tested came witha keyboard and a mouse. SVGA monitors are available through Wyse.

All the connectors for the Winterm 3315SE are on the back of the device. In addition to connectors for the monitor, keyboard, and mouse, theWinterm 3315SE houses a DC power supply connection, a 10Mbps unshielded twistedpair (UTP) Ethernet port, two serial ports, a parallel port, audio I/O jacks,and a PC Card slot. You can connect a modem to the serial port for dial-upconnections using ICA or RDP, and you can attach a local printer to the parallelport.

Some features tie into your choice of protocols. You can use theaudio output port only if you are using the ICA protocol. RDP doesn't supportsound. Similarly, support for the Start key is available with only the RDPprotocol. If you use ICA, you can use the mouse to point and clickStart.

Solving a Mystery
Although Windows-based terminals are nearly universal, theconfiguration and operation of each device varies among manufacturers. For theWinterm 3315SE, the magic keys are Alt+End. This key sequence brings up thebuilt-in configuration program that lets you define and launch your hostconnections.

You can use the Winterm 3315SE configuration program to define multiplehost connections. Each host connection can use a different protocol and networkconnection. For example, you can configure one LAN-based ICA connection, oneLAN-based RDP connection, one modem-based ICA connection, and one modem-basedRDP connection. More practically, you can configure connections to differenthosts using the same protocol. You can also configure the Winterm 3315SE toautomatically launch a connection when you turn it on--­this useful featurekeeps end users away from the configuration program.

After you define multiple host connections you can press Alt+End to returnto the configuration program and switch between different host connections. Thisfeature is useful in an environment in which different host servers provide different applications. For example, if you have an Office 97 applicationhost, a line-of-business application host, and a financial application host, youcan move from one host to the next using Alt+End. Each connection remains activeuntil you log off or disconnect it.

Almost Perfect
I found two problems with the Winterm 3315SE. One is the location of thepower switch. The power switch is located on top of the Winterm 3315SE--­theswitch spans the breadth of the device and is located near the front of theunit. The large switch is as easy to turn off as it is to turn on. Many times, Ireached out to reposition the Winterm 3315SE on my desk only to turn it offinadvertently. The second problem I found is less serious. I was testing theWinterm 3315SE in my small office/home office (SOHO) lab and connecting back toa host system running Terminal Server and MetaFrame in the Windows NTMagazine Lab. My ISDN connection had intermittent problems in which the linewould frequently drop and I'd lose my connection to the host. The problem isthat when the link went down and then back up, the Winterm 3315SE would see thedisconnection but wouldn't let me reconnect to that host unless I turned thedevice off and on.

I found the Winterm 3315SE to be the most flexible, easy-to-configure, andeasy-to-use Windows-based terminal I've tested. The Winterm 3315SE's support formultiple-host connections and the ability to switch between connections is acompelling feature in any multiple-host environment. I also liked the Winterm3315SE's support for ICA and RDP--­although if you are in a single-protocolenvironment, this feature might not impress you