ThinCan
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ThinCan is a
thin client In computer networking, a thin client, sometimes called slim client or lean client, is a simple (low-Computer performance, performance) computer that has been Program optimization, optimized for Remote desktop, establishing a remote connectio ...
manufactured by
Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...
electronic design start-up Artec Group. The ThinCan remained relatively unknown outside Estonia until 2006, when a recent ThinCan iteration was selected as the hardware base for the
Linutop The Linutop is a small, light, environmentally friendly nettop computer containing a metal case and no moving parts, that runs the Linutop OS (a customized version of Linux based on the Xubuntu and Ubuntu/XFCE distribution). It is sold by Linutop ...
, a network appliance that greatly stimulated the market for lightweight computing platforms. The ThinCan was also commercialized by SmartLink under the Revnetek brand name.


Hardware

Functionally, all ThinCan production models offer similar features: * Front panel: 1/8" stereo audio,
USB Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard, developed by USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), for digital data transmission and power delivery between many types of electronics. It specifies the architecture, in particular the physical ...
ports. * Back panel: Ethernet port, VGA output, PSU connector. Aesthetically, the original ThinCan was an exercise in futuristic looks, with brushed aluminum end caps and a tubular aluminum shape that featured alternating patterns of decorative serrations along the surface of the tube. The tube came painted in one's choice of several transparent colors (black, dark blue, light blue, purple, red) for an authentic "Jetsons" feel. After an early prototype based on a custom
x86 x86 (also known as 80x86 or the 8086 family) is a family of complex instruction set computer (CISC) instruction set architectures initially developed by Intel, based on the 8086 microprocessor and its 8-bit-external-bus variant, the 8088. Th ...
core, supporting PS/2 keyboard and mouse, the platform was redesigned around an NSC
Geode A geode (; ) is a geology, geological secondary formation within sedimentary rock, sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Geodes are hollow, vaguely spherical rocks, in which masses of mineral matter (which may include crystals) are secluded. The crys ...
SC2200 supporting only USB peripherals. An optional on-board
SmartCard A smart card (SC), chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card), is a card used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) chip. Many smart cards include a ...
reader attached to an internally mounted USB port made the original ThinCan an instant hit on the local market, due to an Estonian legislation dating from 2001 that mandated the issuance of a national Electronic ID card to all citizens and their use to access many public services. Still, while the futuristic design received some attention in the IT press, the prohibitive cost of machining an extruded aluminum tube with intricate decorative serrations prevented the manufacturer from achieving commercial success with this early model. In 2003, the company revised the design towards a simpler cost-effective flat boxy shape for their DBE60 model (initially commercialized as the ThinCan SE). Aside from the addition of a parallel printer port, the DBE60 is functionally identical to the original ThinCan and built around the same NSC Geode SC2200. In 2005, this design was updated for the AMD Geode LX700-based DBE61 model, with
USB 2.0 Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard, developed by USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), for digital data transmission and power delivery between many types of electronics. It specifies the architecture, in particular the physical i ...
provided by a CS5536 companion chip. The parallel printer port was then removed, returning the design to an all-USB configuration. Linutop SARL retained this model as a starting point for their Linutop-1 product. In 2007, the DBE61 design was upgraded with
Gigabit Ethernet In computer networking, Gigabit Ethernet (GbE or 1 GigE) is the term applied to transmitting Ethernet frames at a rate of a gigabit per second. The most popular variant, 1000BASE-T, is defined by the IEEE 802.3ab standard. It came into use in ...
support. The manufacturer calls this the DBE62. In 2009, the DBE62 design was reconfigured to use SO DIMM memory and IDE
Compact Flash CompactFlash (CF) is a flash memory mass storage device used mainly in portable electronic devices. The format was specified and the devices were first manufactured by SanDisk in 1994. CompactFlash became one of the most successful of the ea ...
media. The manufacturer calls this the DBE63.


Software


Firmware

SC2200-based models boot using a proprietary loader called Clara that was developed by Artec. All LX700-based models can natively boot using
Coreboot coreboot, formerly known as LinuxBIOS, is a software project aimed at replacing proprietary firmware (BIOS or UEFI) found in most computers with a lightweight firmware designed to perform only the minimum number of tasks necessary to load and r ...
. This started as a Geode GX port developed by AMD for the OLPC prototype, to which Artec added Geode LX support. That code was later adopted and further polished by AMD, after the OLPC switched to the LX700 for its production models. This Coreboot port was used on the SmartLink model and on several custom Artec models configured as network appliances. Meanwhile, both Artec's
PXE PXE may refer to: Science and technology * Pentium Extreme Edition, a variant of the Pentium D microprocessor * Preboot Execution Environment, booting computers via a network * Pseudoxanthoma elasticum, a genetic disease Other uses * Proof and Exp ...
-boot and Linutop's USB-boot DBE61 models, plus all DBE62 and DBE63 models, use a General Software
BIOS In computing, BIOS (, ; Basic Input/Output System, also known as the System BIOS, ROM BIOS, BIOS ROM or PC BIOS) is a type of firmware used to provide runtime services for operating systems and programs and to perform hardware initialization d ...
.


Operating system

The original ThinCan ran on
Windows CE Windows CE, later known as Windows Embedded CE and Windows Embedded Compact, is a discontinued operating system developed by Microsoft for mobile and embedded devices. It was part of the Windows Embedded family and served as the software foun ...
and launched into an
RDP RDP may refer to: Computing * Ramer–Douglas–Peucker algorithm, an algorithm for polygonal simplification * Recombination detection program, for analysing genetic recombination * Recursive descent parser, a type of top-down parser * Remote Desk ...
client for Windows Terminal Services. DBE60 models come with either the same RDP client as the original ThinCan or with Etherboot support for UNIX terminal services. DBE61 models come with either a BIOS with PXE support optimized for LTSP or with a BIOS for USB booting Linutop's own Linux distribution. Meanwhile, SmartLink preloads their DBE61 models with their own versatile
firmware In computing Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computer, computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and the development of both computer hardware, h ...
called R-BOX that can be user-configured to launch into either an RDP client or into a Web kiosk – both of which are implemented using Free Software components – and which makes use of the Coreboot port. DBE62 models have a BIOS that first attempts booting from USB and, if no bootable USB media is found, then attempts PXE booting – essentially combining the boot options of Artec's and Linutop's models into a single configuration. DBE63 models run on Embedded
Windows XP Windows XP is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It was released to manufacturing on August 24, 2001, and later to retail on October 25, 2001. It is a direct successor to Windows 2000 for high-end and business users a ...
and launch into a Web kiosk.


Timeline

* 1999 – prototype based on a custom
x86 x86 (also known as 80x86 or the 8086 family) is a family of complex instruction set computer (CISC) instruction set architectures initially developed by Intel, based on the 8086 microprocessor and its 8-bit-external-bus variant, the 8088. Th ...
core. * 2001 – round model with NSC Geode SC2200. * 2003 – DBE60 model with NSC Geode SC2200. * 2005 – DBE61 model with AMD Geode LX700 and CS5536. * 2007 – DBE62 model with AMD Geode LX700 and CS5536, plus Gigabit Ethernet. * 2009 – DBE63 model with AMD Geode LX700 and CS5536, plus Gigabit Ethernet.


See also

*
Geode A geode (; ) is a geology, geological secondary formation within sedimentary rock, sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Geodes are hollow, vaguely spherical rocks, in which masses of mineral matter (which may include crystals) are secluded. The crys ...
is the chipset used in the ThinCan *
Coreboot coreboot, formerly known as LinuxBIOS, is a software project aimed at replacing proprietary firmware (BIOS or UEFI) found in most computers with a lightweight firmware designed to perform only the minimum number of tasks necessary to load and r ...
is used to bootstrap recent ThinCan models * OLPC is another lightweight computer based on the Geode LX *
Thin Client In computer networking, a thin client, sometimes called slim client or lean client, is a simple (low-Computer performance, performance) computer that has been Program optimization, optimized for Remote desktop, establishing a remote connectio ...
is the design principle behind the ThinCan


References


External links


Artec Group

ThinCan wiki
offers firmware and schematics for some of the ThinCan models. {{Linux mini computers Linux-based devices Thin clients Estonian brands Estonian inventions