Windows Virtual Desktop and 10zig

Windows Virtual Desktop is an Azure service that allows users to consume Windows resources from any place and on any device.

You can use a web browser as well as a native client for Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android to be connected to an Azure Virtual machine using the internet channel and the Windows Virtual Desktop service.

But what about thin clients? The good news is that several thin client vendors are supporting natively Windows Virtual Desktop through the official SDK.

Today I am writing about my experience with a couple of thin clients made by 10ZiG.

10ZiG are a hardware & software vendor headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona (USA) with it’s EMEA office based in Leicester (UK) and the company mission is “to provide cutting-edge Thin & Zero Client endpoints for VDI and Cloud”.[MM1] 

You can read more about 10ZiG products and services at their website Thin Clients | Zero Clients | 10ZiG

10ZiG are building very reliable thin clients based on a customized version of Linux (10ZiG NOS?) or Windows 10 IoT Enterprise and in both cases it is possible to fully leverage the power of Windows Virtual Desktop, VMware, and Citrix because the solution is compatible with the latest protocols including Blast Extreme, RDP, PCoIP & HDX.

I received a couple of units inside two beautiful boxes.

Inside the boxes I found the following models:

• 4648qm (10ZiG NOS?)
• 6010q (Windows 10 IoT Enterprise)

The first impression is that they are very solid: The materials and the match between metal and plastics is very good so my overall impression is that these are built to last.

The “big fella” is the 6010q based on Windows 10 IoT Enterprise and you can check the full specs here. This device is also available with 10ZiG’s PeakOS (Linux) or NOS? (Software Zero) for RDP, WVD, Citrix or VMware.

My unit has almost everything I need…

• USB ports
• Mic in and Line out
• 2x Display Ports (Video Resolution: 2 x 3840 x 2160 @ 60Hz)
• Ethernet connection (Wireless is available as an option) 

The little one is very… little (my 8-year-old daughter said that it’s “cute”).

The model number is 4648qm, it is based on the Linux 10ZiG NOS? operating system and you can find the full specs here.

Even if the space available is not that much, the ports available are the same as the other unit.

This model is utilizing NOS-M for Windows Virtual Desktop or traditional RDP connection. This device is also available as a Citrix device (CVA&D & Citrix Cloud) or VMware device (Horizon & WorkspaceOne).

I found online that NOS? is actually a ‘Software Zero Client OS’ developed by 10ZiG and their models running this OS only contain the components required to drive performance in the backend environment. There is no local user interface apart from the ability to configure simple user settings such as screen resolution etc. The 4648qm model I have uses the 10ZiG RDP Client powered by the Microsoft WVD Linux SDK. 

Ok so let us start the testing!

I have my Windows Virtual Desktop environment ready, composed by Windows 10 Multisession hosts deployed in the West Europe region.

In both cases I was able to connect using the 10ZiG solution (the little unit is my favorite because it is extremely compact and silent) 

The Windows 10 IoT Enterprise is also allowing me to use the Microsoft Teams optimization regarding video/audio calls (more information here), I had no problem in connecting and using my USB webcam.

Through 10ZiG’s website I also found some neat windows based tools in their image, that provides simple ability of enabling a secure shell and locked down image via the 10ZiG UWF wizard. This is ideal for deployments which require a Windows 10 IoT based client for Teams Optimization, but lock down the shell in a similar way that the NOS-M and Linux SDK provides out of box.

You can see 10ZiG’s videos on these subjects below.

https://youtu.be/iYIbRFcJF-o - Creating a Dedicated Windows Virtual Desktop Custom Shell Using the 10ZiG UWF Wizard

https://youtu.be/NMqVJjmBqFI - Using The UWF Wizard to Create a Secure Environment for 10ZiG Windows 10 Thin Clients

The thin clients operating systems are customized by 10ZiG, and this is allowing for a quick and easy setup because the wizard is asking only basic information like the country and the time. So in a few click you are ready to go!

But there is more! The 10ZiG Manager! That is allowing me to automatically discover and manage my thin clients! Thin Client Software | Centralized Management | 10ZiG Manager?

When setup correctly, I can automatically apply a configuration to a new thin client so the only thing that the user needs to do is connect their device and hit the power button.

Because I am more a “management guy” than a “hardware guy” let me share my excitement about this management console…

First of all it’s FREE! It is simply a benefit of using a 10ZiG thin client.

It is easily deployable on a Windows Server machine (I did it in an Azure Virtual Machine).

And it allows me to be in full control of my thin clients – even when deployed remotely using a secure HTTPs tunnel and their 10ZiG Manager Cloud Connector!

What can I do? Everything that I need!

• Status
• Inventory
• Grouping the units based on automatic rules
• Firmware update management
• Session Shadowing for remote support

For example: let’s say that you have 100 units and a new firmware becomes available… First of all you can download it from the 10ZiG site and place it in a share.

After that you can use an automatic rule to create a group of test units to be updated and start from a subset of units that will be our pilot.

Through the console you can push the firmware update and check the result, after which you can continue with other bigger groups until all the units are updated.

And this is also optimized for remote clients because the 10ZiG system can share the update between units so if you have a branch office with 10 units you can transfer the firmware only once from the management console to a single unit at the branch, and that will act as a repository for the remaining local units.

Very handy, effective, and easy to manage!

Here you can see me shadowing the session using the console… It was a strange moment because I was in my bedroom in Italy with my Surface Pro connected to the console inside the Azure VM in West Europe that was shadowing the session of a 10ZiG thin client in my daughter’s bedroom that was connected to a Windows Virtual Desktop session in West Europe… I felt like Di Caprio in Inception (the dream inside the dream inside the dream…)

But this is not a dream, it is a real good thin client vendor that is building reliable hardware fully compatible with Windows Virtual Desktop and any other VDI solutions (as well as nice socks …) 

So check the website and YouTube channel for more information about 10ZiG!