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SunRay 1 thin client

R

RickNel

Veteran Member
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Apr 24, 2009
Messages
641
Location
Canberra, Australia
I've seen a couple of Sun MicroSystems SunRay 1 client units that I could get for very little.

Are they any use without a special server? Can they be used with generic keyboards? These ones are salvage rescues. If too much trouble to connect, I won't follow up.

Rick
 
sun-ray-1-thin-client-interfaces-view-default.jpg


I have one myself and have yet to turn it on....I think it is either netbooted off a server or it booted off itself but logged you into and displayed the desktop of an account on a server.
 
They do require a server, running the not-so-creatively named 'Sun Ray Server' software. It doesn't have to be a Sun machine, the software is also available for generic x86/x64 Linux.

And they'll take a regular PC-type USB keyboard, but not all keyboards will work. I think it had to do with some keyboards not properly identifying their country layout, or something like that. At any rate, it shouldn't be too hard to find one that will function properly.
 
Can it detect when people pass by and ask "Are you there?", "Target acquired"? :-D I thought Chuck said he used some of these but it may have been a different terminal appliance he was hacking. A lot of the new Sun systems do just use regular USB devices but I haven't used enough to notice any problems, but again I don't use them on a regular basis or enough to have a professional opinion.
 
I've recently setup a network of these at the company I work for. Supported platforms are Solaris 10 (11 as of last week) on SPARC or x86/x64 or Oracle Linux on x86/x64. Fairly painless process to get a basic system up and running. Following the instructions here will get you up and running on a fresh install of Oracle Linux 5.x.

Another option is Oracle's VDI package which will allow you to provide access to virtual machines running Windows / Linux.

Standard USB keyboards & mice seem to work fine (We are using Dell ones) and any language settings can be changed on the server.

I'm a big fan of the SunRay's especially when used with the smart cards. We have a telesales team who hot desk and it couldn't be simpler, take the card out of one terminal, move to a new desk / office, insert the card in the new terminal, carry on working exactly were you left off.

Disclaimer - While you can freely download the SunRay software from Oracle, it does not include the Right To Use licence nor can you get access to firmware updates without a support contract.
 
Agree, it has a high Design Coolness Factor. But I also have to consider Spouse Acceptance Factor...

EDIT: Considering two special factors 1) $6 and 2) small enough to escape Spouse notice, I went ahead and picked one of these up. Sadly, without the dramatic podium extensions that seem to have got lost in the trash compactor before rescue.

Now the mind turns to hackability. No intention of helping Larry buy his next ocean racer by taking out an Oracle service contract. These things must run some sort of embedded *nix, right? Convert to generic SMB device?

Definitely not Vintage, so I guess I should look for a forum for Sun hacks. Any suggestions? I have Linux experience, but not deep. Google and screwdrivers are my favourite tools.
 
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Another tack for me or anyone else (NeXT?) who has an orphaned one of these thin clients -

There is an open-source Java server for the SunRay at http://www.jopenray.org/. I'll give that a try before undertaking any risky hacks. Should be enough test functions at no cost....

Rick
 
One of the advantages / disadvantages of the SunRay is that they have no local OS, only a enough firmware to fire up and connect to the SunRay server. Pretty much all configuration is done on the server. Newer firmware images do allow you to enable an onscreen menu which allows some basic configuration such as IP / VPN settings, etc.

Useful sites...
http://www.sun-rays.org
http://www.filibeto.org/sun/
 
GRiD said:
no local OS, only a enough firmware to fire up and connect to the SunRay server
Click to expand...

.. so the challenge would be to see what kind of independent functionality could be crammed into a hacked firmware. It seems official firmware updates are only available to Oracle customers.


GRiD said:
Useful sites...
http://www.filibeto.org/sun/
http://www.sun-rays.org
Click to expand...

I'm afraid the independent filibeto site has been taken down at Oracle's demand, and the user group links all point to documentation that is only available to Oracle customers or to the defunct filibeto.org.

"For the Lord thy Oracle is a jealous Oracle, and thou shalt have no other Oracle but me" - (Pope Larry)
 
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update

update

I have the jOpenRay installed but can't find any basic documentation on configuration. The project seems to have been inactive for a couple of years.

I am trying to set up for the SunRay to log into a Remote Desktop Protocol session via the OpenRay server on a XP Pro host. On boot, the Ray client is picking up and displaying a workable LAN IP address for itself from DHCP, then shows a square mouse cursor with a X in it. After a few seconds, it reboots and repeats that cycle indefinitely.

I seem to need separate IP addresses for the OpenRay server and for the machine that will host the remote session. Does that mean I can't run the RPC session on the same physical machine as the server? Or does the server make some sort of bridged connection as with a virtual machine, running two IP addresses through one ethernet port?

Can GRiD or anyone else point me to basic setup info please? I'm a bit lost between separate configurations for server, client, user and session. :confused:

Rick
 
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