Dell Wyse ThinOS 9.0 & Wyse Management Suite 2.0

A few days ago, Dell released ThinOS Version 9.0. To quote the release notes:

ThinOS 9.0 is a Citrix-specific release, which integrates Citrix Workspace app. Other Broker agent connections such as VMware, RDP, and Amazon WorkSpaces are not supported in this release. ThinOS 9.0 does not support the usage of INI parameters. You must use either Wyse Management Suite or the local Admin Policy Tool to manage your systems.

The important part is, that you can no longer rely on your good old FTP server and the wnos.ini. You have to implement Wyse Management Suite Version 2.0, which is currently the only way to manage ThinOS 9.0. Wyse Management Suite Version 2.0 is free up to 10.000 devices with a slightly limited feature set. You can find all details in the Wyse Management Suite feature matrix. ThinOS 9.0 is available for the following devices:

• Wyse 3040 Thin Client
• Wyse 5070 Thin Client
• Wyse 5470 Thin Client
• Source: Supported platforms

According to Thomas Möllerbernd from technicalhelp.de:

ThinOS 9 is completely new. Dell has rewritten the whole code as they were kind of stuck when it comes to new enhancements. With the brand new codebase, they are now able again to easily and quickly react to customers’ needs and 3rd-party vendors’ wishes.

ThinOS 9.0 focuses massively on the improvement of the capabilities of the Citrix Workspace app (formerly Citrix Receiver) and makes a version jump from Citrix Receiver 14.0 Citrix Workspace app 1912.

Here is a quoted list of the most notable features, for a full list please check out the New and enhanced features from the official Release Notes:

• Enhanced User Interface
  ThinOS uses an enhanced user interface with modern desktop and icons from the 9.0 release.
• Support for Wyse Management Suite 2.0
• Admin Policy Tool
  ThinOS 9.0 does not support FTP, HTTP, HTTPS file server, and INI parameter settings. You can configure these settings using a local management tool called Admin Policy Tool.
• Cisco Jabber Softphone for VDI v12.8
• Citrix Workspace app v1912 (Citrix Workspace app feature matrix)
• Citrix ADC Native OTP
• Federated Authentication (SAML/Azure AD)
• Browser Content Redirection (BCR)
  Browser content redirection enables any web browser content, including HTML 5 videos, to be redirected to the ThinOS client and not redirected on the VDA side.
• Citrix HDX Adaptive transport (EDT)
• HDX Adaptive Display V2
  ThinOS supports the selective use of a video codec (H.264) to compress graphics during video playback in an ICA session. This feature combines the H.264 mode and Thinwire Compatible mode for a better user experience.
• Autoconfiguration of email-based account discovery using DNS
• Citrix two-factor authentication
• Keyboard enhancements on Windows VDA
• Supports Citrix RealTime Media Engine (RTME) v2.8

ThinOS is tested with all the latest versions of Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops, most notable:

• Citrix Virtual Apps 6.5 (XenApp 6.5)
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7.6 LTSR
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7.15 LTSR
• Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktops 7 1811 and later

Source: Dell Wyse ThinOS Version 9.0 Release Notes

Author: Marco

Marco is an IT-System administrator and IT-Consultant with 10+ years experience. He is specialized in the delivery of virtual Apps and Desktops with Citrix solutions. In 2017 he has been awarded Citrix Technology Advocate by Citrix for his community work (#CTA). His second core area is availability & performance monitoring with Zabbix, a leading open-source solution. His employer is the German IT-Company ANAXCO, which is developing a Transport Management Software (TMS) based on Microsoft Dynamics AX. More about Marco View all posts by Marco