Im looking for a solid build for a windows Server that would be used as a PXE-Boot box that the dumb terminals would connect to. Each user would log in and have their own windows instance with all the necessary tools installed. We have a budget of around $2k. I also need a solid software setup recommendation as this is the first time I have done this sort of thing on Windows let alone the PXE-Boot thing. I am more familiar with setting up a headless Linux server.
The server box would also act as a network Print server. One of the main programs that the company uses is http://www.rentmanager.com/. The Community Assistants (CA's) connect via RDP to the Rent Manager Server to do their work. The Rent Manager software uses ThinPrint for connecting the printers installed on the machine to the RDP server.
The company asked me to come up with a build and design for a machine with that budget when it was determined that to replace the existing 7 year old machines with new machines would run about $800 per machine. I submitted a PO for 4 intel NUCs with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB M.2 SSD. It included a copy of Windows and a 24" IPS display with VESA mounts.
The machines were leaps and bounds better than the AIO HP pieces of crap they keep installing. They even bought Dell AIO machines against my recommendations. If I can put this together and get it running smoothly, hopefully, they will take my suggestions seriously in the future.
The Lab computers they replaced with the Dell AIO machines were previously HP AIO machines that some student decided to shatter each screen with some blunt object. there were no security cameras in the room at the time so they don't know who did it. There still arent and 2 of the new Dells already had the same damage done within 2 months.
i had recommended prior to the Dells to purchase System76 Meerkat machines since the Lab runs Linux anyway and it is immensely cheaper to replace a monitor than it is to replace an entire AIO machine. but who am I to tell the powers that be what to buy, I'm only the on call, IT admin/consultant that they pay.