The firmware announced today now adds Ericom's PowerTerm Web Connect software. PowerTerm is said to let thin client users connect to virtualized desktops provided by more than 14 different hypervisors, including:

• KVM
  
• Microsoft Hyper-V
  
• Microsoft Virtual Server
  
• Novell Xen
  
• Oracle VM
  
• Red Hat Xen
  
• Sun xVM
  
• Virtual Iron
  
• Virtuozzo
  
• VMware ESX
  
• VMware ESX 3i
  
• VMware Server
  
• Xen Community
  
• XenServer

Igel first released hypervisor-compatible firmware for its XPe-based devices in December 2007. Ironically, given that thin clients do not require much software of their own, lots of thin client vendors have been rushing to update the firmware on their devices to make them more compatible with hypervisors. Exemplified by the recently introduced XenDesktop from Citrix, as well as the market-leading Virtual Desktop Infrastructure from Vmware, hypervisors are gaining traction because they allow creating a separate instance of a host operating system, plus any necessary applications, for each thin client attached to a server. Hypervisors do not necessarily decrease the memory, storage, or processor cycles required of a host, but the technology makes personalization easier and facilitates adding servers when required. (For more details, see our earlier coverage here.)

More new Igel firmware features

Igel has regularly touted the power savings offered by its thin clients, claiming they use about half the power of ordinary business PCs. The new firmware brings more power savings, Igel says, thanks to centralized power management that lets administrators configure thin clients to power down automatically when idle. Sessions remain active during sleep mode, so users can instantly return to work without lengthy reboot and connection times, according to Igel.

The new firmware also lets administrators control Windows XPe's FBWF (file based write filter), via either a local management console or using Igel's Remote Management Suite. A technology that is integral to XPe but not as well-known as it might be, FBWF provides a filesystem overlay that lets users "write" to "read-only" filesystems, with the changes surviving system reboots. For example, FBWF can be used to allow persistent updates to anti-virus signatures, browser cookies, and other user configuration details, while the rest of the filesystem remains read-only, Igel says.

Finally, Igel has updated the web browser supplied with its devices to Internet Explorer 7. The new firmware now supplies both IE7 and Windows Media Player 11. In addition, it also allows disabling IP v6 when it is not required, which can increase network performance, according to the company.

Updated firmware for Igel's Windows XP-based thin clients is available for free from the company's website, here.

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