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Two decades of openthinclient – A success model in the Blackholm laboratory
🚧 Initial situation and challenges
Marco Rauhut has been the Head of IT at Labor Blackholm for over 30 years
and leads a team of seven employees from the areas of
servers, infrastructure, security, patch management, order entry
system, and data transmission (DFÜ).
As early as 1996 to 1998, the laboratory used serial
terminals (VT100 via RS232) with a purely text-based display. The
first attempt at modernization involved the use of Linux
computers, but these were quickly replaced by Neoware
ThinClients. The basic idea was promising, but the hardware
proved to be unreliable. Further attempts with devices from other
manufacturers such as Itona and Rangee led to a situation in which
three different management systems were in use simultaneously
within the company – an untenable condition with regard to
maintenance and security.
️ Implementation with openthinclient
The solution ultimately came with openthinclient – and it worked flawlessly from the very beginning. All existing clients and PCs could immediately be operated with openthinclient via PXE boot. The environment has been continuously updated for more than two decades, with one thing never changing: the stability of the solution.
Particular emphasis is placed on the simple centralized management:
If a client fails, the workstation is operational again within 30 minutes – including device replacement, changing the MAC address in the manager, and restarting. Configuration in the openthinclient Manager is child’s play.
“The part that takes the longest is going down to the basement and getting a new ThinClient,” Mr. Rauhut says with a smile.
Technical Requirements
The ThinClients mainly run the laboratory software Melos from the company Lablions, executed locally as a Linux application, mounted via NFS and connected to a database. Additional central applications:
- Order entry system (barcode creation for samples)
- Order capture system (incoming orders via online connection from medical practices and scanned paper orders)
- Fax software (due to legal requirements: approx. 1,500 faxes per day)
- Route planning and route monitoring
- Inventory management system for laboratory consumables
- Receipt tool
A large portion of the software was developed by Mr. Rauhut himself in PureBasic, enabling cross-platform compilation (Windows & Linux). The applications are provided to the clients via the custom logic of the openthinclient server and are executed locally.
Conclusion and Feedback
A major advantage from the IT management’s point of view is security:
Since the clients are booted via PXE, a fresh system is loaded after every restart – malware cannot persist permanently. With regard to malicious software, one analyzes the openthinclient server and that’s it; nothing more needs to be done. Even though the solution in the Blackholm lab does not work in the classic way with a terminal server or Citrix, but instead functions as a central management system for Linux clients, IT manager Marco Rauhut is completely satisfied:
“I would recommend openthinclient at any time!”
(Marco Rauhut, IT Director at Labor Blackholm for over 30 years)
Labor Blackholm MVZ GmbH
Labor Blackholm MVZ in Heilbronn stands for modern and precise laboratory diagnostics. An experienced team of specialist physicians and laboratory professionals offers a broad spectrum of clinical-chemical, microbiological, and molecular analyses. Using digital technology and the highest quality standards, Labor Blackholm ensures reliable results and sees itself as a competent partner in the healthcare sector.
