Modelling application handovers for thin-client mobility
Pieter Simoens, Lien Deboosere, Davy De Winter, Filip De Turck, Bart Dhoedt, Piet Demeester · 2006
Mobile users need lightweight devices with low energy consumption. When applications are executed on remote servers instead of locally on the end-user’s device, the weight of the device can be reduced and battery lifetime can be extended. Therefore, thin-clients are ideally suited for mobile users. All calculation logic is removed from the device and the communication with the application server is accomplished by a remote desktop protocol. Reactions to user events can appear on the screen only after a two-way path delay, so application responsiveness can decrease if the user moves further away from his server. To enable ubiquitous thin-client computing with satisfying user responsiveness, the application should make a parallel movement with the mobile user. This paper focusses on the handover between two application servers. A model is presented for the design of a thin-client network that meets the requirements of moving users and the resulting number of handovers is shown. Three mechanisms for the server handover are presented. For each scenario, an estimation is made for the timeframe during which the client does not receive screen updates.