Hybrid client
Hybrid clients are sometimes known as network computers or diskless nodes. Advantages of hybrid client are lower production cost, lower running costs, quieter operation, and manageability advantages (for example, centrally-managed software installation).
In some large organizations, PCs are used in a similar configuration, with some or all applications stored remotely but executed locally. However, these are not diskless nodes if they still boot from a local hard drive.
Hybrid client process data, thus using their own CPU and RAM to run software, but do not store data constantly. This is distinct from thin clients, in which all significant processing happens remotely, on the server. The only software that runs on a thin client is the "thin" client software, which handles simple input/output tasks to communicate with the user, such as drawing a dialog box on the display or waiting for user input.
Hybrid clients can be seen as a compromise between fat clients and centralized computing by using central storage for efficiency. But it doesn’t not requires centralized processing, and making efficient use of the powerful processing power of even the slowest of contemporary CPUs. These would tend to sit idle for much of the time under the centralized computing model.
The operating system (OS) for hybrid client is loaded from a server, using network booting. In some cases, removable storage may be used to initiate the bootstrap process, such as a USB flash drive, or other bootable media such as a floppy disk, CD or DVD. However, the firmware in many modern computers can be configured to locate a server and begin the boot up process automatically, without the need to insert bootable media.
Comparison with fat clients
The use of central disk storage also makes more efficient use of disk storage. This can cut storage costs, freeing up capital to invest in more reliable, modern storage technologies, such as RAID arrays which support redundant operation, and storage area networks which allow hot-adding of storage without any interruption. Further, it means that losses of disk drives to mechanical or electrical failure are often both less likely to happen (because there are typically less disk drives that can fail) and less likely to cause interruption (because they would likely be part of RAID arrays). This also means that the hybrid clients themselves are less likely to have hardware failures than fat clients.
Comparison with thin clients
Some corporations tend to instead implement thin clients, since much lower specification hardware can be used for the client (which essentially acts as a simple "window" into the central server which is actually running the users operating system as a login session). Of course, hybrid client can also be used as thin clients. Moreover, thin client computers are increasing in power to the point where they are becoming suitable as fully-fledged hybrid client workstations for some applications.
Both thin client and hybrid client architectures employ hybrid clients which have advantages over fat clients, but differ with regard to the location of processing.
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