Windows Multipoint Server 2012 and Plugable USB Zero Clients

Windows Multipoint Server allows you to share a single PC among many users by connecting many USB zero clients (USB terminals). It’s a huge maintenance, power, and cost savings.

Microsoft’s newly released 2012 version has a greatly improved software interface for supporting USB clients. But this change meant that, until today, the most popular USB client technology (DisplayLink) was not supported.

Plugable Technologies is excited to announce that our full line of USB thin clients now fully supports Windows Multipoint Server 2012. We’ve partnered with OSBASE, experts in Windows driver and graphics technology, to provide a full solution for WMS 2012.

Every unit of our Plugable DC-125 low-cost thin client and Plugable UD-160-M mid-range thin client now includes a license to OSBASE’s high performance software driver for WMS 2012.

How do I get it?

Windows Multipoint Server 2012 is available for download, and the free evaluation period can be easily extended to 6 months. See Microsoft’s WMS2012 download page for details.

You’ll need one Plugable USB zero client terminal for each display, keyboard, and mouse you’re connecting to the PC. Plugable’s USB terminals are shipping in volume now, including the low-cost Plugable DC-125 ($64.95) and mid-range Plugable UD-160-M ($79).

We have a limited number of “trial kits” available for 90-day loans. They include up to four Plugable DC-125 and/or Plugable UD-160-M models, plus a powered USB hub (total around $300 value). Just email sales@plugable.com with a little detail on your organization and deployment goals.

And if you’re a non-profit, library or school, Techsoup and Microsoft have programs to donate their software for you.

How do I install drivers for it?

From the console mode of WMS 2012, download and install the new drivers for the Plugable hardware here:
WSM2012 software drivers for the Plugable DC-125 and UD-160-M.

Learn more

Read more about Windows Multipoint Server from Microsoft. And feel free to post below with any questions – we’re here to help!

12 comments on “Windows Multipoint Server 2012 and Plugable USB Zero Clients”

  1. Pingback: OSBASE driver support for Microsoft Windows MultiPoint Server 2012 | OSBASE

  2. Pingback: nVidia drivers Oct 2012 and Later vs. DisplayLink Dec 2012 and Earlier | Plugable

  3. Pingback: WMS 2012 Zero Clients - Windows MultiPoint Server Team Blog - Site Home - TechNet Blogs

  4. Apollo

    Is it possible to install drivers for Multipoint server 2012 which is not installed into C-drive? Now driver installation fails as C:\program files\… is not available.

  5. Kan

    Hi Apollo,
    It will work if you install latest driver from http://osbase.com . We have decoupled driver location from WMS2012 location.
    Please let us know if it works for you.
    Thanks
    Kan

    • Apollo

      Hi,
      decoupling works fine, thanks.

      But still we’re unable to switch to working station mode. Our system (HP Z220) is having AMD FirePro V3900 which has Windows Server 2008 drivers installed into Multipoint Server 2012.
      After following good installation steps and doing installation from scratch, everything seems to work correctly from Windows side.
      But system behaves so that we can operate a single monitor (attached directly to workstation) with all keyboards and mice connected to any of Plugable 160-M’s (connected with USB to workstation) and nothing pops up in any other displays connected to 160-M’s.

      Any ideas what we should try next?

      • Kan

        Hi Apollo,
        After installing latest driver from OSBASE.com, you will either switch to station mode via Multipoint Manager or simply restart your system which will automatically go to station mode. If you still cannot get stations after performing rebooting steps, please follow steps at http://osbase.com/Support/CreateDumpFile/CreateDumpFile.html and generate a Wmsshell.dmp file, zip it and share with us via any free file sharing service.
        Thanks
        Kan

  6. Dennis

    In Multipoint Server 2011 one could not mix DisplayLink drivers with the drivers for the T200 chipset. Is that still a limitation with Multipoint Server 2012?

    • Bernie Thompson

      Hi Dennis – Thanks for asking! WMS2012 removes that limitation (by for the first time, having a clean OS driver model for USB devices like this). No more main GPU dependencies or limitations mixing different Zero Client models. It’s very good news.

  7. Welongo

    Hello,
    Thank you for your post. I’m an IT assistant in Kenya, and our center has been running Multipoint Server 2008. Our machines (HP) came with the OS installed and the Display hubs were just connected automatically.
    However, we are changing from WMS 2008 to 2011 and the installation went fine (I did a custom installation, not upgrade). Since that time, I can only connect to one monitor with a USB keyboard and mouse and in maintenance mode only. I can’t work with all the other stations as usual.
    Can anyone help? I hope you can understand my English, I’m not a good English speaker (from Congo).
    Welongo

    • Bernie Thompson

      When moving from wms 2011 to wms 2012 for HP t100 devices, your best option is to install the drivers from http://osbase.com/

      Give those a try and let us know.

    • Nina

      Hello,Welongo.
      Can you tell me how did you solve your problem because I have the same problem now.I move from WMS2011 to WMS2012 and I can work with only one PC,I can’t see other users as usual.
      Greatings.

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