Trying to run Windows virtually on a Linux server, accessed by a thin client
 

My paths often run over each other between home use Linux along with some Server tinkering and my work with Windows desktop and Windows Server support but never quite to this extreme. Well, I say extreme but that is assuming that I can get this all to do what I want it to do. What I have is an old server that I would like to bring back online but would like to run it with a Linux server distro. One of the things I have been tasked with is to get our terminal server up and online because we are about to deploy a whole bunch of thin clients throughout our plant to eliminate these PCs we have laying around from getting bogged down by environmental problems, dust, oil, etc. The way I was initially going to do this was to just create a bunch of virtual sessions through Windows RDP and call it a day after we buy the necessary CALs. What I am wondering, though, is; is there a way to run a virtual windows environment on a Linux server that can be accessed by a Thin Client? Right now, the thin clients are running Windows CE 5.0 but that can be altered as needed. The only thing that has to be specific is that I have to have the virtual environment be Windows because the program that we are going to access will not run in Linux. I have exhausted every way I know to make it run but Windows is the only way. I'm pretty sure I would have to have individual licenses for each Windows session but I am fairly certain we have a boatload of XP pro licenses laying up in the filing cabinet.

I don't know if this is even possible because my background in Linux isn't as extensive as I'd hoped it would be by now. I did look at 2x.com but don't even know if it will do what I want it to do and will be researching more on that overnight. I also scoured the boards here and didn't see anything that really answered my question but I am known to be blind from time to time, so please forgive me if it has been. Also, sorry to my fellow OCD people who will now be spending as much time as I have the last two weeks with this Inception moment.

Thanks.

You can certainly run Windows in a virtual environment on Linux with a suitable hypervisor.

The build-in KVM hypervisor in the Linux kernel works extremely well, as does Xen. You could also use VirtualBox, which can provide a virtual 32-bit environment even on CPU without hardware support for virtualization, but beware of licensing issues if you need the "Extension Pack".