The HP AB300A Server Console Solution uses an HP Compaq Thin Client T5500 as a terminal emulator for the HP9000 and Integrity servers. The HP 9000 and Integrity servers use a character cell ("dumb") terminal over a serial RS232 connection to act as the console for the system. This approach is used because the console has to be able to communicate with server hardware over a simple link that does not require an active server OS. Traditional dumb terminals offer limited functionality and they are increasingly difficult to supply.