IT Roundtable July 15th, 2009
Thin Clients & Terminal Services
Jeff Patton & Doug Whiteley
It Service Group
Introduction
• Thin Clients, what are they?
• Thin clients, what are we talking about?
Why use thin clients?
• Price – Administration / Purchase / Utilities
• Security / control
• Reliability – Few moving parts
• Easy of deployment
• Power Consumption – Under 25w vs 500w+
Different thin client types
• Traditional thin client with Linux
• “Fat” thin client with Windows XP embedded
Hardware
• Via C6 / Via C7 / Via Eden/ Intel Atom / AMD
Geode / AMD Semperon Processors
• 128meg – 1024megs Ram
• 512meg / 1024meg / 2048meg Flash Chips
• USB slots for network adapters & more
Software
• Operating systems
• Windows XP Embedded / Windows CE (Wyse)
• Debian Linux 4 (HP)
• HP ThinConnect
• Applications
• RDP / ICA client / Rdesktop (Linux)
• Web browser (fatter clients)
Manufactures
• HP / Wyse / Gigabyte / IBM / Others
Thin Clients
• DEMO
Windows Server 2008: Terminal Server
The Terminal Services component of the Windows Server® 2008 operating system provides technologies that
enable users to access Windows-based programs that are installed on a terminal server, or to access the
Windows desktop itself, from almost any computing device. Users can connect to a terminal server to run
programs and to use network resources on that server.
The following topics describe changes in Terminal Services functionality that are available in this release:
Terminal Services Core Functionality
Remote Desktop Connection Display
Plug and Play Device Redirection for Media Players and Digital Cameras
Microsoft Point of Service for .NET Device Redirection
Single Sign-On for Terminal Services
Terminal Server Installation
Terminal Services Printing
Terminal Services RemoteApp (TS RemoteApp)
Terminal Services Web Access (TS Web Access)
Terminal Services Licensing (TS Licensing)
Terminal Services Gateway (TS Gateway)
Terminal Services Session Broker (TS Session Broker)
Terminal Services and Windows System Resource Manager
Remote App Publishing
• What is it?
Terminal Services RemoteApp (TS RemoteApp) enables organizations to provide access to standard Windows®-based
programs from virtually any location to users with computers running Windows Vista®, Windows Server® 2008, or
Windows XP with Service Pack 3 (SP3). TS RemoteApp is also available to users with computers running
Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2), Windows Server 2003 with Service Pack 1 (SP1), or Windows
Server 2003 with SP2 that have the new Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) client installed.
Remote App Publishing
• What does TS RemoteApp do?
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RemoteApp programs are programs that are accessed remotely through Terminal Services and appear as if they
are running on the end user's local computer. Users can run RemoteApp programs side by side with their local
programs. A user can minimize, maximize, and resize the program window, and can easily start multiple programs
at the same time. If a user is running more than one RemoteApp program on the same terminal server, the
RemoteApp programs will share the same Terminal Services session.
Users can run RemoteApp programs in a number of ways. They can:
Double-click a Remote Desktop Protocol (.rdp) file that has been created and distributed by their administrator.
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Double-click a program icon on their desktop or Start menu that has been created and distributed by their
administrator with a Windows Installer (.msi) package.
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Double-click a file whose extension is associated with a RemoteApp program. (This can be configured by their
administrator with a Windows Installer package.)
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Access a link to the RemoteApp program on a Web site by using TS Web Access.
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The .rdp files and Windows Installer packages contain the settings needed to run RemoteApp programs. After
opening the RemoteApp program on a local computer, the user can interact with the program that is running on
the terminal server as if it were running locally.
Remote App Publishing
• Who will be interested in this feature?
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TS RemoteApp can reduce complexity and reduce administrative overhead in many situations, including:
Branch offices, where there may be limited local IT support and limited network bandwidth.
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Situations where users need to access applications remotely.
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Deployment of line-of-business (LOB) applications, especially custom LOB applications.
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Environments, such as "hot desk" or "hoteling" workspaces, where users do not have assigned computers.
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Deployment of multiple versions of an application, particularly if installing multiple versions locally would cause
conflicts.
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You should review this topic, and the additional supporting documentation on TS RemoteApp, if you are in any of
the following groups:
IT planners and analysts who are technically evaluating the product.
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Enterprise architects.
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IT professionals who deploy or administer terminal servers, LOB applications, or applications that can be more
efficiently deployed with TS RemoteApp.
Remote App Publishing
• Are there any special considerations?
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To access RemoteApp programs that are deployed as .rdp files or as Windows Installer packages, the client
computer must be running Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) 6.0 or RDC 6.1. (RDC 6.1 [6.0.6001] supports
Remote Desktop Protocol 6.1.) A supported version of the RDC client is included with Windows Vista and
Windows Server 2008.
Note The RDC 6.0 software is available for use on Windows XP with SP2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, and
Windows Server 2003 with SP2. You can download the installer package from article 925876 in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=79373).
To access RemoteApp programs through TS Web Access, the client computer must be running RDC 6.1. RDC 6.1
is included with the following operating systems:
Windows Server 2008
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Windows Vista with Service Pack 1
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Windows XP with Service Pack 3
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Remote App Publishing
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What new functionality does this feature provide?
Ability to run programs remotely
Users can run programs from a terminal server and have the same experience as if the programs were running on
the end user's local computer, including resizable windows, drag-and-drop support between multiple monitors, and
notification icons in the notification area.
Why is this functionality important?
TS RemoteApp improves the user's experience, opens new avenues for program deployment, and reduces the
amount of administrative effort required to support these programs.
What works differently?
Instead of being presented to the user in the desktop of the remote terminal server, the RemoteApp program is
integrated with the client's desktop, running in its own resizable window with its own entry in the taskbar. If the
program uses a notification area icon, this icon appears in the client's notification area. Popup windows are
redirected to the local desktop. Local drives and printers can be redirected to appear in the RemoteApp program.
Many users might not be aware that the RemoteApp program is any different than a local program.
How should I prepare for this change?
You should evaluate your programs to see which ones might be suited to being run as a RemoteApp program, and
then test the programs. To test your programs, follow the procedures described in the TS RemoteApp Step-byStep Guide to configure your terminal server to support RemoteApp programs and to use the TS RemoteApp
Manager snap-in to make RemoteApp programs available to users.
Remote App Publishing
• DEMO
Thank You!