[Tutorials] [General RDS Information] – Published Dec 2011

So, you want to introduce the latest version of Remote Desktop Services – formerly known as Terminal Services – to your IT environment?  I hope that you are aware that in the past Remote Desktop Services (RDS) used to play a rather unimportant role within the Microsoft product universe.  It’s interesting to note that only over the last one or two years remoting technologies in combination with desktop virtualization and cloud computing started enjoying more attention, gradually moving from the outer rim of this universe right to the center.  As a matter of fact, new virtualization concepts extended the scope of desktop remoting substantially.

From a Microsoft perspective, desktop remoting is not only limited to a Terminal Services platform anymore.  It also takes remote applications and virtualized Windows workstations – also known as virtual desktops – into account.  For a while the term presentation virtualization was used extensively when talking about the combination of remote desktops, remote applications and virtual desktops.  Only recently it became more popular to use the terms Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH) and Remote Desktop Virtualization Host (RDVH) for these topics.  That being said, it is quite obvious that remote access to Windows desktops and applications is one of the hottest topics in IT industry.

Before going into details, let’s look at the basic concepts behind RDS.  The Windows Server operating system allows multiple users to log on interactively, creating a scenario commonly referred to as multi-user operation or presentation virtualization.  Redirecting input and output operations to remote computers is possible in the core Windows Server 2008 system using Terminal Services – a technology that was renamed to Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2008 R2.  In essence, Remote Desktop Services allow remote devices to access and use Windows desktops and applications.

Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2 introduced many new Terminal Services and Remote Desktop Services features if compared to their predecessors.  Some changes can only be seen when looking at system level, while other enhancements are rather obvious.  Here is a very short overview of the most spectacular new features:

• RemoteApp programs allow users to launch remote applications hosted on a server and interact with them on the local desktop.  A remote application is displayed without the surrounding remote desktop including start menu and Explorer shell.  This means that from a local desktop perspective remote application windows are integrated seamlessly, which makes it harder to distinguish which application runs locally on the workstation and which application runs on the server.
• Terminal Services / Remote Desktop Session Broker is a load balancing and session reconnection mechanism developed specifically for the requirements of server groups hosting remote desktops or remote applications.
• Terminal Services / Remote Desktop Web Access allows individual remote applications or complete remote desktops to be launched from a webpage.
• Terminal Services / Remote Desktop Gateway enables users to connect to remote desktops or remote applications by tunneling RDP over HTTPS (HTTP with SSL encryption).

Before going into the details of these features and other enhancements of Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services, it is advisable to learn about some basic things and know about the history leading to the development of the underlying technology.  Essentially, Remote Desktop Session Host servers – previously called Terminal Servers – allow administrators to install, configure, manage and maintain applications on central servers.  In many cases this is more efficient than deploying applications on local client computers.  Remote Desktop Session Host servers enable client devices – often referred to as thin clients and sometimes even called terminals – to connect to a desktop running on the central server.  Such a Remote Desktop Client can be either a physical device or remote client software executed on a computer in the network.  Each client is assigned a separate interactive user session on the server.

While being logged into such an interactive session, a user performs all operations on the server except operations directly related to physical local devices such as keyboard, mouse and monitor.  This concept opens up interesting and powerful options for the Windows Server platform because it can be used for the deployment of centrally managed desktops and applications in corporate environments with computer networks that may even be widely dispersed geographically.

The multiple-user function of a Remote Desktop Session Host server should not be confused with the function that allows multiple users to be connected to server resources through the network in a more general sense.  Multi-user service without interactive logon to the server’s user interface is frequently used for file, print, or directory services.  In contrast, RD Session Host servers allow multiple interactive user sessions in parallel, with each of the sessions providing a full user desktop or another kind of graphical user shell.

With Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2008 R2, Remote Desktop Services finally became a commodity.  Combined with other technologies, such as hardware virtualization and application isolation and streaming, Remote Desktop Services are a lot more agile and adaptable to increased business requirements than ever before.  In combination with the typical RD Session Host server advantages in terms of stability, manageability and costs, such a technology mix has a bright future in many organizations.

[Tutorials] [General RDS Information]