Preparing for Windows 2000 Server Terminal Services

As the news editor for Thin-Client UPDATE, I know that a lot of readers are gearing up for or have already started implementing Windows 2000 Server Terminal Services. Many of you have questions about enabling Terminal Services, connecting clients, authenticating terminal sessions, running applications, and licensing. As it turns out, some parts of Terminal Services can bite even those who have already been working with Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition (TSE). However, once you understand Terminal Services’ new features and how to configure your hardware and software, you can steer clear of the pitfalls.

Enabling Terminal Services
Terminal Services is an integral part of Win2K Server, Win2K Advanced Server (Win2K AS), and Win2K Datacenter Server (Datacenter). Rather than existing as a separate product like the multi-user version of NT 4.0, Terminal Services runs as a service like the Internet Information Service. To install the service, click the Add/Remove Windows Components button in Add/Remove Programs, choose Terminal Services from the list of available components, and follow the prompts in the wizard.

Be aware that some steps in this process can be confusing. First, in addition to installing Terminal Services, you can install Terminal Services Licensing. You don’t have to install both components for each terminal server—in fact, you don’t need to run the license server on a terminal server at all. In purely Win2K domains, the license server service must reside on a domain controller, and in a workgroup or NT 4.0 domain, the license server can be a member server—even the terminal server itself. However, performance can suffer if you make the terminal server a domain controller because the overhead of processing user logons will take CPU cycles from terminal sessions. Therefore, I suggest locating the license server somewhere other than on the terminal server in Win2K domains. (The license server, if it’s not obvious, must be a Win2K server.) However, you don’t need to dedicate a server to issuing Terminal Server Client Access Licenses (TSCALs) because it’s not a heavy-duty process and you only need to issue TSCALs once for each client.

Second, you’ll see the option of installing the terminal server in Remote Administration mode (the default) or in Application Server mode. Remote Administration mode is for ordinary servers that you want to be able to manipulate from a terminal server session, and Application Server mode is for true terminal servers. Be sure you pick the right option; otherwise, you’ll need to reinstall the service to switch modes.

Connecting Clients to Terminal Services
Terminal Services works with PC clients (which encompass most terminal clients), Windows terminals using RDP, and handheld PCs using RDP. With PCs, you need to explicitly install the client. When you install Terminal Services, Win2K adds several management tools to the server’s Administrative Tools folder, including a Client Creator for making client setup disks. However, this tool isn’t very useful. Instead, it’s easier to manipulate the installation files that Win2K stores in the %systemroot%\system32\clients folder when you install Terminal Services. Within the Clients folder are three subfolders: Win32, Win16, and Net. The setup files for Win32 clients (NT and Windows 9x) are in the Win32 folder, and setup files for the Windows for Workgroups (WFW)-compatible client are in the Win16 folder. The Net folder contains copies of the Win16 and Win32 folders so that you can share the Net folder instead of sharing the entire Clients folder. Everything you need to set up the RDP clients is in these folders—just run setup.exe. You can distribute the files in the same way that you’d distribute any client installation files. Start by sharing the folder with the network and run Setup. Then, either email the entire contents of the folder to everyone who will need the RDP client, or distribute the files with SMS or using Group Policy Objects. For local installations, you can also use the automated installation so that the user doesn’t have to interact with the Setup program—perhaps in a logon script that will run automatically. From the command prompt, make sure that you’re in the path for the right version of the Setup files on the terminal server and type

setup /q1

to install the RDP client. This method ensures that when the installation is done, the user has to click OK on the Installation was completed successfully box. To install without any user interaction, go to the command prompt and type

setup /qt

To uninstall the RDP client, type

setup /u /qnt

at the command prompt. Whichever method you choose, installing RDP support on the client computer will create a new program group called Terminal Services Client. This group contains a Client Connection Manager for creating and storing server connection settings and a generic Terminal Services Client tool for browsing for available servers.