Location: GUIs > Misc GUIs > Remote GUIs > MS Terminal Services
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- Terminal Services Manager Windows 10
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- Ms-wbt-server Microsoft Terminal Services
- Ms Terminal Services
Microsoft Terminal Services existed up until Windows Server 2008 R2, when Microsoft changed the nomenclature. For reference and comparison with Remote Desktop Services, details of how the naming of components changed can be found here. Example deployment showing load balanced Terminal Servers. Each user or device accessing a licensed Windows Server requires a Windows Server CAL or a Windows Server and a Remote Desktop Services (RDS) CAL. With the User CAL, you purchase a CAL for every user who accesses the server to use services such as file storage or printing, regardless of the number of devices they use for that access. Windows Server CAL. Physical or minimally virtualized environments. Windows Server CAL. Small businesses with up to 25 users and 50 devices. Specialty servers (server license) No CAL required.
Previous- Citrix MetaframeScreen Shots
Microsoft Terminal Server is kind of a subset of Citrix. It has mostlythe same advantages and disadvantages and works in a similar manner, butthere are some significant differences.
This is the Remote Desktop client (previous versions were called 'TerminalServer Client') used to connect to a Terminal Server.
The Remote Desktop client is available for Windows 95/98/ME/NT 4 and2000. Windows XP comes bundled with the Remote Desktop client (Unsurprisinglyyou are also not allowed to uninstall it from XP). Additionally, thereis a version for MacOS X and an older 'Terminal Server Client' for Windows3.1.
Ms Terminal Services Licensing
Those are the only versions available from Microsoft although some thirdparty implementations are reportedly available for Java and Linux / Unix-ishOSes.
Unlike Citrix, there is no application publishing. To connect to a serveryou type in the server name you want to connect to and click 'Connect'.
Once connected to the remote server a desktop window appears whereyou then log in.
Terminal Services Manager Windows 10
Depending on the options you selected, the remote session can eitherrun in a window or in full screen covering the local desktop. For thesescreen shots I have chosen to display the remote desktop in a window tobetter illustrate that it is running remotely.
Once logged in, a Windows desktop starts and a second taskbar and startmenu are visible. From there you can start any application loaded on thesystem.
It is easy to mistake these screen shots for 'remote control' software,but multiple users may connect to a Terminal Server and each will havetheir own Windows desktop session. In this screen shot the task managershows a list of other users who are also logged in to the server. Theyare most probably printing reports, or doing data entry and are completelyunaware of what other users are doing on the system. Even the local displayon the server has its own session (which in this case, just to illustrate,is probably just sitting there showing the log-on banner).
From here an administrator may forcibly disconnect or log off usersor 'remote control' their session where they can see exactly what the useris doing.
Like Citrix MetaFrame, Terminal Server can run just about any applicationthat will run natively on the server. Unlike Citrix, however, TerminalServer is not available for any other operating system. (Not to be confusedwith the Remote Desktop Client which is available for a number of differentOSes so any OS can connect to a Terminal Server)
Terminal Server is bundled with Windows 2003 server and is not availableas a standalone product. Previous versions of Terminal Server requireda special Terminal Server version of Windows NT or 2000 Server. ClientAccess Licenses must also be purchased for each client connecting to theserver.
It doesn't mater how large or complicated the application is, althoughthe server would need enough horsepower to run multiple instances of thesoftware for the number of users that are using it.
Terminal Services also auto creates all local printers and locallymapped network printers to the Remote Desktop session. Printing from anapplication through Terminal Services will print to your specified localprinter.
Similarly to Citrix, the print job is created by the driver on the serverand then sent to the client for spooling. The print quality is the sameas if the application had been running on the local computer. Unlike Citrixthere is no generic printer driver (although there are third party addons that can provide this) so a compatible printer driver must be loadedon the server.
Tsv //ms Terminal Services Plugin.1
Like Citrix, there is no interpretation on the part of the client. Theprint job is printed precisely as the server says it should be printed.Since the print job is created on the server, fonts only need to be installedon the server. It does not matter how the clients are configured.
Terminal Server can also share the clipboard. This is an example ofcopying graphics from a local app to a remote one running on the server.
Although there is no application publishing in Terminal Services, youcan create an RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) shortcut that will launch aspecified application. To do this you must specify the exact path of theapplication on the remote server. This is potentially a problem if thelocation of the application moves. Then you save the settings to an RDPfile. (On Citrix the client does not need to know the path of the application,this is handled by the server)
This screen shot shows the created RDP shortcut and Notepad openedin a Remote Desktop Window. It starts maximized as the desktop window isa fixed size.
This screen shot better shows that the remote desktop is always present.Unlike Citrix there are not individual local windows or icons on the localtaskbar for each application. Instead there is always a constant sizeddesktop present.
When you close the Remote Desktop window it assumes that you do notwant to close the application(s), but rather 'disconnect' without terminatingyour session. That is, if you close the Remote Desktop window without loggingoff, and then try to reconnect before a certain time-out period, you willbe reconnected to your previous session exactly as you left it.
In practice this can be a problem if you are using an application thatfreezes up the desktop preventing you from logging out. If you disconnectand then reconnect, you wind up back at the same frozen desktop.
Tsv //ms Terminal Services
Here is an example of the Remote Desktop client running in full screen.A tab at the top of the screen lets you easily minimize the window to showthe local Windows desktop.
Microsoft also provides an alternate method of launching the RemoteDesktop Client by embedding it inside an Internet Explorer window as anActive X control. Since this is an Active X control this won't work inany other web browser, but if you can connect using this method then youcan also use the regular client that, actually, does not require any webbrowser.
Ms-wbt-server Microsoft Terminal Services
The Active X control used here is actually the exact same program componentused by the Remote Desktop client, except you can not control the advancedoptions from inside IE. There is really no point launching it like thisunless you just love IE.
Ms Terminal Services
Additionally, this does not use HTTP protocols but instead uses itsown protocol on a separate port. Proxies and firewalls that allow onlyweb traffic will therefore block the Remote Desktop protocol. While TerminalServers can be accessed with Remote Desktop over the Internet, this isnot a 'web' thing.