Deploy a Single Application Through Terminal Services

Next, ensure that your new server is referencing a valid Terminal Services licensing server on your network. To do so, select Administrative Tools, Terminal Services Configuration, Server Settings. By default, your server will be in Automatic discovery mode. Terminal Services won't work after 60 days unless it can find a valid licensing server. Installing a licensing server isn't difficult, but it's outside the scope of this article. For information about setting up a licensing server, see the Learning Path.

If you're using Windows 2003, open the License server discovery mode setting under Server Settings. If you're in Automatic licensing server discovery mode, the server name will appear at the bottom of the window. You can also manually configure the licensing server. Win2K doesn't have a place to manually specify a licensing server. So, if you have trouble getting the server to recognize an existing licensing server, you'll need to specify a licensing server by accessing the HKEY_ LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TermService\Parameters registry subkey. Add the value DefaultLicenseServer, of data type REG_SZ. Replace the ServerName data value with the NetBIOS name of the licensing server.

Step 2: Set Up the Connections
Now, it's time to configure the connections. In Administrative Tools, open Terminal Services Configuration and select the Connections folder. You should see the default connection already installed.

For the purposes of this article, we'll use the default connection for administering the server and create a new connection for single application access. The trick is that each connection needs its own NIC. So, before you go any further, double-click the existing connection and go to the Network Adapter tab. Use the dropdown menu to assign this connection to one of the two NICs you installed during setup. Now is a good time to make all your other configuration changes, such as raising the encryption level on the General tab and permitting only administrators and members of the IT department to connect on this interface by changing the ACL to include only specific Windows users or groups on the Permissions tab.

At this point, you should be able to go back to your desk, connect remotely to the default interface, install your application, and complete the setup. To get connected to the server, open Remote Desktop Connection from Start, Programs, Accessories, Communications. On the Remote Desktop Connection screen, for Computer, enter the IP of the NIC you assigned to your connection. Click the Connect button and log on to your server.

Before beginning your installation, you need to open a command prompt and type

change user /install 

This command moves user-specific .ini files to the system directory during the installation. Now, a master copy is available for other users. For more information, see the Microsoft article "Terminal Server Commands: CHANGE" (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/186504).

Now, install your application. After the installation is finished, go back to the command prompt and type

change user /execute 

Go back to Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Terminal Services Configuration and right-click the Connections folder. Choose Create New Connection, which starts the Terminal Services Connection Wizard. Most of the wizard's options are self-explanatory. Just be sure to choose the second network adapter when you get to the end. Double-click the connection you just created to open the Properties window.

On the General tab, which Figure 1 shows, enter a comment that's descriptive enough to let other administrators know what the connection is for without having to tab through the properties. On this tab, you can also adjust the security settings and assign a digital certificate for running your connections over SSL.

On the Logon Settings tab, you can configure the type of logon you'd like to use. By default, the regular Windows logon screen will appear and users will need to enter their username and password to log on. However, if you're deploying an application with its own user-accounts database or you just don't care who uses it, you might want to configure this connection to automatically log on. Doing so will make your application launch more like a regular desktop application.

On the Sessions tab, which Figure 2 shows, you need to configure the options that tell the system what to do depending on the current state of the session. If you're not supplying logon credentials on the Sessions tab, select the first Override user settings check box and set the End a disconnected session check box to 1 hour. With these settings configured, end users who have closed the connection without logging off will be removed and memory will be returned to the system. If you're supplying a username and password for automatic logon, select the second Override user settings check box and click the End session radio button.

By default, once the user is logged on, the Windows desktop will appear and the user will need to launch the necessary application manually. On the Environment tab, you can configure the system to launch an application instead of showing the desktop. Select the Start the following program radio button, and enter the path to the application executable.

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