Installing Applications for Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services Configuring Windows Server 2008 RD Web Access BUY_WINSERV_2008R2 RemoteApps are a part of the Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services role. Up until this point, Remote Desktop Services have been covered in the context of displaying an entire virtual desktop session on a local client from a remote server (otherwise known as an RD Session Host). Whilst this can be useful in a number of situations it is actually more common that only individual applications running on a remote server needs to be displayed on a local client, essentially making the applications appear as though they are running locally. This functionality is provided by RemoteApps and is the focus of this chapter. Preparing the RD Session Host for RemoteApps In order to configure RemoteApps on Windows Server 2008 R2 there are a few prerequisites. In the first instance, the Remote Desktop Services role must be installed and configured on the server system.

Mar 11, 2013 Hi, I'd like to deploy remote-app applications in the startmenu of my domain. Setting up remote-app is no problem. Mar 17, 2009. When the RemoteApp Manager starts, select the Add RemoteApp Programs link from the Actions menu. When you do, Windows will launch the RemoteApp Wizard. Click Next to bypass the wizard's Welcome screen, and you will be taken to a list of the applications that are installed on your terminal server.

For details on how to achieve this refer to [Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop (RD) Services]]. Secondly, any applications which are to be configured as RemoteApps must be installed for Remote Desktop Services so that they support multiple users. The steps to implement this were covered in Chapter 18 - Installing Applications for Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services. Finally, if the applications are to be accessed via a browser using the Remote Desktop Web Access services role, this will also need to be configured as outlined in. Once the first two, and optionally the third, requirements are met the server is now ready to begin the RemoteApp configuration process.

What are RemoteApps? RemoteApps are part of the Windows Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services role. The objective behind remote desktop services is to allow client systems to access desktops and applications running on remote servers. As the description suggests, remote desktop access presents an entire desktop session from the remote server on the screen of the local client. This allows the user to perform a number of desktop based tasks including launching and interacting with applications on the remote host. The RemoteApps feature avoids the necessity to access an entire desktop on the remote system in order to launch an application, instead allowing the user to launch individual applications from their local system. When launched, each RemoteApp appears in its own window on the client's desktop just as any locally running would.

RemoteApps can be launched either by clicking on a link on an RD Web Access web page, or by installing a file on the client which, when clicked, launches the RemoteApp. Configuring a Application as a RemoteApp Applications are configured as RemoteApps using the RemoteApp Manager tool.

This can be accessed either from the Start ->All Programs ->Remote Desktop Services ->RemoteApp Manager or by running remoteprograms.msc in a Run dialog or at a command prompt. Once launched, the manager will appear as follows: To configure an application as a RemoteApp, begin by clicking on the Add RemoteApp Programs link in the Actions panel located in the top right hand corner of the RemoteApp Manager screen. This will display the RemoteApp wizard containing a list of currently installed applications. One or more applications may be selected from the list before pressing the Next button: The wizard also provides a number of different properties that may be changed for each of the applications.

To change these settings, select an application in the list and click on the Properties button to display the RemoteApps Properties dialog as illustrated below: This dialog allows the following properties to be configured: • RemoteApps program name - The name by which the application or program will be presented to the user. • Location: - The physical path to the executable which launches the application. • Alias - A unique identifier for the program or application, typically set to the executable name minus the.exe (or other) extension. • RemoteApp is available through RD Web Access - Controls whether the application is available to be launched via RD Web Access.

For details on RD Web Access read Chapter 20 - Configuring Windows Server 2008 R2 RD Web Access. • Command-Line Arguments - Specifies the rules for providing the application with command-line arguments.

• Change Icon - Allows a different icon than the programs default icon to be specified. The second tab on the RemoteApps properties screen labeled User Assignment allows restrictions to be imposed on which users and groups can access the selected RemoteApp icon. Note, however, that these settings are only relevant within the context of Active Directory domains. After making any necessary property changes click Ok to close the property dialog and click Next to proceed to the Review Settings screen and Finish to complete the configuration. Upon completion the applications selected within the wizard will be listed under RemoteApp Programs as illustrated below: Once the RemoteApps are configured, they need to be made available to the remote users. This is achieved via RD Web Access, Windows Installer Package or Remote Desktop Protocol (.RDP) file. Each of these approaches will be covered in detail in the remaining sections of this chapter.

Making RemoteApps Available to Users via RD Web Access By default, RemoteApps are configured to be accessible via RD Web Access (for details on installing and configuring the RD Web Access service role refer read ). As outlined above this setting can be checked during the RemoteApp configuration process by verifying that the RemoteApp is available through RD Web Access box is set in the properties dialog. This setting can be modified at any time by right clicking on the RemoteApp program in question on the RemoteApp Manager RemoteApp Programs list and selecting either the Show in RD Web Access or Hide in RD Web Access menu option.

Assuming that the RemoteApp programs are configured for RD Web Access, simply open a browser window and enter the URL of the RD Web Access page, the format of which is typically as follows (where server is the name or IP address of the RD Session Host Server system): When a connection has been established the browser will prompt for the user's login and password credentials before displaying the RD Web Access page: To launch an application the user simply clicks on the icon for the required application. First to appear will be the RemoteApp Connecting dialog. This will be followed by a second dialog which contains warnings about any risks inherent in running the application. Skyrim Free Pc Full Version 2012 Olympic Gymnastics on this page. A Details button is provided to display settings allowing the user to decide which resources on the local system (such as drives, devices, keyboard, mouse, printers, ports etc) should be made available to the application running on the remote system.

This can be particularly useful, for example, if a user needs to print from the remote application onto a local printer, or save a file onto a local disk or USB drive: Having made the appropriate settings, click the Connect button. The RemoteApp launcher will then prompt for the login and password credentials of a user on the RD Session Host. Note that this user must be either an administrator or be a member of the Remote Desktop user group. Once the connection is established the remote application will appear in a window on the local desktop just as a local running application would appear. Making RemoteApps Available to Users via Windows Installer Packages One alternative to providing RemoteApp program access via RD Web Access is to create a Windows Installer package which can be used to install the RemoteApp launcher on any client systems which need access.

To create a Windows Installer for a RemoteApp program, right click on the RemoteApp program in question on the RemoteApp Manager RemoteApp Programs list and select Create Windows Installer Package from the menu. When the RemoteApp Wizard welcome screen appears click on Next to proceed to the package setting screen. On this screen, set the target directory where the RemoteApp program launcher is to be installed in the client system. Also on this screen are settings for controlling which server and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) port the client system will be directed to in order to launch the RemoteApp. The final setting allows access to the RemoteApp to be protected through the use of certificates. WIN28BOX The Next button proceeds to the Configuration screen where settings such as controlling whether the application is listed in the Start menu and Desktop of the client user's desktop after installation.

The final option is related to file extension associations. As examples of file extension associations, a Word document has a.doc file extension and an Excel file an.xls extension. When configured, file extension associations ensure that when a user double clicks, for example, on a.doc file, Word is started with the selected file opened and ready for editing. The Take over file extensions option associates appropriate file extensions with the RemoteApp, such that the RemoteApp is started when a corresponding local file is selected by a user. Once the settings are complete, proceed to the confirmation screen, review the settings summary and click on Finish to complete the Windows Installer Package creation. Once completed the.msc package can be found in the location specified during the configuration process (by default this is C: Program Files Packaged Programs). This file should be copied to any client systems where access to the RemoteApp is required and executed to install the application.

Once installed, the RemoteApp can be found in the Start ->All Programs ->Remote Programs and on the Desktop if the corresponding option was selected during the installer configuration process. As with RD Web Access, the user will be given the option to control which local resources such as devices and printers are to be made accessible to the remote application and must login in as a user that has either administrative or remote desktop privileges on the RD Session Host. Making RemoteApps Available to Users via.RDP Files The process for creating a Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) file for a RemoteApp is similar to that for creating a Windows Installer package. To create an RDP file for a RemoteApp, right click on the RemoteApp program in question on the RemoteApp Manager RemoteApp Programs list and select Create.rdp File from the menu. When the RemoteApp Wizard welcome screen appears click on Next to proceed to the package setting screen.

On this screen, set the target directory where the.rdp is to be generated. Also on this screen are settings for controlling which server and Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) port the client system will be directed to in order to launch the RemoteApp. The final setting allows access to the RemoteApp to be protected through the use of digital signatures. Once the settings are complete, proceed to the confirmation screen, review the settings summary and click on Finish to complete the.rdp file creation. Once completed the.rdp file can be found in the location specified during the configuration process (by default this is C: Program Files Packaged Programs).

This file should be copied to any client systems where access to the RemoteApp is required. As with the previous options discussed, the user will be given the option to control which local resources such as devices and printers are to be made accessible to the remote application.

Before We Begin Before I get started, I need to point out that the Terminal Service RemoteApp feature is different from a normal Terminal Service session. Because of the inherent differences, not all Windows clients will be able to work with remotely hosted applications. Terminal Service RemoteApp only works with clients that are running Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows XP with SP2 or higher installed, and Windows Server 2003 with SP1 or higher and the new Remote Desktop Client installed. Installing the Terminal Services Let’s get started with the installation process.

For the purposes of this article series, I am going to assume that you have already installed Windows Server 2008, and that you have joined the server to the appropriate domain. Begin the installation process by opening the Server Manager, and selecting the Roles container. Next, click the Add Roles link, located in the Actions pane. This will cause Windows to launch the Add Roles wizard.

Click Next to bypass the wizard’s Welcome screen, and you will be taken to a screen that lists the various roles that are available on the server. Select the Terminal Services role, and click Next.

Windows should now display a screen that serves as an introduction to the Terminal Services. Go ahead and click Next, and you will be taken to a screen that allows you to select the role services that you want to install. For right now, go ahead and choose the Terminal Server role and the TS Licensing Role.

For the sake of this article series, I am assuming that you do not have an existing Windows 2008 terminal service deployment in place. We are selecting the TS Licensing role, because Microsoft requires all terminal servers to be connected to a licensing server, although there is a grace period before you actually have to license your servers.

Go ahead and click Next, and you will see a warning message that tells you that any applications that were installed prior to the installation of the terminal services may not work with the Terminal Services. Go ahead and click Next to ignore this warning. Windows will now display a screen that asks you if you want to perform network level authentication. Network level authentication is a new mechanism that allows Windows to perform user authentication before a full blown Terminal Service session is established. Network level authentication is generally considered to be a good thing, because it simplifies the authentication process and conserves server resources. Even so, only clients running Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 support network level authentication. Therefore, you will want to carefully consider whether or not network level authentication should be enabled. For the purposes of this article series, I will be enabling network level authentication.

The next screen that you will be taken to asks you if you want to use per user or per device licensing. You can choose either one, but the option that you choose must correspond to the type of Terminal Server licenses that you have actually purchased. Click Next, and Windows will ask you which users and groups should be allowed to connect to the terminal server. For now, just click Next to accept the defaults. You will now see a screen asking you to make a decision about the discovery scope. What this means is that you have to decide whether your licensing server should only service terminal servers that are members of the same domain as the licensing server, or if you want the licensing server to service the entire forest. Once again, you are going to have to select the option that is the most appropriate for your own organization, and then click Next.

At this point, the wizard should display a summary of the installation options that you have chosen. I recommend that you take a moment or two to read over the installation summary just to make sure that the correct options have been selected. After doing so, click the Install button. Windows will now install the requested services. When the installation process completes, click the Close button. You will now be prompted to restart your server. Go ahead and click Yes to reboot the server.

RemoteApp Now that we have got a basic Terminal Service deployment established, I want to give you a quick preview of what RemoteApp can do. In the next part of the series, I will go back and do some fine tuning and show you some other options for application hosting. In the interest of simplicity, let us start out by hosting the Windows Calculator. To do so, click the Start button and choose the Administrative Tools Terminal Services TS RemoteApp Manager options from the Start menu. When the RemoteApp Manager starts, select the Add RemoteApp Programs link from the Actions menu. When you do, Windows will launch the RemoteApp Wizard.

Click Next to bypass the wizard’s Welcome screen, and you will be taken to a list of the applications that are installed on your terminal server. Select the check box corresponding to Calculator, and click Next, followed by Finish. You should now see the Windows Calculator added to the list of RemoteApp Programs, as shown in Figure A. Figure A: The Windows Calculator has been added to the list of RemoteApp Programs When you select the listing for the Calculator, a number of additional options become available on the Actions pane. Click the Create.RDP File option. This will cause Windows to launch the RemoteApp Wizard. Once again, click Next to bypass the wizard’s Welcome screen.

You should now see a screen that asks you to enter a bunch of different options related to the remote application. Our goal for right now is to simply try out a remote application, so change the Location to Save the Package field to point to a network share that is accessible from a client machine. Do not worry about any of the other settings for now. I will address them later in this series.

Click Next, followed by Finish, and Windows will create a custom RDP file and place it into the location that you have specified. An RDP file is a Remote Desktop file. File Installation Key Matlab R2014a Download on this page. RDP files are normally used to establish Terminal Service sessions with remote machines, but in this case, the RDP file is application specific.

If we open the RDP file from a client machine, the client will launch the Calculator (keep in mind that right now the Administrator is the only user who has access to the Calculator). If you look at Figure B, you can see that the Calculator appears to be running locally. The only indication that it is a hosted application is the word Remote in the bar at the bottom of the screen.

Figure B: This is what a RemoteApp looks like when it is running Conclusion In this article, I have shown you the basics for hosting an application. In the next part of this article series, I want to take a step back, and show you how to fine tune the application hosting experience. If you would like to read the other parts in this article series please go to: • • • •.

Author Brien Posey Brien Posey is a freelance technology author and speaker with over two decades of IT experience. Prior to going freelance, Brien was a CIO for a national chain of hospitals and healthcare facilities. He has also served as a network engineer for the United States Department of Defense at Fort Knox. In addition, Brien has worked as a network administrator for some of the largest insurance companies in America. To date, Brien has received Microsoft’s MVP award numerous times in categories including Windows Server, IIS, Exchange Server, and File Systems / Storage. You can visit Brien’s Website at: www.brienposey.com.

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