[THIN] MSTerminalServices.org - April 2006 Newsletter

MSTerminalServices.org Newsletter of April 2006
Sponsored by: 2X Software Ltd
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In this issue:
What's up?
KB Articles of the Month
Ask our MVPs!
Learning Zone
On the Spot
Rumours on  the SBC Space


Welcome to the MSTerminalServices.org newsletter! Each month we will bring you 
interesting and helpful information on MS Terminal Services and server based 
computing. We want to know what all *you* are interested in hearing about. 
Please send your suggestions for future newsletter content to: 
CRodrigues@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application Publishing burning a hole in your pocket? - switch to 2X 
ApplicationServer - its Free
2X ApplicationServer allows you to publish any Windows application onto remote 
desktops, saving on administration & support. Install the application once on 
the server and eliminate the administration hassle of deploying the 
applications on all workstations. Allow users outside the firewall secure 
access to corporate applications by tunneling the applications onto their 
remote desktop/notebook via SSL!

Download your 5 FREE application license 
(http://www.2x.com/applicationserver/application-publishing.htm)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. What's up?
By Claudio Rodrigues, Terminal Server MVP

Hi there!

It is almost May and this month was great for TS/Citrix geeks out there. :-)

Everyone got together at BriForum (http://www.briforum.com/) at the beginning 
of the month for the best technical conference out there. Three days, sixty 
plus sessions and tons of drinks later, we were all more than happy. Brian even 
managed to get us a fire going on to test our evacuation skills. That was cool. 
BriForum is now going to Europe at the end of the year, more precisely in 
October and in Germany.

Next month we also have PubForum (http://www.pubforum.net/), this time in 
Brussels, Belgium. Unfortunately, thanks to my well known on-going battle with 
Immigration Canada I will not be able to go anywhere anytime soon. :-( Too bad 
because the beer content at PubForum seems higher (is that possible???).

On the Application Virtualization/Isolation end, two cool things I have seen 
this morning. First, Softricity finally announced their SoftGrid Platform V4 
with many improvements (actually we were testing it specifically for DDE 
support and it worked as expected!). And finally Altiris has been doing a great 
job with their 'Software Virtualization Solution' (SVS). Although not the same 
as SoftGrid, I think everyone should check it out. First because it is free for 
personal use; secondly because you can get some apps already prepackaged for 
you! Really cool stuff. The apps are available at http://www.svsdownloads.com.

Cheers!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application Publishing burning a hole in your pocket? - switch to 2X 
ApplicationServer - its Free
2X ApplicationServer allows you to publish any Windows application onto remote 
desktops, saving on administration & support. Install the application once on 
the server and eliminate the administration hassle of deploying the 
applications on all workstations. Allow users outside the firewall secure 
access to corporate applications by tunneling the applications onto their 
remote desktop/notebook via SSL!

Download your 5 FREE application license 
(http://www.2x.com/applicationserver/application-publishing.htm)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. KB Articles of the Month

Here are some interesting and useful Terminal Services related articles posted 
by Microsoft in the last month:

You receive a "Not enough memory" error message when you search for clips in an 
Office document during a Terminal Services session
(821257) - When you search for clips in a Microsoft Office document (on the 
Insert menu, point to Picture, and then click Clip Art) during a Microsoft 
Windows 2000 Terminal Services session, you may receive the following error 
message?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/821257/en-us

FIX: Non-Admin Windows 2000 Users Cannot Create Global Objects by Using 
Terminal Services
(823317) When you try to create global objects by using Windows 2000 Terminal 
Services server with Windows user credentials that are different from 
administrator credentials or LocalSystem credentials, the operation may fail. 
For example, when you try to insert a ClipArt picture in a Microsoft Word 
document, the operation may fail, and you receive the following error message?
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/823317/en-us

PPT2002: Colors Appear Corrupted on a Terminal Services Client Session 
Connection
(328104) - When you run PowerPoint 2002 on a Terminal Services client session 
connection (which runs at 256 colors - Windows 2000 TS), colors may appear 
corrupted.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/328104/en-us

Terminal Server License Server Activation Wizard generates a product ID that 
does not work
(832794) - In Microsoft Windows Server 2003, when you use Terminal Server 
License Server Activation Wizard to activate a Terminal Services license server 
by telephone, you may find that you cannot use the product ID that appears on 
the License Server Activation page of the wizard to complete the activation of 
the license server. The product ID that is generated by the wizard does not 
work.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/832794/en-us

A remote desktop session may experience a long delay when you try to log off an 
Advanced Client computer
(831962) - After you install the Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 
Advanced Client software on a Terminal Server computer, it may take several 
minutes for you to log off a Terminal Services session on the Advanced Client 
computer. Additionally, changes to your profile may not be saved.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/831962/en-us

HOW TO: Use the Terminal Services Licensing Reporter Tool (Lsreport.exe)
(317592) - This step-by-step article describes how to use the Terminal Services 
Licensing Reporter tool (Lsreport.exe) to display and analyze the license 
information that is contained in the database of Terminal Services license 
servers.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/317592/en-us

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3. Ask our MVPs a question

This is simple and straight forward: shoot us your TS/Citrix question and we 
will get some of the top Terminal Services MVPs together and get you an answer, 
from everyone?s point of view!
The best question of the month will be published here with all the answers from 
these guys.
Just email us at CRodrigues@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

QUESTION: Well no one can say I have not tried. I asked for questions last 
month and again, nothing showed up (well I got some but they are more related 
to particular environments/problems than something that I think is applicable 
to the whole community out there). So we had to get another question from our 
hidden treasure chest?

'Dear TS MVPs. We are thinking about rolling out some of our applications using 
a TS environment. I have talked to a couple people and they are saying that TS 
has so many problems with printing that it is not worth doing it at all. They 
even say TS is the worst thing after the Toronto Maple Leafs? Is that true?'
Ottawa Senators Fan, Nepean

ANSWER: Dear Smart Person, you are correct. There is nothing worse than the 
Toronto Maple Leafs. Not even the Dutch National Soccer team. But about 
printing, this is not completely true. Printing is for sure one of the top 
headaches in a TS environment but not because TS is flawed as a technology. The 
main problem is most people doing Terminal Services deployments do not 
understand TS at all and simply think about it as a regular workstation. And 
here is where the problems will start to appear.

Certain evil administrators simply get the drivers CD that came with the 
printer, put on the TS CD drive and install them! Bad administrator, bad 
administrator!

Thanks to great driver developers out there that know nothing about TS, these 
well written pieces of art, when running on a TS, may behave in ways the 
developer never expected and then?. Well many things can happen, from spoolers 
that suddenly stop and no one prints, to servers that turn blue (actually just 
the screen. So far I am not aware of any chameleon server available. It could 
be interesting. I should patent that I guess).
So the first rule of thumb with TS is NEVER INSTALL ANY PRINTER DRIVER ON A TS. 
Before doing that, try to look for alternative options (like drivers listed on 
a standard, out-of-the-box Windows 2000/2003 Server). Or if you are really 
going to install the driver, TRY on a TEST server first. 

And do not forget to read websites like http://www.printingsupport.com and even 
my old article, available on the Microsoft website at: 

4. Learning Zone

To Citrix or Not to Citrix? 
http://www.msterminalservices.org/articles/Citrix-Not-Citrix.html
Date - Apr 5, 2006; Author - Cláudio Rodrigues; Section - Articles :: General
The main question most companies just starting to use SBC technology have is if 
Citrix is needed or not. This article is for everyone that is now looking at 
Terminal Services/Citrix as a new technology to be used in-house and are now at 
a crossroad, having to decide/justify if such an expensive add-on like Citrix 
is required or not.

Buying Your First Terminal Server
http://www.msterminalservices.org/articles/Buying-First-Terminal-Server.html
Date - Apr 11, 2006; Author - Stefan Vermeulen; Section - Articles :: General
The use of Server Based Computing for home workers or connecting a small branch 
office is very appealing to small companies. However this often means that most 
companies buy their first Terminal Server without any prior knowledge of the 
technology. Here are some useful recommendations to keep in mind when 
purchasing your first Terminal Server.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application Publishing burning a hole in your pocket? - switch to 2X 
ApplicationServer - its Free
2X ApplicationServer allows you to publish any Windows application onto remote 
desktops, saving on administration & support. Install the application once on 
the server and eliminate the administration hassle of deploying the 
applications on all workstations. Allow users outside the firewall secure 
access to corporate applications by tunneling the applications onto their 
remote desktop/notebook via SSL!

Download your 5 FREE application license 
(http://www.2x.com/applicationserver/application-publishing.htm)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. On The Spot

This month we talked to Jeff Pitsch. If you do not know him, he is the guy 
behind the SBCGateKeeper (http://www.sbcgatekeeper.com/mambo/) website, a 
fellow Microsoft MVP and now, an independent consultant.

Cláudio: Hey Jeff! Thanks for taking the time to be 'On the Spot' this month 
and my apologies for not being as high tech as Brian and his BrianMaddenLive 
show. We will get there eventually!

Jeff: No problem, Cláudio.  We can't all be Brian Madden. :-)

Cláudio: Well, first of all I guess everyone probably wants to know how you 
ended up on the Dark Side of the Force, doing TS/Citrix stuff. What was the 
deal?

Jeff: It was about 10 years ago or so when I was given my first exposure to a 
Citrix product.  It was back in the WinFrame days and I was working for a 
hospital and we were implementing a wireless ER system that used WinFrame to 
deliver the application.  At the time, I remember thinking, this is kind of 
cool but it will never go anywhere.  Heh, if only I knew then what I know now.  
At the time, I was trying to master 'systems management'.  I was working on 
things like SMS 1.0, LanDesk, etc.  Then Microsoft and Citrix came to their 
agreement for NT4 terminal services and Metaframe 1.0 was released.  This got 
me to look at the technology again and I immediately saw so many advantages to 
this type of deployment.  This was, at the time, the ultimate systems 
management tool.  Centralized deployment, centralized administration, the whole 
nine yards.  At that point, I was working for a consulting company and my 
interest took off from there.  Two or three years ago I decided to become more 
involved in the community and that's where I am today.

Cláudio: From what I remember, the SBC GateKeeper website was geared mostly 
towards TS Security. Was that intentional or simply because you were more 
involved with the security aspects of TS deployments? Or simply a personal 
choice?

Jeff: It was really a personal choice.  I wanted to start up a website but it 
seemed that many of the angles were taken.  Thomas Koetzing had the FAQ, Stefan 
Vermeulen had the printing, Doug Brown had MIAB, Brian Madden had a little bit 
of everything.  As well, everyone was asking questions in the various forums on 
how to lock down sessions, how to prevent users from doing one thing or another 
and there just didn't seem to be anywhere I could point users too for easy 
reference.  So, I decided to try to fill that niche.

Cláudio: And of course I guess I need to ask you what everyone asks me all the 
time. What are the main issues with the SBC approach?

Jeff: I think the main issue with the SBC approach is that administrators are 
typically thrown into terminal services.  A vendor, consultant or management 
tells them they are going to be using this solution and they suddenly have to 
learn a new product.  What happens is the administrators treat the box like any 
other server and as you well know Cláudio, terminal services is not like any 
other server service.  Many problems can simply be attributed to the fact that 
the administrator didn't take the time to learn the technology and has 
therefore not implemented it correctly.

Cláudio: Oh, please do not forget this question as well: 'Do I need Citrix or 
not?'. What do you think? :-)

Jeff: This question does get asked all the time in the forums, and I'll say 
what I always tell them:  There is no way anyone can answer that question 
without first sitting down and creating a business case.  It seems like such a 
simple question but in reality, as with any piece of technology, you need to be 
able to justify it.  What are the business drivers for Presentation Server?  
What problem are you trying to solve?  What features do you require? Etc.  That 
question just cannot be answered without a more in-depth analysis of the 
business requirements.

Cláudio: Great. So after all these years on the SBC arena, I guess, like me, 
you are very keen on what will happen to the SBC industry when technologies 
like application streaming, application virtualization and cheap, always on, 
ultra high speed internet access go mainstream. What are your thoughts on this? 
Are we doomed?

Jeff: No, we are hardly doomed.  A lot has been made of these technologies 
especially web applications but they are taking a lot longer to come about than 
people thought.  I always love reading  magazines, websites, etc that try to 
predict what will happen over the next year, two years, etc because they almost 
always get it wrong.  Web applications were going to doom the traditional 
application developers.  This has been prophesized for, what, 5 years now?  
Shoot, I'm still waiting on the paperless office.  The fact is, no matter how 
great a technology, companies are very slow to adopt them.  There are very, 
very few true web applications out there.  By true web application, I mean an 
application that requires nothing more than a browser frontend.  Most 'web 
applications' still require a client installation.  If I have to manage a 
client side piece, what have you really gained?

As well, I think many of the new technologies are really great and compliment 
the SBC arena as opposed to replacing it.  I think people tend to forget the 
reasons why the SBC space became so popular and they think the grass will be 
greener on the other side.  Now after saying that, SBC doesn't fix everything, 
nothing ever does.  I think people tend to look at some of these technologies 
as all or nothing and that has never been the case for anything.  Everything 
has its place; it's just a matter of finding the correct place in each 
organization.

Cláudio: Good. So now you are on your own. What was the main driving force that 
made you take the leap and start a TS Consulting business? I know you just 
started but you seem very happy so far!

Jeff: I've wanted to go out on my own for quite a while and this year seemed to 
be the perfect year for it.  I was getting many requests from people that know 
my work from the various forums so I figured this was a good time.  The biggest 
advantage I bring to the table is that I'm a known quantity.  I cannot hide 
what I do or do not know.  That gives business peace of mind because, let's be 
honest, most of time with consulting firms, you have no idea who you're going 
to get.  I know many companies that were burned by a firm promising they had an 
expert in one field or another to find out that the person was definitely not 
an expert.  Another advantage I bring is the world wide set of contacts I have 
with the other experts in the SBC field and at companies like Citrix and 
Microsoft.

And yes, I'm very happy with this.  It really is a great feeling to be finally 
on my own but to also be able to spend more time with family.  I know my kids 
love it.

Cláudio: Well I guess that is all from my end Jeff. Again, many thanks for your 
time this month and we will keep in touch for sure!

Jeff: Thank you Cláudio.

If you guys are looking for an experienced Citrix/TS consultant in the 
Chicago/Detroit area (or from what I gathered, he works pretty much anywhere in 
US), Jeff can be reached through his website at 
http://www.JeffPitschConsulting.com.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application Publishing burning a hole in your pocket? - switch to 2X 
ApplicationServer - its Free
2X ApplicationServer allows you to publish any Windows application onto remote 
desktops, saving on administration & support. Install the application once on 
the server and eliminate the administration hassle of deploying the 
applications on all workstations. Allow users outside the firewall secure 
access to corporate applications by tunneling the applications onto their 
remote desktop/notebook via SSL!

Download your 5 FREE application license 
(http://www.2x.com/applicationserver/application-publishing.htm)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6. Rumors on the SBC Space

Well some good news out there. Almost every single company in the SBC space is 
ready to release a newer version of their products. I guess it has something to 
do with spring. :-)

2X is coming out with a much improved ApplicationServer (seamless windows, 
application publishing, etc) and Provision Networks is revamping their product 
a lot and even adding some amazing things like Virtual IP support and so on!

And to wrap this month up, a cool announcement from my own end. :-) We have 
been working on a new company and a new product and it is now time to show it 
to the world. We will soon be releasing a product for recording RDP sessions. 
Yes, exactly like Citrix was talking at BriForum for their upcoming 
Presentation Server. The difference is ours is real and it is actually 
something that works and that you can try if you want! The idea is to allow 
companies to record all terminal services activities for auditing/archiving 
purposes. If you are interested in trying the software, just send me a quick 
email.

See you next month!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application Publishing burning a hole in your pocket? - switch to 2X 
ApplicationServer - its Free
2X ApplicationServer allows you to publish any Windows application onto remote 
desktops, saving on administration & support. Install the application once on 
the server and eliminate the administration hassle of deploying the 
applications on all workstations. Allow users outside the firewall secure 
access to corporate applications by tunneling the applications onto their 
remote desktop/notebook via SSL!

Download your 5 FREE application license 
(http://www.2x.com/applicationserver/application-publishing.htm)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Visit the Subscription Management section to unsubscribe.
MSTerminalServices.org is in no way affiliated with Microsoft Corp.
For sponsorship information, contact us at advertising@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Copyright © MSTerminalServices.org 2006. All rights reserved.

************************************************
For Archives, RSS, to Unsubscribe, Subscribe or
set Digest or Vacation mode use the below link:
http://www.freelists.org/list/thin
************************************************

Other related posts: