The Benefits of Microsoft Terminal Server

Microsoft's Terminal Server

Terminal Services is a component of Microsoft Windows(both server and client versions) that allows a user to access applications and data stored on a remote computer over a network. Terminal Services is Microsoft's implementation of thin-client terminal server computing, where Windows applications, or even the entire desktop of the computer running terminal services, is made accessible from a remote client machine.

The client can either be a full fledged computer, running any Operating System as long as the client application supports the terminal services protocol, or a bare-bones machine that is powerful enough to support the protocol (such as Windows FLP).

With terminal services, only the User Interface of an application is presented at the client system. Any input to it is redirected over the network to the server, which is where all the processing the application requires happens. This is in contrast to appstreaming systems, like Microsoft Softgrid, in which the applications, while still stored on a centralized server, are streamed to the client on-demand and then processed by the client machine.

Terminal Services was first introduced in Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition. It was significantly improved for Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003. Both the underlying protocol as well as the service was again significantly overhauled for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. It added features like the ability to access remote resources like the Clipboard, in addition to resources like discs and audio.

Windows includes two client applications which utilize terminal services: Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop. Remote Assistance, which is, available in all versions of Windows, allows one user to assist another user. Remote Desktop allows a user to login to a remote system and access the desktop, applications and data on the system, as well as control it remotely.

For an enterprise, Terminal Services allows IT departments to install applications on a central server. For example, instead of deploying a database or accounting software on all desktops, it can simply be put on a server and remote users can log on and use it across the Internet.

This centralization makes upgrading, troubleshooting, and software management much easier. As long as the employees have the Remote Desktop software, they will be able to use it. Terminal Services can also integrate with Windows authentication systems to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the applications or data.

Microsoft has a longstanding agreement with Citrix to facilitate sharing of technologies and patent licensing between Microsoft Terminal Services and Citrix Presentation Server (formerly Citrix MetaFrame).

In this arrangement, Citrix has access to key source code for the Windows platform enabling their developers to improve the security and performance of the Terminal Services platform. In late December, 2004 the two companies announced a five-year renewal of this arrangement to cover Windows Vista.

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