First Experiences using Windows Terminal Services on Server 2003 Alberto Pace for the IS group

What are “Terminal Services” u Alias “Remote Desktop” u Allows a remote windows session from a computer to another computer, not necessarily running Windows u Multi user environment supported in Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2003 Server

Introduces duality on something that is today very successful lxplus.cern.ch (Linux PLUS – Public Logon Unix Service) Windows / Mac / Linux Client with X-terminal software cernts.cern.ch (Windows Terminal Service) Linux / Mac / Windows Client with remote desktop software

Motivation u Reduces (but does not replace) the need for … u VMWare u Virtual PCs and windows emulators u Multi boot installation u … u “does not replace” because network access is required

Terminal Service Pilot at CERN u Approved by CERN Management on June 2003 u 3 standard computers u desktop 2.4 GHz, 1 GB RAM, 40 GB mirrored disk u Usual scale out architecture u Built-in load balancing u Supported freeware clients u Linux Redhat, Solaris being tested u Mac OS X u All recent Windows versions (98, Me, 2000, XP) u Thin clients simple to install & use u Internet Explorer 4 is enough on Windows u Simpler than the current ongoing effort on supporting Hummingbird Exceed

Options that were dropped u Platform-independent clients u HOBLink JWT Java applet, u Not freeware, License cost prohibitive u Citrix ICA ( u Uniquely X11 based u No additional client software required on UNIX clients u Performance issue u Complex Licensing mode

CERN WTS Web site u Entry point to the service, including Web Access

Remote Desktop Web Connection

Linux clients u rdesktop u freeware client u u Source available u Compiled on Redhat standard IT version and Mandrake 9.0 u tsclient u freeware front-end for rdesktop (XP look) u

Linux Example

Macintosh Example

Few highlights of the service

Copy / Cut / Paste u The Windows Terminal Service provide clipboard sharing, allowing you to cut and paste from programs running in your Remote Desktop session to programs running on your local computer and vice-versa. u This may be unavailable on some versions of the client software being used

Access local files from the remote session u Your local drives (disc, Floppy, CD-ROM) can be made available to the remote session u The availability of this feature depends on the client software being used u This option must be activated on the client software u Within a Remote Desktop session, your local drives appear in Windows Explorer as \ on tsclient u To access local drives from a command line or a run line in a remote session, type \\tsclient\ \\tsclient\<driveletter u See examples next page

Access local files from the remote session

Printing to your local printer from a remote session u Printer redirection routes printing jobs from the terminal server or Remote Desktop computer to a printer attached to your local computer u The availability of this feature depends on the client software being used

Options (1) u Every client software has several options that can be configured u You may want to configure these options depending on the speed of the internet connection you have

Options (2) u The size and colour depth of your remote desktop may also have a performance impact

Option (3) u Local resources configuration

The service

Application proposed in the pilot u Core set of applications for the pilot phase u Microsoft Office XP with Frontpage u Office XP Professional Multilanguage Pack (French, German, Italian) u Visual Studio.NET Professional u Adobe Acrobat 5.05 (furnished with Acrobat Distiller, PDFMaker, Adobe PostScript Printer Driver) u Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.05 u OpenAfs (in testing phase) u Microsoft MS Project 98 u Putty 0.53b u ActiveState Perl u Python u CERN Client Printing Package u CERN Phonebook 2000 u Zephyr u Symantec Antivirus Client u Maintained by the Internet Services group (in the IT Division) u Endless requests to add additional software u Some software had problems and will not be made available in the future service

Usage of the pilot u More than 220 different persons have been using it u Various motivations u I am on Linux/Macintosh and I need access to Windows applications u I am not at CERN and I want access to the CERN environment u I do not have that particular application installed, I cannot install it, but I need it. u License reasons u Complex installations centrally managed u I have a slow computer and I want a faster one

Pilot usage figures (Jun-Sep) u Total Connection Time7721 Hours 322 days (almost one year) u Number of Connections:1782 u Users who logged in more then once:131 Top 10 Users (Total Connection Time) 146 days 22 hours 244 days 14 hours 328 days 17 hours 423 days 21 hours 522 days 5 hours 617 days 715 days 17 hours 89 days 98 days 3 hours 107 days 20 hours Top 10 Users (Connections): Source: Rafal Otto

Pilot usage Figures (Jun-Sep) Source: Rafal Otto Week number

Discussion with user representatives u A large majority of delegates requested to continue and extend the service u Continue the standard service for the core applications u A subset of the existing one u Envisage the possibility of having instances of TS nodes centrally maintained where a particular service provider could install his own software u LHCB build service u AB/CO controls applications, with managed JVM u ST/MA Asset Tracking and Maintenance Management u EP/SFT for several custom applications u IT/PS for some engineering applications u TH to read mail attachments for non-windows users

The proposed “standard Service” u Core set of applications for the standard service u Microsoft Office XP with Frontpage u Office XP Professional Multilanguage Pack (French, German, Italian) u Adobe Acrobat, Distiller, PDFMaker, Adobe PostScript Printer Driver u Putty 0.53b u CERN Client Printing Package u CERN Phonebook 2000 u Zephyr u Symantec Antivirus Client u To be discussed u ActiveState Perl u Python u Visual Studio.NET u OpenAfs u OpenAFS has been one of the most welcome application but it had several technical issues u Microsoft MS Project 98 / MS Project 2002

Cost estimation u Licenses u Apart from the server license, no software cost for clients accessing WTS from a CERN PC (Windows and Linux) u CERN PCs have all the basic Windows License u We’ll need to buy CAL for Macintosh and Solaris clients u Only few kchf u Hardware u For the Standard Service, we could start with 3 nodes u 30 – 40 kchf u Manpower u Operation, support, cloning of the service won’t be free u Current estimation: 0.5 – 1 FTE

Conclusion u A step forward in Linux / Windows / Mac integration u Freeware clients exists for all platforms u (except legacy Mac OS 8-9) u STOP or GO decision in November, based on manpower cost u LONG TERM COMMITMENT of 0.5 – 1 FTE