4. Packaging RemoteApp Applications
After you have designated your applications as RemoteApp
programs, you can package them for deployment to your clients. The
Remote Desktop Connection client program can provide workstations with
an RDS desktop, but not with individual RemoteApp applications. To
deploy RemoteApp applications to your workstations, you can use any
one of the following three methods:
-
Package the program as an RDP file
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Package the program as an MSI file
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Add the program to an intranet Web page
The following sections discuss these methods.
A Remote Desktop Protocol package is a file with an .rdp
extension, which contains all of the settings needed for the client
computer to connect to a specific RemoteApp program on a specific
RDS server. Creating an .rdp file is simply a matter of selecting
one of the entries in the RemoteApp Programs list in the RemoteApp
Manager console and choosing Create .rdp File from the Action menu.
This launches the RemoteApp Wizard, in which you can configure the
package settings shown in Figure 3.
By default, the wizard creates RDP files in the C:\Program
Files\Packaged Programs folder, but you can modify the path to
create them anywhere. After you have created the file, you can use
any method to get it to your client computers. You can copy the file
to a shared network drive to which your users have access, copy it
to a workstation’s local drive, send it via e-mail to a user, or
deploy it using a software distribution product such as SCCM 2007.
All the user has to do is execute the file, and the process of
connecting to the RDS server begins. After the user authenticates,
the computer establishes a connection to the server, and the
application appears on the user’s desktop in a standard
window.
Creating Windows Installer Packages
The RemoteApp Manager console is also capable of
packaging RemoteApp program information as a Windows Installer (MSI)
package. Selecting a RemoteApp program and clicking Create Windows
Installer file launches the same RemoteApp Wizard, which creates an
RDP file in the same way, The only difference here is that the
wizard then packages the RDP file in a Windows Installer (MSI) file.
The other method for deploying RemoteApp programs, and RDS
desktops as well, is Remote Desktop Web Access (RD Web Access), an
RDS role service that uses Internet Information Services (IIS) to
provide users with client access to RDS servers. When you install
the Remote Desktop Web Access role service, the Add Role Services
Wizard also installs the Web Services (IIS) role and creates a
secured intranet Web site for RDS.
Users connecting to the intranet site must first authenticate
themselves, after which an RD Web Access page appears, as shown in
Figure 4.
For a RemoteApp program to appear on the RD Web Access site,
you must select the RemoteApp Program Is Available Through RD Web
Access check box on the program’s Properties sheet. You can also
select an entry in the RemoteApp Programs list and click Show in RD
Web Access in the Action pane.
Note
PUBLISHING A DESKTOP IN RD WEB
ACCESS
In addition to publishing RemoteApp programs in the
RD Web Access intranet site, you can also provide users with
access to a full RDS desktop. Clicking RD Session Host Server
Settings in the Action pane opens the RemoteApp Deployment
Settings dialog box, as shown in Figure 5.
When you select the Show A Remote Desktop Connection To This
RD Session Host Server In RD Web Access check box, a Remote
Desktop icon appears on the Web page as well. This provides users
with the same access as the Remote Desktop Connection client,
without the need to configure that client and establish a
connection manually.
Practice: Deploying Applications Using RemoteApp
To deploy server-based applications to network workstations,
the RDS RemoteApp feature requires a minimum of setup and little or
no end user reeducation.
EXERCISE 1 Creating RemoteApp
Programs
RemoteApp itself requires only the RDS Remote Desktop Session
Host role service.
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Click Start. Then click Administrative Tools | Remote
Desktop Services | RemoteApp Manager. The RemoteApp Manager
console appears.
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In the Actions pane, click Add RemoteApp Programs. The
RemoteApp Wizard appears.
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Click Next to bypass the Welcome page. The Choose
Programs To Add To The RemoteApp Programs List page appears, as
shown in Figure 6.
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Select the check boxes for the Calculator, Paint, and
WordPad programs.
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With the WordPad program selected, click Properties. The
RemoteApp Properties sheet for the WordPad program
appears.
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Select the Allow Any Command-Line Arguments option and
click OK. A message box appears, warning of the danger of
allowing command line arguments.
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Click Yes to close the message box.
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Click Next. The Review Settings page appears.
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Click Finish. The three programs you selected appear in
the RemoteApp Programs list.
EXERCISE 2 Connecting to the RD Web
Access Site
After you have selected programs for RemoteApp, you can access
them using your intranet Web site.
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Open Server Manager. Click Configure IE ESC, and in the
Internet Explorer Enhanced Security configuration dialog box,
click the Off option for Administrators. Then click OK.
-
Click Start. Then click Internet Explorer. The Windows
Internet Explorer window appears.
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In the address box, type https://127.0.0.1/rdweb. If a
Certificate error page appears, click Continue To This Website.
An RD Web Access page appears.
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If an information bar appears, prompting you to run an
add-on, click the bar and select Run Add-on. A Security Warning
message box appears.
-
Click Run.
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In the Domain\User Name and Password text boxes, type the
credentials for an administrative account and click Sign In. A
page appears with icons for the three programs you
selected.
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Double-click the Calculator icon. A dialog box appears,
confirming that you want to connect to a program from an unknown
publisher.
-
Click Connect. A Windows Security dialog box
appears.
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Enter your credentials again and click Connect. A
Calculator window appears.
