Adagio and Terminal Services

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Adagio-TerminalServer.DOC Page 1 of 8 This document will describe some ‘best practices’ to follow when installing Adagio

Modules in a Terminal Server Environment.

First, let’s look at a ‘Basic Network’ configuration as shown in Diagram 1:

File Server

Network Firewall Network Printer

Network Desktop / Laptop Workstations

Internet Basic Network Diagram 1 Local Printer Adagio Programs and Data

Workstation install required For EACH module

For Each Station (and Each User*)

* If multiple Users share the same station using different Logons Data Flow

This configuration is characterized by:

1. All Adagio programs and Data reside on the File Server’s drive 2. Backup is centralized on the File Server

3. Adagio data travels across the network to each user station on demand 4. Hard copy Report printing is achieved through any or all of the following

a) Shared Network printer b) Shared local printer

c) Private (non-shared) local printer

Adagio Installation

A workstation install is required for each Adagio module on each workstation.

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Adagio-TerminalServer.DOC Page 2 of 8 Diagram 2a shows the Basic network with a Windows Server 2003 Terminal Server

1. All Adagio programs and Data still reside on the File Server’s drive 2. Backup is centralized on the File Server

3. Adagio data travels across the network to each user station on demand 4. Adagio data travels across the network to the Terminal server on demand 5. Hard copy Report printing is achieved through any or all of the following

d) Shared Network printer e) Shared local printer

f) Private (non-shared) local printer

Adagio Installation

Network Stations

A workstation install is required for each Adagio module on each workstation.

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Adagio-TerminalServer.DOC Page 3 of 8

Windows 2003 Terminal Server Clients

A workstation install is required for each Adagio module for each USER who is

connection to the terminal server, regardless of which client station they use. Note the following:

1. When installing Adagio from a Terminal Server Client, it is no longer a requirement to use the Control Panel ‘Add/Remove Programs’ facility – just install as normal

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Adagio-TerminalServer.DOC Page 4 of 8 Diagram 2b shows a variant of the Basic network with a Windows Server 2003 Terminal Server

File Server

Network Desktop / Laptop Workstations

Internet

Basic and Terminal Services Network

Diagram 2b

Local Printer

Terminal Server

Local Printer

Terminal Server Clients

Adagio Programs and

Data **

** Ensure your daily backup process includes the Adagio Data files!!!

Da ta F

low

Workstation install required For EACH module

For Each Station (and Each User*)

* If multiple Users share the same station using different Logons

Workstation Install For each Module

For each USER

Other Programs and

Data

1. All Adagio programs and Data reside on the Terminal Server’s drive 2. Other Programs and Data reside on the File Server’s drive

3. Backup must be performed on the File Server and the Terminal Server 4. Adagio data travels across the network to each user station on demand

5. Adagio data is on the local drive for all Terminal Server users – thus no network traffic – this would improve performance for the Accounting Department, while still providing access to Adagio data for other users

6. Hard copy Report printing is achieved through any or all of the following g) Shared Network printer

h) Shared local printer

i) Private (non-shared) local printer

Adagio Installation

Network Stations

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Adagio-TerminalServer.DOC Page 5 of 8 If two or more users sharing the same workstation (different logins), then workstation install(s) must be performed for each user for each module

Windows 2003 Terminal Server Clients

A workstation install is required for each Adagio module for each USER who is

connection to the terminal server, regardless of which client station they use. Note the following:

1. When installing Adagio from a Terminal Server Client, it is no longer a requirement to use the Control Panel ‘Add/Remove Programs’ facility – just install as normal

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Adagio-TerminalServer.DOC Page 6 of 8 Diagram 3a shows scenarios for excellent Remote Access

File Server

Internet

Excellent Remote Access Diagram 3a

Local Printer

Terminal Server (Optional)

Travelling Laptop or Home Desktop

Local Printer Internet In Office Out of Office Adagio Programs and Data (if Not on Terminal Server) Adagio Programs and Data (if NOT on

File Server) Rem ote Cont rol Pa th To Ter mina l S erv er (No Dat a) Re mo te C on tro l P ath To Us er’s De skto p S tati on (N o D ata ) Data Flow Term inal S erver Base d Data Flow (File Ser

ver Based)

This configuration reflects Diagram 1, 2a or 2b with remote access via the internet added.

Configuration Issues for the Remote Units

1. The external Laptop or Home desktop DO NOT require any Adagio installation. 2. They should be configured to securely connect via the internet (using a VPN

‘tunnel’ or equivalent) to the Terminal Server (if present) or the user’s in office Desktop unit and use an appropriate ‘remote control’ technology (such as Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Connection) to initiate a session on the Terminal Server or In Office workstation. Thus only screen changes, Keyboard and Mouse clicks are sent across the Internet - all Adagio data is kept on the normal office network

3. Even if the laptop has Adagio modules installed for use when in the office,

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Adagio-TerminalServer.DOC Page 7 of 8 Diagram 3b shows scenarios for VERY POOR Remote Access

File Server

Poor Remote Access Diagram 3b

Local Printer

Terminal Server

Travelling Laptop or Home Desktop with Adagio Installed

Local Printer Internet In Office Out of Office Adagio Programs and Data (if NOT on

Terminal Server)

Adagio Programs and Data (if NOT on

File Server)

Data Flow (Internet Traffic requirements too high, performance VERY slow)

This configuration reflects Diagram 1, 2a or 2b with remote access via the internet added.

In addition:

1. Adagio modules have been installed on the Out of Office units – Laptop or Home Desktop.

2. The remote stations connect to the office internet, then launch Adagio from their LOCAL unit, thus causing all the data to be transferred across the Internet

WHY this should NEVER be done

1. First of all – speed – data rates across the internet are far slower than on a wired (or wireless) office network - so you will find that response ranges from

excruciatingly slow on downward.

2. Second – data integrity – internet connections are notoriously unreliable and can unexpectedly drop at any time for a variety of reasons. If this occurs during a

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Adagio-TerminalServer.DOC Page 8 of 8 Diagram 4 shows a scenario which is NOT recommended

Unsupported Configuration

Diagram 4 depicts a network where Terminal Services has been installed on the file Server itself. At first glance this may seem like a reasonable option, however it is NOT recommended by Softrak or Microsoft [see

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sbs/2003/deploy/adstrmsr.mspx ]:

1. A Terminal Server is emulating 1 or more workstations running interactive programs – be they Adagio, or Office Productivity suites, Internet access etc. Because of their interactive nature, they tend to be computing intensive.

2. A File Server on the other hand is typically running a variety of non-interactive tasks, such as securely storing and retrieving data, providing access security, acting as a Domain Controller, performing anti-virus scans, managing the Email database and so on. These functions tend to be (mostly) disk intensive, but with processor ‘spikes’