Microsoft® Windows NT® Server 4.0, Terminal Server
Edition is an extension to the Windows NT Server product line that delivers
the Windows® experience to diverse desktop hardware through terminal
emulation. Terminal Server supports a full range of clients and it enhances
computing environments by:
- Extending the scalable Windows family--serving companies that want
to deploy a "thin client" solution to deliver 32-bit Windows to a
wide range of legacy desktop hardware devices.
- Combining the low cost of a terminal with the benefits of a managed
Windows-based environment-- offers the same low cost, centrally managed
environment of the traditional mainframe with terminals, but adds the
familiarity, ease of use, and breadth of applications support offered by the
Windows operating system platform.
PRODUCT COMPONENTS
The Terminal Server product consists of four components:
- Terminal Server--This multiuser server core provides the ability to
host multiple, simultaneous client sessions on Windows NT Server 4.0,
and on future versions of Windows NT Server. Terminal Server is capable
of directly hosting compatible multi-user client desktops running on a
variety of Windows-based and non Windows-based hardware. Standard
Windows-based applications, if properly written, do not need modification to
run on the Terminal Server, and all standard Windows NT-based
management infrastructure and technologies can be used to manage the client
desktops.
- Remote Display Protocol --A key component of Terminal Server, this
protocol allows a client to communicate with the Terminal Server over the
network. This protocol is based on International Telecommunications Union's
(ITU) T.120 protocol and it is a multi-channel protocol tuned for
high-bandwidth enterprise environments, and will also support three levels
of encryption.
- Terminal Server Client --The client software that presents, or
displays, the familiar 32-bit Windows User Interface on a range of desktop
hardware:
- New Windows-based Terminal devices (embedded).
- Personal computers running Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT
Workstation 3.51, 4.0, or Windows 2000 Professional.
- Personal computers running Windows for Workgroups (Windows 3.11).
- Administration Tools-- In addition to all the familiar Windows NT
Server administration tools, Terminal Server adds the Terminal Server
License Manager, Terminal Server Client Creator, Terminal Server Client
Connection Configuration, and Terminal Server Administration tools for
managing client sessions. Two new objects, Session and User, are also added
to the Performance Monitor to allow tuning of the server in a multi-user
environment.
Citrix MetaFrame
also adds value to Terminal Server through its thin-client/server add-on
software.
More general information about Terminal Server can be found in the White
Papers "Bringing
Windows to Desktops that Can't Run Windows Today" and "Microsoft's
Thin Client Strategy - Simplicity and Choice", or by reading the datasheet
and features list.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
The Terminal Server development team is currently focused on making Terminal
Services available for the Microsoft® Windows® 2000
Server platform. The team will be looking closely at new features for this
release, as well as ways to improve the product's scalability and
performance. Features already being considered include local device
redirection, session shadowing, and server load balancing. Terminal support
for Windows NT Server is a strategic technology for Microsoft and one that
will continue to be improved through the coming Windows NT Server product
releases.
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