Lesson 1

Microsoft's "Terminal Services," which was renamed "Remote Desktop Services" (RDS) starting with Windows Server 2008 R2, has not been deprecated for the Windows Server operating system. Remote Desktop Services continues to be a core component of Windows Server, providing technologies that enable users to access Windows-based programs or a full Windows desktop remotely. RDS includes capabilities such as Remote Desktop Session Host (RDSH) for hosting applications or full desktops, Remote Desktop Gateway (RD Gateway) for secure connectivity over the internet, and other features that facilitate the deployment and management of remote desktops and applications. However, Microsoft has introduced newer technologies like Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD), now known as Azure Virtual Desktop, a comprehensive desktop and app virtualization service running in Azure. This offers more flexibility, scalability, and security options for organizations, but it doesn't indicate a deprecation of RDS. It's worth noting that Microsoft's update and support policies might have changed after my last training data in September 2021, and I would recommend checking the most recent official Microsoft documentation for the latest information.

Terminal Services is an optional component of Microsoft Windows 2000 Server that delivers the Windows 2000 desktop and Windows-based applications to remote computers and devices. Terminal Services is ideal for making line-of-business applications available to mobile users, branch offices, or Windows-based terminals. Because all application and data processing takes place on the server, clients do not require significant amounts of RAM or processing power. Therefore, Terminal Services can help an organization reduce the total cost of ownership by using existing client hardware and lower-cost equipment. One of the major improvements of the Windows 2000 Terminal Server is that it is integrated with the Windows 2000 operating system. If you had the opportunity to run the Terminal Server edition of Windows NT 4.0, you realized that the Terminal Server components were just an add-in product. Because the Windows 2000 Terminal Server is a part of the operating system, service packs for Windows 2000 will include fixes for the Terminal Server components as well. The Windows 2000 Terminal Server also has improved client-side caching, load balancing, and enhanced administrative tools .

1. Improved client-side Caching: The Windows 2000 Terminal Server improves the way images are cached on the client computer, which improves the user's perceived performance of their Terminal session. The cached images are retained from session to session, which enhances performance, the cache does not have to be rebuilt after each Terminal session.
2. Load balancing: Unfortunately, the type of load balancing isn't related to clustering or fail over. However, the Windows 2000 Terminal Server will assign new sessions to the least busy Terminal Server, thus distributing the terminal load in a more equitable fashion, which improves the overall performance for all users.
3. More Administrative Tools: The Terminal Server is managed via a number of administrative consoles that allow you to configure the terminal server, manage licensing, and control individual Terminal sessions.

You will learn about these improvements and much more in this module.
By the end of this module, you will be able to:

1. Describe the features and benefits of Terminal Services
2. Explain how to access the user environment
3. Plan an installation
4. Explain client hardware requirements
5. Define server configuration to support users
6. Identify licensing requirements

The next lesson looks at the features of Terminal Services.
Terminal Services: An optional component of Microsoft Windows 2000 Server that delivers the Windows 2000 desktop and Windows-based applications to remote computers and devices.