SIMS at home VPN or RDP and licensing

[Snookered]

We currently have a few users accessing SIMS & FMS from home via Teamviewer.

These pc's tend to be the ones that slow down and have problems when running updates as they never get shutdown.

We have a VPN already running successfully to access shared drives and I'm considering adding the Sims share to it, but I've seen elsewhere on here someone saying not to use a VPN.

Is this for security reasons or something else?

We also have a couple of users using RDP to access a single application on the server. So I could add SIMS to it and add the appropriate number of Cals.

With either of these solutions do I need to consider buying SIMS licences too, the users will be using school laptops, not their pc's?

 

Cheers

[bobsmith]

I didn't think SIMS was licensed per client accessing it, but by students on roll amongst other things?

 

Application publishing has been talked about a lot on here and seems to have improved massively - I'm seriously looking at it to remove the load from our creaking PCs and onto the shiny servers we have.

[ITGURU]

We let staff use SIMS.net off-site through RemoteApp - works a treat.

We just had to pay for MS CALS for our total FTE count of staff.

[MatthewL]

Using TeamViewer personal, breach of license?

[NokiX]

Currently we have the following setup:

 

Remote Spark

 

We also have a staff RDP server setup so staff with older laptops can login and use sims and active inspire and this seems to work very well.

[john]

You could, if leaving teacher PCs on all the time, use a Remote Desktop Gateway (just needs port 443 to the internet) and then staff connect to the usual PC via that Gateway and off they go.

[bobsmith]

the problem with doing it through the teacher PC is you've just doubled your electricity costs and reduced their lifetime by doing that.

 

Running it off a server has got to be cheaper over the year.

[sparkeh]

You could, if leaving teacher PCs on all the time, use a Remote Desktop Gateway (just needs port 443 to the internet) and then staff connect to the usual PC via that Gateway and off they go.

Remember to get the RDS CALs though

Edited October 14, 2015 by sparkeh

[localzuk]

We give this access via Remote Desktop Web Services, which uses Remote Desktop Gateway to connect to a Remote Desktop Session Host. 2 of them are on one server (very light usage, a couple of GB RAM tops in use), and one is the RDS session host. They go to a website in Internet Explorer and voila, they can access either just SIMS or a full desktop.

 

They can also access the full desktop using the RD Client app on their iPads.

 

Licensing-wise, you just need to have RDS Cals. We license it all via our EES subscription. Barely costs us anything.

[john]

the problem with doing it through the teacher PC is you've just doubled your electricity costs and reduced their lifetime by doing that.

 

Running it off a server has got to be cheaper over the year.

 

The life argument is not that much of an issue as actually leaving kit on and running is better as they don't get stressed as that initial start up is a surge and can blow caps that is why servers that have run for many many years sometimes, like old people, fail to get up and start again after being turned off but yes the meter is ticking so a server is easier if you have one and have it all setup etc

 

However the RDG way gives them single user to the own machine and can then use it as if sitting at it so could use it for other apps on it.

[matt40k]

The life argument is not that much of an issue as actually leaving kit on and running is better as they don't get stressed as that initial start up is a surge and can blow caps that is why servers that have run for many many years sometimes, like old people, fail to get up and start again after being turned off but yes the meter is ticking so a server is easier if you have one and have it all setup etc

 

However the RDG way gives them single user to the own machine and can then use it as if sitting at it so could use it for other apps on it.

 

Hate to pop your bubble, but if you check your warranty your often find it'll be void if it operates beyond office hours - psu and hdd often have a limited number of hours life for example. More importantly your looking at £21.75 per month per machine in terms of electric - https://www.ukpower.co.uk/tools/running_costs_electricity - 200 watts, 730 hrs per month so if you end up with 30 users, your looking at about £7k a year in just power. OK, hopefully you'll have modern PC with low power modes etc, but still, I can't imagine it'll be less then buy a few extra CALs.

[john]

Hate to pop your bubble, but if you check your warranty your often find it'll be void if it operates beyond office hours - psu and hdd often have a limited number of hours life for example. More importantly your looking at £21.75 per month per machine in terms of electric - https://www.ukpower.co.uk/tools/running_costs_electricity - 200 watts, 730 hrs per month so if you end up with 30 users, your looking at about £7k a year in just power. OK, hopefully you'll have modern PC with low power modes etc, but still, I can't imagine it'll be less then buy a few extra CALs.

 

I'd like to see an office PC that draws 200w now a days at idle last time I metered one it was well below 100w in general use, obviously if your sitting encoding HD Video yep I'm sure that is possible but browsing cat videos, basic excel, SIMS use etc it won't be that high if its a modern one.

 

Also never had that issue with HP if its in the clauses for them if they are business they should support as expected and used by the business and some businesses need 24x7 access, fine schools are not like that but if you buy a HP Business desktop its business specified so should go, however I could understand if they are cheap home PCs then yep.

 

It is up to each to make decisions however its a suggestion if they didn't want to go down the TS Route and its not needed for lots of users etc

[matt40k]

Hey if it works for you, go nuts. But for the OP who has the RDS and just needs more licenses, even at a qtr of the power, its still a £5 per machine per month in just electric

 

Just bring the hidden facts thats all

[matt40k]

Ps thanks for not saying the electric bill doesn't come out of my budget