Moving away from remote desktop idea?

[newpersn]

Hi all,

 

We are looking at changing the way staff "remote" in from home. We use remote desktop currently and looking for other options. We are moving away from SWGFL and had this thought.

 

What would be the best way of allowing staff to access their files as well as Sims and other programs that are on the school network? Must be windows/mac friendly.

[Steve21]

When you say remote desktop is that pure RDS? Or have you used RemoteApps? Seems the nicest and simplest way currently (cheapest too). Works with apps for ipad/mac etc etc

 

Steve

[Michael]

Remote Desktop/VPN is the only 'real' way to run SIMS from a distance, there's no way it will run over a broadband connection. Realistically a native web based MIS is the way to go.

 

Staff should login to their notebooks using cached credentials, then VPN to access the various network shared areas 'StaffCommon' and others.

[sted]

if it wasnt for mac and you had 2012r2 direct access is pretty simple to set up ( i managed it) and transparent to users but i dont believe it supports macs and iirc requires domain joined pcs. If you want it to universally work on whatever device you use its hard to beat rdp it also keeps files on site and compatibility issues to a minimum as its a windows box dont need to worry about mac/ios versions of software

[Tefters]

Remote Desktop is the only way and is fantastic at the moment, why are you looking to change? Could it be that you are running an old RDS setup that could do with an overhaul...

[sted]

you could try vdi but that is to a large extend a more resource hungry version of rdp so every user has their own virtual windows x pc rather than sharing one rds server.

 

What exactly are you trying to achieve?

[Sagima]

RemoteApp rather than Remote Desktop would be my vote (and is how we do it here)

[Oaktech]

We use both... 8+ devices uses DirectAccess, everyone else uses RDP. The general consensus is that most people prefer the RDP feeling of working on 'a real computer'.

 

We had a 3rd party remote app solution (medhurst dashboard) which was wildly unpopular.

 

Some of our staff still get in a muddle with DA and use the RDP option instead.

[Tefters]

We use both... 8+ devices uses DirectAccess, everyone else uses RDP. The general consensus is that most people prefer the RDP feeling of working on 'a real computer'.

 

We had a 3rd party remote app solution (medhurst dashboard) which was wildly unpopular.

 

Some of our staff still get in a muddle with DA and use the RDP option instead.

 

I love DA but it's a sh*t if the users BB is cr*p in the first place and also the IPv4 to IPv6 translations still take a bit of time regardless of Microsoft's "seamless" claim.

RDS is defo the way forward as people can utilise their own kit at home whatever it may be thanks to Microsoft RDClient App.

DA is good for those end users that feel they "have" to have a school laptop even though they logon to PC's in classrooms every lesson and the only place the laptop lives is at their house and they couldn't possibly use their own!

Its also good for SEN students who require a laptop for home use and we provide them through funding yet want to manage the laptop fully still not allowing them to install cr*p at home and purposely forcing them back through our internal Smoothwall proxy, our device our rules!

[newpersn]

We may keep to Remote desktop. Its physical dell server which is out of warranty (I think) and is running 2008 R2. Might look at changing it to 2012R2 (or even 2016 if i dare)

 

May set up a VPN aswell.

[Tefters]

Personal advice - Don't use VPN... Its old school, clunky and requires end users to actually have some IT knowledge (and lets all be honest, its teachers we're talking about here!)

Stick with 2012 R2 or even better 2016 R2 RDS.

 

As for warranty my servers have been out for 3 years now and I wont be buying any, servers are cheap enough should the worse happen and i cant repair it myself.

[Oaktech]

We may keep to Remote desktop. Its physical dell server which is out of warranty (I think) and is running 2008 R2. Might look at changing it to 2012R2 (or even 2016 if i dare)

 

May set up a VPN aswell.

 

I think the 2012r2 RDP offering is vastly superior to 08r2.

[Tefters]

I think the 2012r2 RDP offering is vastly superior to 08r2.

 

Couldn't agree more, it was a HUGE jump in performance, reliability and overall management.

[Oaktech]

Couldn't agree more, it was a HUGE jump in performance, reliability and overall management.

 

Quite.

 

I have one teacher who uses it pretty much all the time, even in school, he basically just uses his laptop as a thin terminal!

[Tefters]

Quite.

 

I have one teacher who uses it pretty much all the time, even in school, he basically just uses his laptop as a thin terminal!

 

Yup same here, we have 2 work rooms for teacher when not in classrooms (3 pc's in each) but are always ram packed so now thanks to RDS 2012 R2 (previously i users Citrix Xenapp at £8k per year on top of RDS cal's) and the way Microsoft evolved the RD Client app across all platforms and RD Gateway the staff bring in their own laptops/mac's/iPad's and use them. I've had to bolster our RDS farm to 2 physical Hyper-V hosts running 6 VM's.

 

Forgot to add that I turn old machines into Thin clients where possible in staff offices etc... where they only use SIMS and Office and have a custom Windows 10 image fully locked down and only loads IE in Kiosk mode directed straight to our RD Gateway Server on an internal DNS zone

Edited October 13, 2016 by Tefters

[newpersn]

Yup same here, we have 2 work rooms for teacher when not in classrooms (3 pc's in each) but are always ram packed so now thanks to RDS 2012 R2 (previously i users Citrix Xenapp at £8k per year on top of RDS cal's) and the way Microsoft evolved the RD Client app across all platforms and RD Gateway the staff bring in their own laptops/mac's/iPad's and use them. I've had to bolster our RDS farm to 2 physical Hyper-V hosts running 6 VM's.

 

Forgot to add that I turn old machines into Thin clients where possible in staff offices etc... where they only use SIMS and Office and have a custom Windows 10 image fully locked down and only loads IE in Kiosk mode directed straight to our RD Gateway Server on an internal DNS zone

 

Must say i like that idea in areas that have older machines...

[sidewinder]

Yeah Remote Desktop is most staff's preferred method of working from home (and mine, by a mile) so would never really think of changing here.

[Tefters]

Must say i like that idea in areas that have older machines...

 

Works really well for you normal users that surf the net, office, sims and other basic apps.

 

Anything like Photoshop etc... then you'll want a dedicated normal PC or look to dedicate a beefy server with a GPU in it

[m25man]

We still use Dell Sonicwall SRA appliances have done for years.

They are so flexible, many users get connected to their own office PCs rather than RDS with Active X, Java and HTML5 clients we can provide access from almost any clients anywhere and when all else fails, an SSL VPN client solves it.

Not the cheapest solution but certainly one of the easiest and apart from the odd update they've been rock solid with some having been in service for 8 Years 24/7/365.

In some cases what was saved on RDS servers and Licensing more than offsets the cost of the appliance and support.

Using Windows 7 on an iPad with one finger is weird but it works with a bit of practise!

[Davit2005]

Citrix VDI in a Box might be of an interest. We have the Traditional VDI's here but then again we do support 300+ VDI sessions (Thin Clients and /or Remote Access for Staff). 8 Hosts, SAN storage about 2GB per VDI with a number of MIS Streamed Apps

 

The citrix solution maybe more expensive but they have been doing this type of thing for years (may not be much of an valid argument for some I realise). With the latest NetScalers we have here users can use a Light version which is HTML 5 based so no plugins required.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Davit2005