Terminal Server

[binky]

Ok, i am setting up a terminal server and want to be able to run around 30 clients off this server, do you think it would run well?

 

- Windows Server 2008

- 7GB RAM

- Dual Core AMD Opereton 2.8Ghz

- 73GB 15,000rpm SAS Drive

- Gigabit Ethernet

[FN-GM]

I think that will run well, i presume the OS is 64 bit?

[Michael]

More than likely this'll be a 64Bit system, but I have to ask, why 7GB of memory? Seems an odd number to me?

[binky]

The server originally had 1GB ram, but will have 3x 2GB additional memory added.

[CyberNerd]

Good luck finding educational apps that are 64bit and vista (08) ready.

[linescanner]

How many users are you wanting to run on it ?

 

In our exerience 64bit will seriously limit what software you can run on it. TS in schools is a tricky job

 

Andy

[localzuk]

Why 64bit? Why not Enterprise version of 2k8 32bit?

[Geoff]

He'd only be able to use 4Gb of ram that way.

[jcollings]

He'd only be able to use 4Gb of ram that way.

 

True but our terminal server only has 4Gb and supports 60 odd clients without too much hassle.

 

@ linescanner - have to say I disagree. We found it really easy to setup and get working. We don't use Citrix or anything - just a vanilla system using old PC's and thinstation. All seems to trundle along nicely. Few new monitors/keyboards/mice and rooms look shiny and new and runs pretty quick. Saving us a fortune.

[localzuk]

He'd only be able to use 4Gb of ram that way.

 

Why?? The 32bit enterprise edition supports 64GB ram.

[cookie_monster]

Terminal servers suffer from the limit that 32 bit still imposes on kernel memory, you are correct that enterprise can use all that memory but TS cannot make use of it.

 

This can cause problems in Terminal Server environments. On Terminal Servers with a lot of users running a lot of applications, quite a bit of information from all the users has to be crammed into the shared 2GB of kernel memory. In fact, this is why no Windows 2000-based Terminal Server can support more than about 200 users—the 2GB of kernel memory gets full—even if the server has 16GB of memory and eight 3GHz processors. This is simply an architectural limitation of 32-bit Windows

 

The 4GB Windows Memory Limit: What does it really mean? - From BrianMadden.com

 

 

 

@ jcollings: are you using 64-Bit TS with a collection of educational apps then?

Edited April 2, 2008 by cookie_monster

[CyberNerd]

Does anyone have any idea if there would be millage in installing several 32bit virtual servers on the hardware specified by the OP?

It would overcome the RAM limitations if the original OS was 64bit, running several windows terminal severs.

[cookie_monster]

That should over come the memory limit by spreading users accross virtual OS's but i'm pretty sure each 32 bit virtual host will have the same limit. You then run into the issues of having to load balance the boxes which i've read isn't one of TS's better features.

[CyberNerd]

You then run into the issues of having to load balance the boxes which i've read isn't one of TS's better features.

 

Really needs Citrix to do proper load balancing.

[cookie_monster]

Yep that's what i was thinking for more than 2 boxes.

[linescanner]

You can also use 2x to load balance Terminal Servers

 

Lot cheaper than Citrix

[cookie_monster]

Do you use 2x, how does it compare to Citrix?