Student remote access....groan!

[adamyoung]

Depends on the funding ofcourse, but Citrix is brilliant. Provides full applications and file access as if the students were infront of a school machine. Students dont need to buy Office as they can use the schools and citrix make plugins for about every os you can think of.

[djm968]

You don't need Citrix unless you must have

 

Application Publishing

Intelligent Load Balancing

SSL Gateway / Proxy

Smart Access

Workspace Control

 

Windows Terminal Server (WTS 2003) provides enough functionality for most people and Vista will offer even more. As a remote access solution, I think it is hard to beat.

 

Depending on the number of simultaneous users and if funds allow, I would recommend installing a pair of load balanced servers in a cluster arrangement, windows network load balancing (NLB) although not fantastic is free, does a reasonable job and is quite easy to configure.

 

I have installed this as a remote access solution in a few schools and it has been highly praised by staff and students.

 

For remote folder access only, webfolders using WebDav with SSL and an ASP scripted front end is a reasonable “zero cost” option, and that cannot be said for RM easylink which is the same thing.

[CyberNerd]

You don't need Citrix unless you must have

 

Application Publishing

Intelligent Load Balancing

SSL Gateway / Proxy

Smart Access

Workspace Control

 

Still don't *need* citrix

http://www.sun.com/software/products/sgd/

[Geoff]

nice try, the license is $299.

 

http://store.sun.com/CMTemplate/CEServlet?process=SunStore&cmdViewProduct_CP&catid=142095

[CyberNerd]

nice try, the license is $299.

 

Which isn't so bad - Citrix license per user (£80-120 IIRC) and a TS external connector license is £1700 - educational.

[djm968]

nice try, the license is $299.

 

Which isn't so bad - Citrix license per user (£80-120 IIRC) and a TS external connector license is £1700 - educational.

 

I would argue that a £1700 TS external connector license is overkill, individual TS CAL’s would be a more sensible and cost effective option, can you ever see a situation where every single member of your school logs on remotely simultaneously? Even if they the infrastructure would probably grind to a halt.

 

WTS is included as part of the server license, the only requirement is that Port 3389 on the firewall is forwarded to your Terminal Server. TS CAL’s are required for each user/device depending which mode run licensing in and the only other cost would be the acquisition of a new server, if required.

 

Overall I think that in a windows environment, it is worth exploring the WTS option first.

 

I would suggest running a small pilot to get SLT on you side, give them access first, I can assure you they will not be dissapointed and should give you the funding you need to roll it out school wide.

 

One other bonus... if you use it, SIMS runs in a terminal server environemt, I usually find this swings it!

[CyberNerd]

I would argue that a £1700 TS external connector license is overkill, individual TS CAL’s would be a more sensible and cost effective option, can you ever see a situation where every single member of your school logs on remotely simultaneously? Even if they the infrastructure would probably grind to a halt.

 

AFIK you need an external connector license for each server that is being connected to externally - unless you use user cals (£11.50 each) I didn't htink TS user cals were re-usable like Citrix cals. I'd assumed you need a cal for each user on the domain who is going to connect in. can someone confirm?.

[djm968]

User TS CAL's are resuable eg: if you have 50 TS licenses installed on your TS lisencing server, the 51st user will be denied access until someone else logs off.

 

quote from Microsoft about EC Licensing.

 

New External Connector License option. The new External Connector license (EC) can be purchased to enable access to your servers instead of buying individual Windows CALs for external users (or their devices). The EC license is purchased for every copy of the Windows server software that is accessible to the external user. An example of an external user is a person who is not an employee or similar personnel of the company or its affiliates.

 

Terminal Server will also introduce an EC license—the Terminal Server External Connector (TS-EC)—to address a similar need: to enable external users to access a company's terminal servers, without the need to purchase individual TS CALs for them or their devices.

[djm968]

Forgot to add... you need Work at Home rights on your Microsoft school agreement if you are providing remote access to other Microsoft applications.

[CyberNerd]

User TS CAL's are resuable eg: if you have 50 TS licenses installed on your TS lisencing server, the 51st user will be denied access until someone else logs off.

 

I'm not convinced, according to M$:

 

Terminal Server Client Access Licensing Mode

 

In Per User or Per Device mode, a separate TS CAL is required for each user or device that accesses or uses the server software on any server. You may reassign a TS CAL from one device to another device, or from one user to another user, provided the reassignment is made either (a) permanently away from the one device or user or (b) temporarily to accommodate the use of the TS CAL either by a loaner device, while a permanent device is out of service, or by a temporary worker, while a regular employee is absent.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/howtobuy/licensing/ts2003.mspx

 

question is, does a MS Terminal Server treat a sun tarantella server ($299) / freeNX server (£0) as one device ?

in which case the cost of 1000 users is $299 + £11.50 for Sun, £11.50 for FreeNX

compare Microsoft at (£11.50 *1000) = £11,500 per user or £1700 for external connector.

[CyberNerd]

sorry, forgot to add the cost of the windows server cal in above

[Ric_]

As far as I understood it, TS CALs are not concurrent like Citrix ones - which is a proper PITA!

 

In answer to the Tarantella Q above, you cannot cheat the licensing like that. If you connect to a Tarrantella server and then piggy-back onto a MS Terminal Server, each connection will still require some form of licensing. I know that for Exchange access from a TS you need CALs for each connection plus one for the server!

 

I hate licensing (particularly MS!)... the Citrix licensing is simple so why can't MS do it that way?

[djm968]

Overall I think that in a windows environment, it is worth exploring the WTS option first.

 

I think Microsoft would argue that you are providing a mechanism to access their server or applications and each device or user that you grant those access rights to must be licensed whether accessing directly using WTS or indirectly using a third party product. This is why you still need TS CAL’s if you are running Citrix and why I suggest that as a remote access solution WTS is a viable option without Citrix.

[CyberNerd]

damn MS sucks, consider a FreeNX linux server costs nothing in licensing and compares favourably to rdp.

[NetworkGeezer]

Good luck running SIMS on that. I'm not sure CodeWeavers have managed to hack that into Wine

[djm968]

Unfortuately most people are stuck with MS thank your lucky stars you get educational discount... Some of my clients would love those prices

[phil_thebeans]

Our RBC doesn't allow access remotely other than purchasing a product called Neoteris that is managed via the LEA support team (that alone put me off) and running costs of approx £800 - £1k per year. Alternatively we are investigating the possibility of leasing another line from BT (arrrrgggh) so we have full control over the access.

[SpuffMonkey]

Our RBC doesn't allow access remotely other than purchasing a product called Neoteris that is managed via the LEA support team (that alone put me off) and running costs of approx £800 - £1k per year. Alternatively we are investigating the possibility of leasing another line from BT (arrrrgggh) so we have full control over the access.

 

Get yerself on LogMeIn 8)