Considerations for the Test Lab

The ideal environment for validating a Terminal server deployment is a test laboratory that has been constructed to simulate the environment of the actual deployment as closely as possible. The test lab will function as a miniature version of your organization itself, enabling the team to see Terminal Services in action before deployment.

Consider the following items when developing your Terminal Services test lab:

• Use a server computer from the same vendor and with the same configuration as the servers that will be used in the actual deployment, and set up a representation of client computers that will be using Terminal Services throughout your organization.
• Duplicate your organization's network configuration. If the network uses both Ethernet and Token ring, you need to have both in the test lab. If possible, set up a separate Windows 2000 Server domain for the lab so you can monitor the performance of the domain controllers without having to factor in other activity on the network. If you are planning to deploy Terminal Services on a WAN, design your lab with routers and use a link simulator to simulate network latency.
• If different divisions will be using Terminal server in similar but not identical ways, you can probably emulate all divisions within a single test lab. If the difference is significant enough, however, you might want to consider building a separate lab for each division or set of tasks.
• Deploy a typical set of applications together on the test server. This step is vital in determining any interoperability issues that might arise when users run different applications simultaneously.

© 1985-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.