Software Installation and Maintenance

Terminal Services and Software Installation and Maintenance

You can set up a Terminal Services server to run in a remote administration mode or an application server mode:

A Terminal Services server that is set up in remote administration mode allows a user to use the Terminal Server to perform administration functions only.
A Terminal Services server that is configured as an application server provides multiple concurrent user connections to any number of applications.

Using Terminal Services, you can deploy and manage applications from a central location. After an application is deployed, many clients can connect to the Terminal Services server. Applications can be installed on client computers from Terminal Services servers configured as remote administration servers using Windows Installer. The underlying Terminal Services server code and Windows Installer code work together to deliver a seamless installation, in contrast to how applications were installed on a Terminal server in the past. The computer had to be put in an installation mode first; and after application installation, it was put back into an execution mode.

Table 23.12 shows when assigned and published software is supported on remote administration and application Terminal Services servers.

Table 23.12 Support for Managed Software on Terminal Services

Software Installation	Remote Administration	Application Server
User Assigned	Supported: Supported means that software installation and maintenance works in the same manner as it would on Windows 2000 Professional	Not applied, software is not installed.
Publish	Supported: Supported for both Windows Installer packages and existing setup programs defined in .zap files for publishing.	Not applied, software is not installed.
Computer Assigned	Supported	Supported: A domain user, with a roaming user profile might roam to an application server. Their application shortcuts follow them to the application server. If the server has the same application either installed (per computer) or assigned, and the user activates the shortcut, the shortcut works (either activating or installing the application). If the application is neither installed nor assigned, the shortcut does nothing.

On an application server, software installation must not jeopardize the running system, and it must be configured to allow concurrent usage of an application. For these reasons, software installation is only permitted by you, as an administrator. To accomplish this, Terminal Services servers configured as application servers restrict application deployment by only allowing Administrators to initiate a Windows Installer–based application installation and by not allowing any per-user application deployment. All applications deemed necessary must be fully installed by the system administrator before users are allowed to connect and use the computer through remote sessions. As such, it is your responsibility to decide what is required and to ensure that all bits are locally installed and available prior to allowing remote user connections.