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Windows Server 2012 R2 Hosting - HostForLIFE.eu :: Learning Windows Server 2012 R2 on Remote Desktop Service

clock February 21, 2014 09:41 by author Peter

Microsoft just released Windows Server 2012 R2 (18 October 2013). In this article, I’m going to describe which changes are available in this release compared to the first Windows 2012 release for the Remote Desktop Services (RDS)/Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). This topic contains only brief information about Windows Server 2012 R2 Hosting, if you want to be more familiar with Windows Server 2012 R2, you should try HostForLife.eu.

Installation

Logically we need to start the installation of the RDS components. Comparing this with Windows 2013 there are actually not anything changed. The possibility to install RDS using the specific Remote Desktop Services Installation is still available, followed by the two same installation methodologies: a standard deployment to divide the different RDS roles over several servers and the Quick Start deployment where the roles are installed on one server. Using the RDS installation method logically also the question to deploy a virtual machine-based desktop deployment or session-based desktop deployment is still asked. Just as in Windows 2012 it will install a VDI infrastructure the Remote Desktop Virtualization Host or the formerly known as Terminal Server based infrastructure.

It is also still possible to use the role-based installation, also here no changes comparing to Windows Server 2012.

Which is actually new it the possibility to install the RD Connection Broker role on a Domain Controller server. Personally I only would use this for demo environments or really small infrastructures. Also there is possibility to in-place upgrade of a RD Session Host to 2012 RS (from the current 2012 version).

Configuration

Also on this part I can be really quick, there are not any noticeable changes made to the configuration part. It is fully comparable with the configuration possibilities in Windows 2012; I don’t see anything new, also no things are removed. There are also no changes visible to the User Profile Disk feature.

 

Also making changes to the RDWeb Access is still done via the same way (edit the web.config file).

Is there something new?

You could think is there something new within this R2 release for Remote Desktop Services. There are definitely changes/new features, but most they are based on the user experience. Many improvements are difficult to shown in article based review. I will describe the new features, my thoughts about those new features and where possible show the features.

Improved RemoteApp Behaviour

Although this looks like a small step for the user experiences this is in my opinion a big step. The improved behavior is shown at two ways. The first one is when you are dragging the Remote App to another location on the desktop the complete application still will be shown, while previous versions only showed the frame of the application. Secondly a full preview thumbmail is shown when hovering over the app in the taskbar, just as applications directly available on the client. In previous versions only a standard icon of the application was shown. Also there is now full support for transparent windows for RemoteApps and Aero peek, again creating the same view as local applications.

Quick Reconnect

When using the Remote and Desktop Connections (RADC) in Windows Server 2012 it could take a while to reconnect to all RemoteApps. Microsoft claims that this process is improved and is now around 5 seconds to fully reconnect. Also network loss detection has been improved with a more intuitive reconnect phase. Logically this are good improvements for a better user experience.

Codec Improvements

Also the codecs are improved to further reduce the bandwidth for non-video content including the possibility to offload all progressive decode processing to AVC/H.2.64 hardware available in the client. Also DirectX 11 is now supported by extending the ability to virtualize a GPU on a Hyper-V host.

RemoteApp within a Remote Desktop Session

Although this was already available in Windows 2012 itself, it is not known a lot so I thought it was a good idea to mentSion it once more. It is now possible/supported to start a Remote Desktop session and start within this session a RemoteApp (form another server). This options creates the possibility to use the silo concept with Microsoft RDS separating a specific (set of) application(s) on specific servers for performance, incompatibility and/or security reasons.

Dynamically monitor/resolution changes

Within Windows 2012 R2 it is now possible to change the amount of monitors during the RD session or the view of screen (for example on a Surface) the session will automatically resize according the change made without a reconnection. I think this is a big step forward and end users will love this, especially with tablets in mind where the user switches often from horizontal to the vertical view and vice versa.

Support for ClickOnce Applications

Although just a view supplier use this kind of installation technique and is has some challenges within managed user profile environments it a good thing that ClickOnce applications can be offered as a RemoteApp within Windows Servers 2012 R2. Above improvements are mostly based on the user experience. There are also some changes made from a technical or administrative viewpoint.

Online Data Duplication

Probably the biggest announcement for RDS made for Windows Server 2012R2. Online Data Deplucation can achieve a big reduction on storage capacity requirements (Microsoft claims up to 90%) for personal VDI machines. As it looks like that personal VDI machines are the most used deployment technique for VDI infrastructures Microsoft arranges that one of the biggest challenges becomes a smaller challenge.

Shadowing is back

In Windows 2012 Microsoft removed the RD Shadowing option completely, while in Windows 2008 (R2) the functionally was already reduces. Although I see that most customers are now moving to Remote Assistance Microsoft is re-introducing the shadowing functionality again. Microsoft is stating that it is supporting both single as multiple monitors, but it’s unclear to me if the situation is the same as in Windows 2008R2 where it was needed that both the user as the support team should have the same monitor amount. Unfortunate I could not test this is my demo environment, anyone with experiences and would like to share those let me know (so I can add it the article).

Conclusion: To upgrade or not to upgrade

Windows Server 2012R2 Remote Desktop Services brings in my opinion several new features and improvements that are a real added value. But should you upgrade to this R2 release. It depends on your current situation. If you are still on Windows 2008R2 or lower, I think this is a good moment to consider upgrading to the latest platform. If you are still using a 32bit edition the 64bit challenge still apply and should not be forgotten. If you are running Windows Server 2012 it depends on the current end-user satisfaction. If they do not complain about the parts that are now improved I don’t think an upgrade is necessary. A different situation if you are using personal VDI machine and can use the online data duplication feature I think upgrading to Windows Server 2012 R2 is almost a must. Summarized R2 offers several good new features and improvements.



European HostForLIFE.eu Proudly Launches Windows Server 2012 R2 Hosting

clock February 17, 2014 10:09 by author Peter

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About Company
HostForLIFE.eu is European Windows Hosting Provider which focuses on Windows Platform only. HostForLIFE.eu deliver on-demand hosting solutions including Shared hosting, Reseller Hosting, Cloud Hosting, Dedicated Servers, and IT as a Service for companies of all sizes.



Windows Server 2012 R2 Italy Hosting - HostForLIFE.eu - New Highlight In Windows Server 2012 R2

clock February 7, 2014 12:15 by author Peter

Windows Server 2012 R2 brings a host of new features that greatly enhance the functionality of the operating system. Many of these improvements expand on existing capabilities of Windows Server 2012 R2. You can try the features described below, on Windows Server 2012 R2 Italy Hosting.On Windows Server 2012 R2 hosted by HostForLIFE.eu, you have new and improved features that deliver extremely high levels of uptime and continuous server availability. The platform also includes greater management efficiency. This simplifies and automates the deployment and virtualization of major workloads. Greater automation means server deployments are faster and upgrades are now even simpler.

-Windows Server 2012 R2 and System Center 2012 R2 will ship at the same time with full feature support.

-Tiered Storage Spaces provides greater performance and scalability. Allows a mix of SSD and HDD in a single space and the storage spaces engine automatically moves the hot blocks to the SSD from the HDD via the in-box tiering technology. The ability to size the SSD and HDD tiers separately is available. It's possible to pin important files to the SSD tier.

-Ability to graphically create a three-way mirrored virtual disk on a Storage Space.

-Site-to-site VPN Gateway.

-In-box iSCSI target now leverages VHDX, allowing larger LUNs.

-Dynamic NIC Teaming allows more granular balancing based on flowlets, enabling best performance and utilization of available resources.

-IPAM support for virtualized environments, providing a consistent IP management experience.

-New PowerShell Desired State Configuration (DSC) extensions as part of Windows PowerShell 4, which helps ensure the components in the data center have the correct configuration.

-Work folders enable users to have access to all their data by replicating all user data to corporate file servers then back out to other devices. Data is also encrypted and if a user device is un-enrolled from management the data corporate data is removed.

-CIM and DMTF standards-based, enabling great consistent management across all types of devices.

 



About HostForLIFE.eu

HostForLIFE.eu is European Windows Hosting Provider which focuses on Windows Platform only. We deliver on-demand hosting solutions including Shared hosting, Reseller Hosting, Cloud Hosting, Dedicated Servers, and IT as a Service for companies of all sizes.

We have offered the latest Windows 2016 Hosting, ASP.NET Core 2.2.1 Hosting, ASP.NET MVC 6 Hosting and SQL 2017 Hosting.


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