WorkStation Terminal services?

[jhowley58]

HI,

I designed and installed a fairly big (100 forms, 60 tables etc) Access (DAO) system on a set of 5 Win 2000 workstations. It's a linked tables system. There are 5 local intranet clients accessing the central database tables. These central tables are on another W2000 workstation, which is acting as a server.

My client wants his salespeople to (remotely) access the database from laptops. My idea is to use Terminal services to allow the salespeople to run the system..

Question 1: Will a W2000 workstation cater for this or do I have to introduce a real server?

Question 2: Is the idea reasonable?.. Is there a better way?

John..

 

[GlenJohnson]

Need a little more info. You behind a firewall? How will the users get in? If you can get them in, no Terminal Server is just that, Server. However, you can remotely access a pc via tightvnc which is a free download. The question is, what are you going to do about security? Salesguys are notorious bad pc users in my past history. You can set up accounts on the local pc, but is that what you want? Glen A. Johnson
Microsoft Certified Professional
glen@nellsgiftbox.com


"You can't stop the wind. But you can build windmills".
Dutch Proverb.

 

[jhowley58]

Thanks Glen,

I'm not behind a firewall.

My foremost aim is to prototype the remote access. The free download you mentioned, where can I get that?

I'm gonna worry about security etc once I can demonstrate that the remote access is feasible.

Were you saying that to run Terminal services I do need W2000 server O'S?

Thanks again,

John.

 

[stiles123]

Dont use VNC/TightVNC over the internet as it sends information as clear text. If you intend to use TightVNC (great for a simple remote control tool within an organisation, but I wouldn't rely on it for providing access to remote users) you'll want to implement SSH or TCP wrappers and encrypt the connections first. Otherwise, you'd want to look at PC Anywhere or similar.

My advice would be to get a simple VPN firewall in place and set up VPNs for your sales force to get in and remote control the machines. Terminal Services is a much more elegant solution, but the cost justification for 5 users would be very difficult as you'd probably want a dedicated application server, etc...

 

[jhowley58]

THanks Guys..

John..

 

[GlenJohnson]

If you intend to use TightVNC (great for a simple remote control tool within an organisation, but I wouldn't rely on it for providing access to remote users) Good point, I sometimes forget that I use it on users within a network, and not remotely on the internet. For my servers outside this domain, I use Terminal Server admin mode, and to get in here from home, I use a VPN with domain authentication.

Glen A. Johnson
Microsoft Certified Professional
glen@nellsgiftbox.com


"How many things, too, are looked upon as quite impossible until they have been actually effected?."
Pliny the Elder, Caius Plinius Secundus(c.23-79 A.D.); Roman writer.