Access using Terminal Services

[Markus]

I need to test run an Access application using Terminal Services (TS). I
understand MS provides a 30 day trial version of Server 2003 which includes
TS but am very new to Server2003.

Checking MS site, I see they did testing on Server2003 on Pent III
computers. I have an old PentIII I could use for testing. My question is
basic - can I assume no matter what I now have installed on the Pent III
(Windows3.1) I can install Server2003 over it and it replaces the operating
system there now?

Also, I want to start just testing the app with a single user on the LAN,
move to multiuser testing on the LAN, then mltiuser testing on the Internet.
Has anyone used Access in this way over the Internet using Teminal Services
and are there some issues I should look out for?

Thanks for any ideas on this,
Mark

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

You can install Server 2003 as a second OS and choose when you boot up.

If you do not need many connections, have a look at WinConnect:

http://www.thinsoftinc.com/product_thin_client_winconnect_server_xp.aspx

Which uses Small Business Server 2003 or XP as a server. You can have up to
21 concurrent connections.

 

[Markus]

Arvin,

Sounds like a good alternative. Any experience using XP with Winconnect? I
have less than 10 users, and would love to avoid getting Server 2003, and it
sounds like Winconnect can do the same thing running off of an XP as the
server.

Thanks,
Mark

 

[AnandaSim]

If your PIII ran Windows 3.1, and of the age of PIII, I would say
64Mb-256Mb of RAM and a hard disk of say 20Gb. Windows Server 2003
even for testing, would be best off at 512Mb RAM and above. The
problem is not PIII, it is how much RAM you have.

If you want to play with OS, you would do well to learn about
partitioning, formatting. Certainly Server2003 can nuke your current
hard disk if you can get it to boot up.

If you have a current machine with lots of RAM (1.5Gb or more) and
lots of hard disk space, you can download a pre-built Server 2003 VHD
from Microsoft and run it in free Microsoft Virtual PC on your machine
for testing.

HTH
Ananda

 

[Arvin Meyer [MVP]]

Yes, but remember that you'll need a very beefy XP machine. I've never tried
more than 6 concurrent users and I used a 3.1 GHz Pentium with 3 GB of RAM.
It was fast, with little to no noticeable difference from the LAN.

Remember, the way to run Access on any machine is with a separate front-end
for each active user. With Terminal Services, that means a separate folder
for each user with a common back-end, on the same or different server.
--
Arvin Meyer, MCP, MVP
http://www.datastrat.com
http://www.mvps.org/access
http://www.accessmvp.com