Introduction

This manual describes the configuration and use of NetMan Desktop Manager from H+H Software.

 

What is NetMan Desktop Manager? NetMan Desktop Manager is a highly efficient application management tool for application management in Windows Server Terminal Server/Remote Desktop environments. NetMan Desktop Manager makes it easier to publish applications for clients, facilitates operation generally for users and administrators alike, and enables fast and easy application Rollout. With its comprehensive statistics functions and integrated license management features, NetMan Desktop Manager helps you plan all your software investments carefully. Furthermore, it improves security for Remote Desktop Session Hosts, helps protect against system misuse, and provides a universal PDF printer driver for printing from within a Remote Desktop session.

 

The advantages of Remote Desktop technology, also called server based computing or SBC, are known worldwide today thanks both to numerous specialized publications on the subject and, of course, to widespread practical use. One of the main advantages of SBC is the reduction in total cost ownership (TCO) afforded by the use of Remote Desktop technology. This is made possible by the low administrative costs thanks to centralized application management, as well as relatively inexpensive end-user terminals (thin clients) and reduced energy expenses.

 

When we designed NetMan Desktop Manager, we implemented functionalists that will help to optimize your total costs of Remote Desktop operation, eliminate many of the difficulties and flaws often encountered with Remote Desktop Services, and integrate new features in the Remote Desktop environment.

NetMan Desktop Manager focuses on five main areas to transform Windows Server with Remote Desktop Services into a powerful application server:

•Individual and flexible application serving

•Streamlined application rollout

•High degree of user comfort

•Comprehensive monitoring and reporting features

•Advanced security features

 

With all of these goals at the forefront, NetMan Desktop Manager gives you a set of indispensable tools that lighten your administrative load while at the same time protecting your Remote Desktop environment from attack. Moreover, a range of real-time monitors supports you in troubleshooting, and comprehensive help-desk functions provide optimum support for your users as well. Even technologically complex functions such as load balancing, integrated 2-factor-authentication and the SSL gateway can be implemented in NetMan Desktop Manager with just a few mouse clicks, making administration a breeze.

 

Benefits for your network users include NetMan Desktop Manager's invisible integration of terminal server applications in the local system. Seamless windows, single sign-on and the file and protocol association features all work together to ensure that users won't have to change their accustomed working procedures.

Thanks to individual application serving, users can access the applications they need (and for which they have access privileges) in their own Start menu, desktop, or web interface.

NetMan Desktop Manager takes all of these capabilities one step further: You can control many aspects of application execution or usage by adding parameters, in the form of "NetMan Actions," that are applied based on application, user or access source. For example, you can configure actions that block access to local drives, limit printer bandwidth, or any of a broad range of other mechanisms. These predefined Actions can be added to applications at the click of a mouse, and then linked to conditions that determine whether or not they are executed. In the same manner, you can link scripts or batch files to application calls.

The administrative workload is further eased by the integrated PDF printer driver, which precludes the need to install drivers on the RD session host for locally connected printers.

 

In addition to all these advantages for reducing administrative costs and improving efficiency of hardware use, the integrated license management feature in NetMan Desktop Manager not only helps prevent software license violations, it also enables comprehensive analysis of the use of your applications. This makes it easy to stay within legal limits while achieving the most economical software licensing for your organization's requirements.

The statistics program can show you how often and how long your applications are used, when a given application is in use in multiple instances (parallel use), how often and how long users wait in a queue for a licensed application (because all licenses were already in use), and how often users cancel an application call rather than wait for a license to become available. This data can form the basis of your organizational and logistical decisions, by answering questions such as:

•Do you have more licenses than you need for a given application? Do you have too few licenses for another?

•Which stations and which users call which applications?

•Does the use of a given application justify the cost of its acquisition? How can you best distribute operating costs for the application within your budget?

 

You can configure licensing and statistical data acquisition features for each application separately, if desired.

On the subject of lowered TCO, the use of anonymous published applications should not be overlooked. This is a mechanism that can serve applications to an unlimited number of users without additional administrative work. The drawback, however, is that you give up control over server access: anyone who can reach the RD session host server over a network can also access it. Here, too, NetMan Desktop Manager gives you additional control features. For example, you can permit or deny server access, or restrict the client to certain applications, entirely on the basis of client IP address.

The RDP ticketing technique in NetMan Desktop Manager eliminates another weak point in Remote Desktop Services. Every RDP file is automatically provided with an encrypted time stamp and is valid only for the period of time defined by the NetMan administrator. If the file's validity has expired, it cannot launch a session. This prevents the use of manipulated RDP files for access to your RD session hosts.

The Remote Desktop Acceleration feature in NetMan Desktop Manager speeds up data transfer over RDP by up to 25 times the normal speed for a considerably improved user experience. This is achieved with the help of intelligent compression techniques and packet shaping.

With the NetMan Replication feature, NetMan Desktop Manager makes a significant contribution to failover capabilities and high availability in Remote Desktop environments.

 

NetMan Desktop Manager can be implemented in a variety of environments:

•As an application management system for Microsoft Windows Server with Remote Desktop Services Role

•As an add-on for Citrix MetaFrame/Presentation Server/XenApp

•In mixed environments, with a combination of both Remote Desktop Session Host and XenApp servers (or their previous versions)

 

In developing the NetMan Desktop Manager software suite, we have always insisted on ease of operation for administrators and users alike. NetMan's intuitive interface lets you configure even complex functions with just a few mouse clicks. Moreover, after a brief learning phase you will be able to create and manage extensive application portfolios and user structures with NetMan Desktop Manager.