10
Introduction
As newer versions of Windows keep on being developed as time goes by, you need to defend the
migration cost to your business. Parallels Remote Application Server can help. Desktop
replacement allows you to extend the lifespan of your hardware and delay migration to the latest
OSs to a time that suits you best. The Parallels Remote Application Server solution allows you to be
very flexible: you can lock machine configurations on the user side, placing your corporate data in
an extremely secure position; or you can opt to allow users to run some local and remote
applications. Parallels Client Desktop Replacement is able to reduce the operability of the local
machine by disabling the most common local configuration options, while guaranteeing the same
level of service and security afforded by thin clients, directly from your existing PCs.
About This Guide
This guide is intended for system administrators responsible for installing and configuring Parallels
Remote Application Server. This guide assumes that the reader is familiar with Microsoft Terminal
Server and has an intermediate networking knowledge.
Terms and Abbreviations Used in This Guide
The following terms and abbreviations are used in this guide:
Term/Abbreviation Description
RAS Console
Parallels Remote Application Server Console.
The RAS Console is the primary interface you use to
configure, manage, and run Parallels Remote
Application Server. As an administrator, you use the
RAS Console to manage farms, sites, terminal
servers, published resources, client connections, etc.
Category
In the RAS Console, categories are displayed in the
left pane of the main interface. Each category consists
of a number of settings related to a specific task or
operation. The categories include Start, Farm, Load
Balancing, Publishing, Universal Printing, Universal
Scanning, Connection, Client Manager, and others.
Farm
A Parallels RAS farm is a logical grouping of objects
for the purpose of centralized management. A farm
configuration is stored in a single database which
contains information about all objects comprising the
farm. A farm consists of at least one site, but may
have as many sites as necessary.
Site
A site consists of at least one RAS Publishing Agent,
RAS Secure Client Gateway (or multiple gateways),
and RAS agents installed on Terminal Servers,
virtualization (VDI) hosts, and Windows PCs. Note that
a given Terminal Server, VDI host, or PC can be a
member of only one site at any given time.