General WTS Information

A terminal server is different from a normal Windows workstation because it makes an application available for multiple users on one computer. The users access the terminal server using thin clients. The application is executed on the terminal server. Only the screens are shown on the client. It is as if you were using a remote control program to execute software on another computer.

This technology also enables users logging on with non-Windows clients to run Windows applications.

In order for multiple users to execute the same application at the same time, certain settings must be treated differently by the terminal server, such as the user or computer-related settings in the INI files located in the Windows directory. The terminal server works in two modes:

• Execute mode (user specific mode)
• Install mode (user global mode)

The execute mode ensures that all changes affecting the Windows directory are saved in a user-specific manner, for example:

• Changes to the INI files in the Windows directory
• Changes to the registry

This is done by putting changes to the Window directory in a separate directory:
%Systemroot% -> %HomeDrive%\Windows.
Each user also has his own directory for temporary files.

Please use the install mode if you want to apply the changes independent of users (for all users). The changes will be applied in the actual Windows directory (and not in the “redirected“ Windows directories).

The install mode is the default setting for installing software on Microsoft WTS. Ivanti DSM, however, is able to install packages in execute mode (thus user-related) due to Ivanti DSM's own Terminal Server support.

Before using DSM's Terminal Server support we recommend to get familiar with Terminal Servers in general.