Deploying RD Web Access
Before installing RD Web
Access, you need to take a few considerations into account:
The RD Web Access is a
role service of the Remote Desktop Services role.
The RD Web Access needs to be a
Windows Server 2008 R2 machine, but does not need to have the RD
Sessions Host role service installed.
To run the RD Web Access role service, Microsoft
Internet Information Services (IIS) 7.5 must/will be installed.
Installing the RD Web
Access Role Service
Use the following steps to
install the RD Web Access role service:
1. | Log on to
the desired server with local administrator privileges.
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2. | Click Start, and then click Run.
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3. | In the Run dialog box, type in ServerManager.msc
and click OK.
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4. | In the
Roles Summary section, click the Add Roles task.
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5. | After the Add Roles Wizard loads, click Next.
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6. | On the Select Server Roles page, select the Remote
Desktop Services role, and click Next.
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7. | On the Remote Desktop Services page, click Next.
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8. | Now, on the Select Role Services page, only select the
Remote Desktop Web Access role service. This is the only role service
that is being installed at this time, as shown in Figure 6.
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9. | When
prompted with the Add Roles Wizard dialog box, click the Add Required
Role Services button (any missing required role services or features for
RD Web Access role service will now be added), as shown in Figure 7.
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10. | On the
Select Role Services page, click Next.
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11. | On the Web Server (IIS) page, click Next.
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12. | On the Select Role Services page, click Next (do not
change the defaults).
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13. | On the Confirm Installation Selections page, review the
selections made, and then click Install.
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14. | On the Installation Results page, review the results,
and click Close.
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Defining the RemoteApps
Programs Source
Before users can use
RemoteApp and Desktop Connection, the source for RemoteApps programs
must be defined for an RD Web Access server. A RemoteApp source can be
either of the following:
Use the following steps to
define the RemoteApp source:
1. | Connect
to the RD Web Access Web site using either of the following methods:
On the RD Web
Access server, click Start, Administrative Tools, Remote Desktop
Services, Remote Desktop Web Access Configuration. Using Internet Explorer, connect to
the RD Web Access website using the following URL: https://<server_fqdn>/rdweb.
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2. | When prompted with the RD Web Access forms-based
authentication logon page, log on to the site using a domain account
that is a member of the local RD Web Access server’s TS Web Access
Administrators group.
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3. | Ensure that the Configuration page is selected, and
choose either the “An RD Connection Broker Server” option or the “One or
More RemoteApp Sources” option, as shown in Figure 8.
If the “An RD
Connection Broker Server” option is selected, the NetBIOS name or FQDN
of the RD Connection Broker must be defined in the Source Name box. If the “One or More RemoteApp Sources” option is
selected, the NetBIOS name or FQDN of an RD Session Host server or DNS
name of the RD Session Host server farm must be entered. If multiple
RemoteApp sources are being used, each name must be separated using a
semicolon.
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4. | Click OK
to save the changes.
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When defining a
RemoteApp source, certain requirements must be met depending on the
option used. For example, if an RD Session Host is used as the source,
the RD Web Access server must be added to the TS Web Access Computers
security group on the RD Session Host server. Or, when using an RD
Connection Broker server as the source, the RD Connection Broker server
must be installed, configured, and online.
Additionally, if the
“One or More RemoteApp Sources” option is used, a connection name and
connection ID must be defined on the RD Web Access server, and the RDWebAccess.config file needs to be modified. This file is found
under the: %windir%\Web\RDWeb\App_Data\ directory. The contents of this
file include instructions as to how to define the connection name and
connection ID. Once a connection name has been defined, it is used to
identify the RemoteApp and Desktop Connection that comes from that RD
Web Access server. Conversely, if the “An RD Connection Broker Server”
option is used, the connection name and connection ID are defined using
the Remote Desktop Connection Manager tool on the RD Connection Broker
server.
Securing RD Web Access
After RD Web Access has been
installed, it is recommended that you secure the RD Web Access traffic
by installing and using a Server Authentication (SSL) certificate. To
complete this task, refer to the IIS 7.5 online help section titled
“Request an Internet Server Certificate.” After a certificate has been
requested, installed, and bound to the website hosting the RD Web Access
role service, that website should then be configured to only accept SSL
connections.
