Gustav Brock
Gustav at cactus.dk
Wed Jan 18 11:56:53 CST 2012
Hi Steve OK, I misunderstood a little. A "virtual hosted server" is not the same as a normal "virtual server" like VMware Server which for nearly any practical use can be referred to as a physical server. It's like Windows Azure where you get something "similar" to a normal server; some features are left out or limited, in your case VPN of Microsoft Server. I'm not familiar with Hamagochi or similar but it should be easy to get an answer to your precise question if their VPN "server" application can be installed on a hosted virtual server. The count of Microsoft RDP connection licenses is not related to VPN or not. /gustav >>> erbachs at gmail.com 18-01-2012 18:32 >>> Gustav, Thanks for the reply. I see from the GoDaddy documents (which I just saw) that were given to my client when he signed up for the virtual server (at my recommendation...it was cheap!) that "Due to the nature of virtualization software, some system functionality is not available to the administrator of a virtual dedicated Windows hosting server. The following are known to not function in this environment: RAS (Remote Access Services) including VPN." What is NOT clear is if this applies only to the Microsoft RAS. I'm a bit leery of having to be responsible for some other VPN software, but I'll do my best to learn it to enable my client to do what he wants to do. Hamachi seems to have been mentioned fairly often when the topic comes up here. One thing that isn't clear (among many) is this: If Hamachi VPN is installed on a server, does the server still have to have multiple Microsoft Remote Desktop licenses to be able to have, say, six people dial in remotely into the Hamachi VPN? This is a thorny problem. My client has set up a business plan that relies on Remote Desktop access to the virtual server to allow customers to do data entry and print reports from the software product he's marketing. I'm beginning to feel like a fool for recommending the virtual server route for this purpose. Thanks, Gustav, for your input. Regards, Steve Erbach Neenah, WI On Wed, Jan 18, 2012 at 11:25 AM, Gustav Brock <Gustav at cactus.dk> wrote: > Hi Steve > > To follow the Microsoft route, you need Terminal Service to be installed > on the server and licenses for this for the users. If do this, do double > check the licensing methods or you may waste a lot of time getting this > straight. > > There is a hack (google around) for Windows XP which allows more than two > RDP connections at one time but that's probably not a good idea in this > case. > > Small Business Server is routinely set up to use VPN for RDP connections, > and it works great. There's no reason why it shouldn't work for virtual > servers as well if just the network connection of these are bridged to the > physical network as is normally the case. > > You could also skip Terminal Services and use third-party software like > WinConnect Server XP: > > http://www.thinsoftinc.com/product_thin_client_winconnect_server_xp.aspx > > Be aware that the license of this will be locked to the (first) server you > install this on, or you will need a call and a good explanation to the > support line. > > /gustav > > > >>> erbachs at gmail.com 18-01-2012 17:51 >>> > Dear Group, > > I've been working with a client who wants to offer his software package > (which I wrote in Access 2003) to clients via Remote Desktop connections to > a GoDaddy.com virtual Windows Server. I've got Remote Desktop working just > fine to allow users to log into the virtual server (2 GB RAM, 30 GB hard > disk) and run the Access application...but Windows Server 2008 only has two > built-in Remote Desktop licenses for simultaneous use. My client thinks > we'll need more. > > He and I were on a conference call with a support guy from GoDaddy.com > yesterday. I asked him about setting up a VPN on the virtual server and he > said that that wasn't possible. However, he didn't know that Windows Server > 2008 had TWO Remote Desktop access licenses built-in. He was also surprised > when I told him that I can log into the server with two separate Remote > Desktop sessions. That didn't make me confident that his pronouncement > about VPN on a virtual server was accurate. > > So I'd like to ask you folks: can a VPN be set up on a VIRTUAL Windows > Server 2008 installation? I've read through some threads here that mention > Hamachi VPN. Not that I want to learn yet another software package to be > responsible for, but it seems that that has some boosters here. > > Also (subsidiary question) has anyone here ever purchased additional Remote > Desktop licenses from Microsoft? Thanks in advance! > > Regards, > > Steve Erbach > Neenah, WI