Parallels Remote Application Server - 15.5 Administrator’s Guide
Parallels Remote
Application Server
Administrator's Guide
v15.5 Update 2
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Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................... 9
About Parallels Remote Application Server ....................................................................... 9
About This Guide .......................................................................................................... 10
Terms and Abbreviations Used in This Guide ................................................................. 10
Installing Parallels Remote Application Server ...................................................... 13
System Requirements ................................................................................................... 13
Hardware Requirements ........................................................................................................ 13
Software Requirements ......................................................................................................... 14
Install Parallels Remote Application Server ..................................................................... 15
Sign In to Parallels My Account ...................................................................................... 16
Activate Parallels Remote Application Server .................................................................. 17
Getting Started with Parallels Remote Application Sever ..................................... 19
Parallels Remote Application Server Console ................................................................. 19
Setting Up a Simple RAS Environment ........................................................................... 21
Add a Terminal Server ........................................................................................................... 22
Publish an Application ........................................................................................................... 23
Invite Users ............................................................................................................................ 24
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 26
Parallels RAS Farm and Sites ................................................................................. 27
About Sites ................................................................................................................... 27
Viewing Sites in the RAS Console .................................................................................. 28
Adding a Site to the Farm .............................................................................................. 30
Managing Sites ............................................................................................................. 31
Managing Farm Administrative Accounts ....................................................................... 32
Adding an Administrator Account .......................................................................................... 32
Configuring Administrator Accounts Permissions .................................................................. 33
Managing Administrator Accounts ......................................................................................... 33
Using Instant Messaging for Administrators ........................................................................... 34
Joining Customer Experience Program ................................................................................. 34
Contents
Terminal Servers ...................................................................................................... 36
Viewing Terminal Servers ............................................................................................... 36
Adding a Terminal Server .............................................................................................. 37
Installing RAS Terminal Server Agent Manually ...................................................................... 38
Configuring a Terminal Server ........................................................................................ 40
Check RAS Terminal Server Agent Status ............................................................................. 40
Change Terminal Server Site Assignment .............................................................................. 41
View and Modify Terminal Server Properties .......................................................................... 41
Grouping Terminal Servers ............................................................................................ 47
Using a Terminal Server Scheduler ................................................................................ 47
Managing Logons ......................................................................................................... 49
Publishing from a Terminal Server .................................................................................. 50
Publishing a Desktop from a Terminal Server ........................................................................ 50
Publishing an Application from a Terminal Server .................................................................. 53
Publishing a Web Application from a Terminal Server ............................................................ 56
Publishing a Network Folder from a Terminal Server .............................................................. 57
Publishing a Document from a Terminal Server ..................................................................... 59
VDI Hosts ................................................................................................................. 60
Adding a VDI Host ......................................................................................................... 60
Checking the RAS VDI Agent Status ..................................................................................... 62
Installing RAS VDI Agent Manually ......................................................................................... 62
Installing an Appliance and Configuring a VDI Host ......................................................... 63
Using Parallels RAS Templates ...................................................................................... 67
Creating a RAS Template ...................................................................................................... 68
Configuring a RAS Template ................................................................................................. 68
How Guest VMs Are Created From a Template ..................................................................... 70
RAS Template Maintenance .................................................................................................. 70
VDI Host Pool Management .......................................................................................... 72
Adding and Deleting Pools .................................................................................................... 72
Adding and Deleting Pool Members ...................................................................................... 72
Configuring Guest VMs in a Pool ........................................................................................... 73
Using a Wildcard to Filter VMs ............................................................................................... 74
Contents
Persistent Guest VMs .................................................................................................... 75
Publishing from a Guest VM .......................................................................................... 75
Publishing a Virtual Desktop from a Guest VM ....................................................................... 75
Publishing an Application from a Guest VM ........................................................................... 76
Publishing a Web Application from a Guest VM ..................................................................... 77
Publishing a Network Folder from a Guest VM ...................................................................... 78
Publishing a Document from a Guest VM .............................................................................. 78
VDI Agent Technology ................................................................................................... 79
Prepare Citrix XenServer for Parallels RAS ............................................................................. 80
Prepare Hyper-V for Parallels RAS ......................................................................................... 88
Prepare VMware vSphere for Parallels RAS ........................................................................... 90
Remote PCs ........................................................................................................... 106
Adding a Remote PC .................................................................................................. 106
Installing RAS PC Agent Manually ................................................................................ 107
Configuring a Remote PC ............................................................................................ 108
Publishing from a Remote PC ...................................................................................... 109
Publishing a Desktop from a Remote PC ............................................................................. 109
Publishing an Application from a Remote PC ...................................................................... 110
Publishing a Web Application from a Remote PC ................................................................ 110
Publishing a Network Folder from a Remote PC .................................................................. 111
Publishing a Document from a Remote PC ......................................................................... 111
Contents
Managing Published Resources ........................................................................... 113
General Management Tasks ........................................................................................ 113
Manage Published Applications ................................................................................... 114
Manage Published Desktops ....................................................................................... 117
Manage Published Documents .................................................................................... 119
Manage Published Folders .......................................................................................... 121
Using Filtering Rules .................................................................................................... 122
Setting Icon Resolution ................................................................................................ 124
RAS Secure Client Gateways ................................................................................ 125
RAS Secure Client Gateway Overview ......................................................................... 125
Adding a RAS Secure Client Gateway .......................................................................... 126
Manually Adding a RAS Secure Client Gateway ........................................................... 127
Checking the RAS Secure Client Gateway Status ........................................................ 128
Configuring RAS Secure Client Gateway ...................................................................... 128
Enable and Disable a Gateway ............................................................................................ 129
Set IP Address for Incoming Connections ........................................................................... 130
Configure RAS Secure Client Gateway Network Options ..................................................... 131
Configure SSL Encryption on a Gateway ............................................................................. 132
Configure HTML5 Connectivity ............................................................................................ 135
Set the Gateway Mode and Forwarding Settings ................................................................. 137
Enable Support for Wyse Thin Client OS ............................................................................. 138
Filter Access to a RAS Secure Client Gateway .................................................................... 138
Gateway Tunneling Policies ......................................................................................... 138
Parallels HTML5 Client .......................................................................................... 140
Configure HTML5 Connectivity .................................................................................... 140
Open Parallels HTML5 Client ....................................................................................... 140
Main Menu Options ..................................................................................................... 142
Launching Remote Applications and Desktops ............................................................ 142
Using the Toolbar ........................................................................................................ 143
Using the Toolbar on Desktop Computers........................................................................... 144
Using the Toolbar on Mobile Devices................................................................................... 146
Contents
Using the Remote Clipboard ........................................................................................ 148
RAS Web Portal ..................................................................................................... 150
RAS Web Portal: Prerequisites and Installation ............................................................. 150
Log In to RAS Web Portal ............................................................................................ 152
Farm Settings .............................................................................................................. 153
General Settings .......................................................................................................... 156
RAS Publishing Agents ......................................................................................... 162
Viewing and Configuring RAS Publishing Agents .......................................................... 162
Secondary Publishing Agents ...................................................................................... 163
Managing Secondary Publishing Agents ...................................................................... 165
Load Balancing ...................................................................................................... 167
Resource Based & Round Robin Load Balancing ......................................................... 167
Load Balancing Advanced Settings ............................................................................. 168
High Availability Load Balancing ................................................................................... 169
Configuring HALB Appliances in the RAS Console .............................................................. 170
Changing HALB Appliance Password.................................................................................. 172
Universal Printing .................................................................................................. 174
Managing Universal Printing Servers ............................................................................ 174
Universal Printing Filtering ............................................................................................ 175
Font Management ....................................................................................................... 176
Universal Scanning ................................................................................................ 178
Managing Universal Scanning ...................................................................................... 178
Managing Scanning Applications ................................................................................. 179
User Device Management ..................................................................................... 180
Inviting Users to Connect to Parallels RAS ................................................................... 180
Monitoring Devices ...................................................................................................... 182
Managing Windows Devices ........................................................................................ 183
Windows Desktop Replacement.......................................................................................... 187
Windows Device Groups ............................................................................................. 189
Scheduling Windows Devices & Groups Power Cycles ................................................. 190
Managing Client Policies .............................................................................................. 192
Add a New Client Policy ...................................................................................................... 192
Configure Connection Properties ......................................................................................... 193
Contents
Configure Client Policy Options ........................................................................................... 200
Configure Control Settings .................................................................................................. 202
RAS Reporting ....................................................................................................... 204
Deploy and Configure RAS Reports ............................................................................. 204
Advanced Settings .............................................................................................................. 206
RAS Reports ............................................................................................................... 206
Connection and Authentication Settings .............................................................. 209
RAS Publishing Agent Connection Settings .................................................................. 209
Restricting Access by Parallels Client Type and Build Number ...................................... 211
Second Level Authentication ....................................................................................... 211
Using RADIUS ..................................................................................................................... 212
Using SafeNet ..................................................................................................................... 213
Using Deepnet ..................................................................................................................... 216
Managing Parallels Remote Application Server ................................................... 230
Parallels Remote Application Server Status .................................................................. 230
Licensing .................................................................................................................... 231
Managing Sessions ..................................................................................................... 232
Configuring Monitoring Counters and Email Alerts ........................................................ 234
Configuring Monitoring Counters ......................................................................................... 234
Configuring SMTP Server Connection for System Notifications via Email ............................. 235
Viewing Parallels RAS Configuration Changes .............................................................. 235
Configuring Auditing Logging ....................................................................................... 235
Parallels Remote Application Server Logging Per Server ..................................................... 236
Parallels Remote Application Server Logging Per Site ......................................................... 236
Maintenance and Backup ............................................................................................ 237
Exporting and Importing Farm Settings via Command Line ........................................... 238
Problem Reporting and Troubleshooting ...................................................................... 238
Port Reference ....................................................................................................... 241
Index ...................................................................................................................... 245
C HAPTER 1
Introduction
Welcome to Parallels Remote Application Server, an integrated solution to virtualize your
applications, desktops and data. Parallels Remote Application Server publishes applications and
delivers remote and virtual desktops to any device on your network, anywhere.
In This Chapter
About Parallels Remote Application Server .............................................................. 9
About This Guide ................................................................................................... 10
Terms and Abbreviations Used in This Guide .......................................................... 10
About Parallels Remote Application Server
Parallels Remote Application Server provides vendor independent virtual desktop and application
delivery from a single platform. Accessible from anywhere with platform-specific clients and web
enabled solutions, like the Parallels RAS HTML5 Gateway, Parallels Remote Application Server
allows you to publish remote desktops, applications and documents within a virtual environment,
improving desktop manageability, security and performance.
Parallels Remote Application Server extends Windows Terminal Services by using a customized
shell and virtual channel extensions over the Microsoft RDP protocol. It supports all major
hypervisors from Microsoft, VMware, and other vendors enabling the publishing of virtual desktops
and applications to Parallels Client.
The product includes powerful universal printing and scanning functionality, as well as high capacity
resource based load balancing and management features.
With Parallels Client Manager Module for Parallels Remote Application Server you can also centrally
manage user connections and PCs converted into thin clients using the free Parallels Client.
How does it work?
When a user requests an application or a desktop, the system finds a least loaded terminal server
or a guest VM on one of the least loaded VDI hosts and establishes an RDP connection with
it. Using Microsoft RDP protocol, the requested application or desktop is presented to the user.
Users can connect to Parallels Remote Application Server using Parallels Client (available at no
charge), which can run on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, Chrome, and iOS. Users can also
connect via an HTML5 browser or Chromebook.
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
Parallels Remote Application Server Console.
RAS Console
Category
Farm
Site
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.
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.
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.
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.
10
Licensing Server Site
RAS Secure Client Gateway
HTML5 Client
Publishing
Introduction
The site where the main configuration database is
stored and manages all other sites in the RAS farm.
Other servers in a site can be upgraded to Licensing
Server if the main licensing server is not available.
Note: Upgrades of the Parallels Remote Application
Server MUST be applied to the licensing server site
first.
RAS Secure Client Gateway tunnels all traffic needed
by applications on a single port and provides secure
connections.
HTML5 client allows users to view and launch remote
applications and desktops in a web browser. The
HTML5 client functionality is a part of RAS Secure
Client Gateway.
The act of making items installed on a Remote
Desktop Server, VDI host or Remote PC available to
the users via the Parallels Remote Application Server.
RAS Publishing Agent
RAS Terminal Server Agent
RAS PC Agent
RAS Guest VM Agent
RAS VDI Agent
RAS Web Portal
RDS
RAS Publishing Agent provides load balancing of
published applications and desktops.
RAS Terminal Server Agent collects information from
the MS RDS hosts required by the Publishing Agent
and transmits to it when required.
RAS PC Agent collects information from Remote PC
hosts required by the Publishing Agent and transmits
to it when required.
RAS Guest VM Agent collects information from the
VDI desktop required by the Publishing Agent and
transmits to it when required.
RAS VDI Agent collects information from the Parallels
Remote Application Server Infrastructure and is
responsible for controlling VDI through its native API.
It also acts as a gateway between the Secure Client
Gateway or the client in direct mode and the RDP
server from the guest VM or VDI depending on VDI
implementation.
RAS Web Portal is a web page with auto client
detection and a client distribution point. It provides
access to published resources via web browser.
Remote Desktop Services is a Microsoft Windows
component that makes applications and the entire
desktop of a server running RDS accessible to a
remote client device that supports Remote Desktop
Protocol (RDP). RDS replaced Terminal Services
beginning with Windows 2008 R2.
Terminal Services
HALB
See RDS above.
HALB (High Availability Load Balancing) is a software
solution that sits between users and Parallels Secure
Client Gateways. Many HALB appliances can run
simultaneously, one acting as the master and the
11
Introduction
others as slaves. The higher the number of HALB
appliances available, the lower the probability that
users will experience downtime. Master and slave
appliances share a common or virtual IP, also known
as VIP. Should the master HALB appliance fail, a
slave is promoted to master and takes its place
seamlessly without affecting the end user's
connection.
12
C HAPTER 2
Installing Parallels Remote Application Server
This chapter describes how to install and activate Parallels Remote Application Server.
In This Chapter
System Requirements ............................................................................................ 13
Install Parallels Remote Application Server .............................................................. 15
Sign In to Parallels My Account ............................................................................... 16
Activate Parallels Remote Application Server ........................................................... 17
System Requirements
Before installing Parallels RAS, please verify that your hardware and software meet or exceed the
following requirements.
Hardware Requirements
Parallels Remote Application Server is extensively tested on both physical and virtual platforms. The
minimum hardware requirements approved to run Parallels Remote Application Server are outlined
below.
• Physical Machines – Dual Core Processor and a minimum of 4GB RAM.
• Virtual Machines – Two Virtual Processors and a minimum of 4GB of virtual hardware memory.
The server hardware requirements to install and configure Parallels Remote Application Server can
vary according to end-user requirements.
Typically for an installation of 30 users or under, Parallels Remote Application Server can be
installed on one high specification server and the resources published directly from it. For more
than 30 users, multiple servers may be required.
The below should be considered during the planning stage of a Parallels Remote Application Server
deployment:
• High specification servers should be used, consisting of multiple CPU cores, a high
specification disk transfer rate and plenty of RAM.
Installing Parallels Remote Application Server
• A hypervisor-based virtual machine can be used as long as the resources required by the end-
users are calculated accordingly.
• Terminal servers should not exceed 50 users per terminal server in usage.
• The Secure Client Gateway should not exceed 200 users per server for incoming connections.
• When planning VDI Hypervisor resource requirements, extra requirements such as RAM usage
per virtual machine and disk space should be taken into account.
For port requirements, please see the Port Reference section (p. 241).
Software Requirements
Core Parallels Remote Application Server Components
RAS Publishing Agent and RAS Secure Client Gateway (the core components of Parallels Remote
Application Server) must be installed on one of the following versions of Windows Server:
• Windows Server 2008
• Windows Server 2008 R2
• Windows Server 2012
• Windows Server 2012 R2
• Windows Server 2016
Note: Parallels Remote Application Server should not be installed on a domain controller or any other
server where a DHCP server is running.
RAS Terminal Server Agent
RAS Terminal Server Agent must be installed on one of the following versions of Windows Server:
• Windows Server 2003 SP1 and newer
• Windows Server 2008
• Windows Server 2008 R2
• Windows Server 2012
• Windows Server 2012 R2
• Windows Server 2016
Parallels Client
Parallels Client is approved for the following operating systems (both 32 bit and 64 bit systems are
supported, where applicable):
• Windows XP SP3, Vista, 7, 8.x, 10
14
• Windows Server 2003 SP1 and newer
• Windows Embedded
• macOS 10.7.3 and newer
• iOS 7.0 and newer (iPhone and iPad)
• Android 2.2 and newer
• Chrome OS
• Ubuntu 12.04 LTS
• Ubuntu 14.04 LTS
• Open Suse 12.3
• OpenSuse 13.2
• Fedora 20
• Xubuntu 15.10
• Raspbian OS Wheezy
• Raspbian OS Jessie
Installing Parallels Remote Application Server
Install Parallels Remote Application Server
To install Parallels Remote Application Server:
1 Before proceeding, make sure that you are logged in to the computer where you'll be
performing the installation with an account that has administrative privileges.
2 Download the latest version of Parallels Remote Application Server from the Parallels website.
3 Double click the RASInstaller.msi file to launch the Parallels Remote Application Server
installation wizard.
4 Read the info on the Welcome page of this wizard and click Next.
5 Review and approve the end-user license agreement and click Next.
6 Specify the folder location where Parallels Remote Application Server will be installed and click
Next.
7 Select the installation type:
• Select Parallels Remote Application Server to run the default installation, which will install
all necessary components for a fully functional Parallels RAS farm.
• Select Custom to install only the components that you need. You can specify the
components you wish to install after clicking Next.
8 Click Next.
9 Review the notice on the Important Notice wizard page. If there's a port conflict on your
computer, this information will be displayed here. You can resolve the conflict later.
15
Installing Parallels Remote Application Server
10 Click Next.
11 On the Firewall Settings page, select Automatically add firewall rules to configure the
firewall on this computer for Parallels RAS to work properly.
12 Click Next and then click Install.
13 Wait for the installation to finish and click Finish.
Log in to Parallels RAS Console for the first time
The first time the Parallels RAS Console is launched, you need to specify credentials of a user with
administrative privileges (usually a domain or local administrator). The user name must be specified
using the UPN format (e.g. administrator@domain.local). The specified user will be
automatically configured as the Parallels Remote Application Server administrator.
Enter the username and password and click Connect. The Sign In to Parallels My Account
dialog opens. Read on.
Sign In to Parallels My Account
To activate Parallels RAS, you must register for Parallels My Account. When you run the RAS
console for the first time, you'll see the Sign In to Parallels My Account dialog. If you already have
an account, type the email address and password you used to register the account and click Sign
In.
If you don't have a Parallels My Account, you can register for one as follows:
16
Installing Parallels Remote Application Server
1 In the Sign In to Parallels My Account dialog, click Register. The Register Parallels My
Account dialog opens.
If you have an existing 2X Remote Application Server license and are upgrading to the new
Parallels Remote Application Server, the Register Parallels My Account dialog will be prefilled
with the information from your existing license. If you don't have an existing license (or if you've
installed Parallels Remote Application Server on a new server), you'll need to fill in the
registration information as described in the next step.
2 Enter your name, email address, a desired password, and your company info (all fields are
required).
3 Click Register to register an account. This will create a personal account for yourself and a
business account for your organization to which you will be assigned as administrator.
If you are upgrading an existing 2X license, the Migrating license key window will open and your
license will be migrated to the new Parallels Remote Application Server format. When the migration
is completed, your upgraded license key will be registered with Parallels My Account and your
Parallels Remote Application Server will be activated.
If you don't have an existing 2X license, you should see the confirmation message saying that your
account has been registered successfully. Click OK to close the message box. In the Sign In to
Parallels My Account dialog, provide the email address and password and click Sign In. You'll
see the Activate Product dialog.
Read on to learn how to activate Parallels Remote Application Server.
Activate Parallels Remote Application Server
After you sign in to Parallels My Account, the Activate Product dialog opens asking you to activate
Parallels Remote Application Server.
If you already have a Parallels Remote Application Server license key, select the Activate using
license key option and enter the key in the field provided. You can click the button next to the field
to see the list of subscriptions and/or permanent license keys you have registered in Parallels My
Account. If the list is empty, it means that you don't have any subscriptions or license keys and
need to purchase one first.
Note: You can manage your Parallels RAS license using the Licensing category in the Parallels RAS
console. The management tasks include viewing the license information, switching to a different Parallels
My Account, and activating Parallels RAS using a different license key. For more information, please see
the Licensing section (p. 231).
If you don't have a Parallels RAS subscription or license key, you have the following options:
• Purchase a subscription online by clicking the Purchase a license link.
• Activate Parallels RAS as a trial by selecting the Activate trial version option.
17
Installing Parallels Remote Application Server
After entering a license key (or selecting to activate a trial version), click Activate. You should see a
message that your Parallels Remote Application Server was activated successfully. Click OK to
close the message box. The Parallels Remote Application Server Console opens:
1 First, a dialog is displayed informing you that you have no active servers configured. This means
that to begin using Parallels RAS, you need at least a Terminal Server and you also need to
publish applications, desktops or other resources for your users. We'll get to that at the end of
this section.
2 Click OK to close the message box.
3 You will then see the Applying Settings dialog. Wait for the initial configuration of Parallels RAS
to complete and click OK.
4 You will now be taken to the Parallels Remote Application Server console where you can begin
configuring your Parallels RAS installation.
Read on to learn how to add a Terminal Server, publish resources, and invite your users to Parallels
RAS.
18
C HAPTER 3
Getting Started with Parallels Remote Application Sever
This chapter will help you get started with Parallels Remote Application Server. Read it to learn how
to use the Parallels RAS Console and how to set up a simple RAS environment.
In This Chapter
Parallels Remote Application Server Console .......................................................... 19
Setting Up a Simple RAS Environment .................................................................... 21
Parallels Remote Application Server Console
The Parallels RAS Console is where you manage Parallels Remote Application Server. Use the
console to publish an application or a desktop, add a terminal server of a VDI host to the farm,
backup the Parallels Remote Application Server configuration, and perform other administrative
tasks.
Getting Started with Parallels Remote Application Sever
Parallels Remote Application Server Console Layout
The RAS Console consists of the following sections:
This section lists categories. Selecting a category will populate the right pane with
elements relevant to this category.
This section becomes available only for the Farm and the Publishing categories.
The navigation tree allows you to browse through the objects related to that
category.
This section displays the selected object or category properties, such as servers in
a farm or published application properties.
This information bar displays the site you are currently logged into and the user
account being used for the connection. Please also note the "Press Apply to
commit the new settings" message in the middle (in red). The message is displayed
when you made changes to one or more objects/items, but did not commit them
to Parallels Remote Application Server. Click the Apply button (at the bottom of the
screen) to commit the changes. If there are no currently pending changes, the
message is not displayed.
20
Getting Started with Parallels Remote Application Sever
The information bar at the bottom of the screen is used to display the most recent
console notification (if one is available).
Setting Up a Simple RAS Environment
In this section, we'll set up a simple Parallels Remote Application Server environment where all
required components run on a single server. Once you are familiar with basic principles of setting
up a Parallels RAS environment, you can use the instructions as a basis for setting up a more
advanced environment according to your needs.
To set up a Parallels RAS environment:
1 Log in to the Parallels Remote Application Server console.
2 In the console, select the Start category. This category gives you access to three wizards that
you can use to easily perform essential tasks, such as adding terminal servers, publishing
applications, and inviting users to Parallels RAS.
21
Getting Started with Parallels Remote Application Sever
Add a Terminal Server
First, we need to add a Terminal Server to the site. In this tutorial, we'll add the local server, on
which Parallels Remote Application Server is installed, as a Terminal Server.
Note: A Terminal Server serves published resources (applications, desktops, and others) to Parallels RAS
users via Remote Desktop Services. In order to access these resources, each user connecting to
Parallels RAS must be a member of the Remote Desktop Users group on the server hosting the
resources (i.e. the Terminal Server). Before inviting your users to connect to Parallels RAS, you need to
add all your users to the local Remote Desktop Users group on the Terminal Server. For the instructions
on how to do it, please consult the Microsoft Windows documentation.
To add a Terminal Server to the site:
1 Click the Add Terminal Servers item. The Add Terminal Servers wizard opens.
2 On the first page, select the local server in the list or type the host name in the edit box at the
bottom of the page and then click the plus-sign icon.
3 Click Next.
22
Getting Started with Parallels Remote Application Sever
4 On the next page, you can specify whether the firewall should be configured on the server and
the RDS role should be installed (and some others). Keep the default values and click Next.
5 Review the settings and click Next.
6 The Install Terminal Server Agent dialog opens. When the Terminal Server Agent is installed
on the server, click Done to close the dialog.
7 Click Finish to close the wizard.
If you would like to verify that the Terminal Server has been added to the site, click the Farm
category (below the Start category) and then click Terminal Servers in the navigation tree (the
middle pane). The server should now be included in the Terminal Servers list. The Agent State
column may display a warning message. If it does, reboot the server. The Agent State column
should now say, "Agent OK", which means that your Terminal Server is fully operational.
Publish an Application
Now that you have a Terminal Server, you need to publish an application that it will serve to the
users. In this example, we'll publish the RAS Console application (you can publish any other
application that's available on your server).
To publish an application:
1 Click the Publish Applications item.
Note: If you see a message box saying that there are no servers available, make sure that you added
the server as a Terminal Server to the site and then restarted it.
2 The Publish Applications wizard opens.
3 The first page of the wizard will not be displayed if you have just one Terminal Server. If you
have more than one Terminal Server, the page will be displayed and you can select the Terminal
Server(s) from which the application should be published. For instance, you can select the
Individual Servers option and then select the local server in the list.
4 On the next page, navigate to Parallels / Parallels Remote Application Server and select the
Parallels Remote Application Server Console application (or any other application that you
want to publish).
If you have more than one Terminal Server and select more than one server on the previous
screen, the Show applications not available on all target servers option becomes enabled. If
the option is cleared (default), the directory tree will contain applications that are available on
each and every server that you selected. If the option is selected, the tree will contain
applications that may be available on some server(s), but not on the others.
5 Click Next. Review the summary information and click Next again.
6 Click Finish when ready.
7 To verify that the application has been published, select the Publishing category and see that
the Parallels Remote Application Server Console application is present in the Published
Resources list (the middle pane).
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Getting Started with Parallels Remote Application Sever
Invite Users
Your Parallels RAS environment is now fully operational. You have a Terminal Server and a
published application. All you need to do now is invite your users to install the Parallels Client
software on their devices, which will enable them to use the published application.
To invite users:
1 Click the Invite Users item. The Invite Users wizard opens.
2 If you haven't configured anything yet in your Parallels RAS installation, the first wizard page will
prompt you to configure a mailbox for sending notifications to your users.
3 Enter your outgoing mail server name and sender address (e.g. your email address). Choose
whether to use the TLS/SSL protocol and whether your SMTP server requires authentication
(provide the username and password if it does). You can also send a test email to test your
outgoing mail server settings.
4 Click Next.
5 On the next page of the wizard, specify target devices and connection options:
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Getting Started with Parallels Remote Application Sever
• In the target devices list, select the types of devices to send an invitation to. Each target
device of a particular type will receive an email with instructions on how to download, install,
and configure the Parallels Client software on that device type.
• In the Public Gateway IP field, specify the RAS Secure Client Gateway domain name or IP
address. Please note that this can be a public IP address in order to reach the system from
a remote user. You can click the [...] button to select a gateway from the list.
• In the Connection Mode drop-down list, select the RAS Secure Client Gateway connection
mode. Please note that SSL modes require the gateway to have SSL configured.
• Click the Advanced button to open the Advanced Settings dialog. This dialog allows you
to specify a third-party credential provider component. If you use such a component to
authenticate your users, specify its GUID on this dialog. For more information, see
Configure Client Policy Options > Single Sign-On (p. 200).
6 Click Next.
7 On the next page, specify the email recipients. Click the [...] button to select users or groups.
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Getting Started with Parallels Remote Application Sever
8 Review the invitation email template displayed in the Review the invitation e-mail box. You
can modify the template text as needed. The template also uses variables, which are explained
below.
• %RECIPIENT% — Specifies the name of a recipient to whom the email message is
addressed.
• %SENDER% — The sender's email address that you specified in the first step of this wizard
when you configured the outgoing email server settings.
• %INSTRUCTIONS% — Includes a script for automatic configuration of Parallels Client and a
link that will run it.
• %MANUALINSTRUCTIONS% — Includes instructions for manual configuration of Parallels
Client.
The variables are defined dynamically depending on the type(s) of the target devices and other
settings. Normally, you should always include them in the message, so your users will receive all
the necessary instructions and links. To preview the message, click the Preview button. This
will open the HTML version of the message in a separate window. This is the email message
that your users will receive.
9 Click Next, review the settings that you specified, and click Next again to send the invitation
email to the selected users.
After you send the invitation email to your users, they'll be able to follow the instructions in it and
install Parallels Client on their devices. They will then be able to connect to Parallels Remote
Application Server and use the application that you published for them.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we have configured a simple Parallels Remote Application Server environment
consisting of one Terminal Server and one published application. We then configured a mailbox for
outgoing emails and sent an invitation email to our users with instructions on how to: install Parallels
Client; connect to Parallels Remote Application Server; and run the published application remotely.
In other words, we successfully created a fully functional Parallels Remote Application Server farm
serving remote applications to end users.
If you wish, you can repeat the tutorial and add more Terminal Servers or publish more
applications, or send an invitation email to users who use different types of devices. The
instructions remain essentially the same.
Naturally, Parallels Remote Application Server is not limited to the functionality demonstrated in this
short tutorial. Continue reading this guide to learn what Parallels Remote Application Server can do
for you.
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C HAPTER 4
Parallels RAS Farm and Sites
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 site is the next level grouping in the farm hierarchy which contains servers
and other objects providing connection and remote application services.
In This Chapter
About Sites ............................................................................................................ 27
Viewing Sites in the RAS Console ........................................................................... 28
Adding a Site to the Farm ....................................................................................... 30
Managing Sites ...................................................................................................... 31
Managing Farm Administrative Accounts................................................................. 32
About Sites
A Parallels RAS farm consists of at least one site, but may have as many sites as necessary.
Sites are often used to separate management and/or location functions. For example, by creating a
site, you can delegate permissions to a site admin without granting them full farm permissions. Or
you can have separate sites for different physical locations with the ability to copy the same
settings to each site while using Terminal Servers, VDI hosts, or PCs that are closer to end users or
(depending on your needs) to back-end servers. For instance, it would make sense for a
client/server application querying a database to be published from a Terminal Server which is
located closer to the database server.
Each site is completely isolated from other sites within the same farm. The farm simply groups the
sites logically and stores configuration properties of each site (and the objects that comprise it) in a
single database. Sites don't communicate with each other and don't share any objects or data.
The only exception to this rule is the RAS Licensing Server site which periodically communicates
with other sites to obtain statistics.
Individual object settings in a given site can be replicated to all other sites. This does not mean that
the settings will be shared between sites. The settings that you choose will simply be applied to
other sites. For more information, see the Managing Sites section (p. 31).
Parallels RAS Farm and Sites
When you install Parallels Remote Application Server for the first time, a farm with a single site is
created automatically. This first site becomes the RAS Licensing Server site and the host for the
main Parallels RAS configuration database. When you add more sites to the farm, the data in this
database is automatically synchronized with every site that you add. When changes are applied to
a particular site, the main configuration database is automatically updated to reflect the changes.
Each site must have at least the following components installed:
• Master RAS Publishing Agent
• RAS Secure Client Gateway
• Terminal Server, VDI, or PC
• Published resources (applications, desktops, documents).
When you install Parallels RAS using default installation options, the master RAS Publishing Agent
and the RAS Secure Client Gateway are automatically installed on the server on which you perform
the installation. You can then add one or more Terminal Servers to the site and publish resources
hosted by those servers. You can also add more sites to the farm if needed and configure individual
components for each site as you desire.
Viewing Sites in the RAS Console
To view existing sites, open Parallels RAS Console and select the Farm category in the left pane.
Existing sites are listed in the right pane.
Note: The Farm node will only be visible to an administrator who has full permissions to manage the
farm. For more information about farm/site permissions, please refer to Managing Farm Administrative
Accounts (p. 32).
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Parallels RAS Farm and Sites
The Farm category displays the configuration of only one site at a time. If you login as the farm
administrator, the configuration of the Licensing Server site will be displayed. If you login as an
administrator who has access to a specific site (but not the farm), the configuration of that site will
be displayed. The site which configuration is currently displayed in the console is marked as
"Current Site" in the Priority column. If you have multiple sites and want to manage one of them,
right-click it in the right pane and choose Switch to this Site. The site configuration will be loaded
into the RAS Console, so you can see its components and configure them as you require.
To change the farm name, click the Change Farm Name button in the right pane. To change a site
name, right-click it in the right pane and choose Properties. Type a new name and click OK.
The middle pane displays the components of the current site. We will talk more about each one of
them later in this guide. The following list is a short overview:
• Designer. Displays a visual representation of the site. Use the icons at the top to add more
components to the diagram (if you add a component, it will actually be added to the site). Click
Print to print the diagram.
• Terminal Servers. Add, remove, and configure RAS Terminal Servers.
• VDI Hosts. Add, remove, and configure RAS VDI Hosts.
• Remote PCs. Add, remove, and configure Remote PCs.
• Gateways. Add, remove, and configure RAS Secure Client Gateways.
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Parallels RAS Farm and Sites
• Publishing Agents. Add, remove, and configure RAS Publishing Agents.
• HALB. Enable or disable High Availability Load Balancing.
• Settings. Configure general site settings.
Adding a Site to the Farm
To add a site to the farm:
1 In the RAS Console, select the Farm category in the left pane and then select the farm in the
middle pane.
2 In the Tasks drop-down menu (the right pane, above the Site list), click Add (or click the +
icon).
3 In the Add Site dialog:
• In the Site field, specify a site name.
• In the Server field, specify the IP address or FQDN of the server where the Master
Publishing Agent and Secure Client Gateway should be installed.
• Select the Add an SSL certificate and enable HTML5 Gateway option to automatically
create a self-signed certificate, enable SSL, and enable HTML5 support. For more info,
please see Enable HTML5 Support on the Gateway (p. 135).
4 Click Next.
5 The Site Master Properties dialog opens. First, it verifies if RAS Publishing Agent is installed
on the specified site server. If it isn't, it will indicate this in the Status field.
6 Click the Install button to install the agent.
7 In the Install RAS Publishing Agent dialog, highlight the server name on which the RAS
Publishing Agent is to be installed.
8 (Optional) Select the option Override system credentials to specify and use different
credentials to connect to the server and install the agent.
9 Click Install to install the publishing agent and gateway. Click Done once it has been
successfully installed.
Once a new site is created, you can view and manage its configuration by right-clicking the site in
the RAS Console ans choosing Switch to this Site.
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