Terminal Server Manager 101

First Some Basics

A Terminal Server (TS) session is st= arted when a Terminal Server Client connects to the Terminal Server. Within the Terminal Server Manage= r, connected users are listed with a status of "Active" or “D= isconnected”.

An open session can have two states: "Active" and "Disconnected". A closed session has no status.

There are two ways to leave a session. Users may Disconnect from the Ses= sion or Log-Off from the Terminal Server.

When You "Disconnect" from= a Session, your Session and running applications stay open at the Terminal Server. Disconnecting is akin to putting a phone call on Hold. The next time you connect to the = TS you continue using the same session you Disconnected from, and the same instance of any applications you left running.

There are two ways to Disconnect fro= m a Session.

1. Disconne= ct through the Start Menu by selecting "Disconnect" (Note: Some administrators remove this option.)

2. Disconne= ct by closing the Terminal Session Window; or by clicking the [ X ] at the TS Window’s top right corner.

A common mistake made when users wan= t to QUIT or Log-Off from the TS is to X-Out of a session at the end of the day instead of Logging Off and closing the session. When this happens, applications o= n the Terminal Server are still running and files are left open. This creates an administrative pr= oblem for backup systems and database maintenance routines that can’t run = when files are held open by a TS session.

Note: There are = times when a user may want to Disconnect; for instance when a mail merge or long backup is running it is necessary to stay connected so the process will ke= ep running. Disconnecting lets = you leave your terminal server session on Hold while you go do other things. You may log back on later to see = if your process finished or recorded errors.

3. When a user selects = Log-Off through the Terminal Session’s Start Menu, that = users session and all running applications are Closed.

Di= sconnecting Sessions

Before you can disconnect a session,= you need to either have been granted sufficient user rights or be a member of = the Local Administrator Group. A= ccess to the Administrator’s Group should be held to strict control.<= /o:p>

Logon at the Terminal Server’s local Console or establish a Terminal Server Session.

Connect to the Terminal Server

Enter the correct IP= address for the Terminal Server. The= n click the Options Button.

Fill in the panel with your username, pas= sword, and domain name. Click the C= onnect Button.

If you check the Sav= e my password box, anyone with access to your computer can login as you. Think about it!

The other Tabs contr= ol options not covered in this document.

Click the OK button to acknowledge you understand the security risk.

= The Terminal Server Session Desktop Window.

A short-cut ICON has= been placed on the desktop for starting the Terminal Server Manager.=

Enlarged view of the Short-Cut Icon For Terminal Server Manager=

Double click the Icon to open the Ma= nager Tool.

Here the Terminal Server Manager Application is open on the desktop displaying User login names and session state.

Notice that “This ComputerR= 21; is selected in the left hand pane and connected users are displayed in the right hand pane. =

3D"Terminal

Here is another view of the Terminal Server Manager W= indow, this time showing a disconnected user. (angelom= )

The User “Angelom” has disconnected.&n= bsp; There may be applications running.=

If you needed to for= ce the closure of a Disconnected session, or even an a= ctive session,

= right click the user name and select Reset.

Note: The processes tab will display all programs, DLL’s, and files this user has open.

Warning! Resetting a Disconnected or Active session could cause user data to= be lost.

I recommend trying to login as the Disconnected user and then log-off the user. Active users
can be forced to log off using the options shown in the next illustration.=

Below, you can see options available when a user is Active. Active users can be = forced to Log Off here, thus properly closing open files and preventing database corruption. You may also sen= d a Message to users, asking them to log off, or informing them of maintenance schedules that require them to log off before a certain time. Notice the Remote Control option;= in some environments, this is a way to access a remote us= ers session for technical support.

Finally: Terminal Server Manager can be configured to close idle and disconn= ected sessions by
using the Terminal Server Configuration Tool.

2= 006 Michael Angelo Consulting Co.