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 the basic principles of setting up a Parallels RAS environment, you can use the instructions provided here as a basis for setting up a more advanced multi-server environment according to your needs.

To set up a Parallels RAS environment:

1. Log into 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 use those applications.

   

Adding 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.

To add a Terminal Server:

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 .
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.

Publishing 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 the server if you like).

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).

Inviting 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 SMPT 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:
   • 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.

   

6. Click Next .
7. On the next page, specify the email recipients. Click the [...] button to select users or groups.
8. Review the invitation email template displayed in the lower pane. You can modify the template if needed. The template uses the following variables:
   • %RECIPIENT% — Recipient username.
   • %SENDER% — Sender email address that you specified in the first step of this wizard when you specified 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.

   Click the Preview button to preview the email message.

9. Click Next , review the settings that you specified, and click Next again to send the invitation email to the selected users.