Using 2X ApplicationServer to Publish Applications, Part 3

If you would like to read the other articles in this series please go to:

In the previous part of this article series, I walked you through the process of selecting a terminal server that will be used to host applications, and we began configuring the selected Terminal Server. In this article, we will continue the configuration process and work toward hosting an application.

Verifying Your Settings

In the previous article, we specified which terminal server would be used, and we configured that terminal server. We must now verify that 2X ApplicationServer is configured correctly. To do so, open the 2X ApplicationServer & LoadBalancer Console. Select your terminal server from the list of servers in the farm, and click the Properties button. When you do, you will see a screen similar to the one that is shown in Figure A.


Figure A: You must verify your terminal server’s properties

As you can see in the figure, there are several different parameters that you must verify. Begin by checking the server type. Assuming that you’re attaching to a Windows based terminal server, the Type should be set to MS Terminal Server (RDP). For those using non-Windows servers, there is also an option to use Citrix servers with the ICA protocol. Likewise, there is also an option to use both RDP and ICA.

The next parameter that you may need to adjust is the maximum number of sessions. By default, the server is configured to support 500 sessions. However, depending on your hardware capabilities, 500 sessions may be too many, or not enough. If you are unsure as to the appropriate number of sessions for your server, you can always start with the default setting and adjust the maximum number of sessions later on to better meet your needs.

At this point, you should verify that the RDP port number is set to 3389. 2X ApplicationServer uses this port number by default, so you shouldn’t have to change anything. Keep in mind that if there is a firewall between your terminal server and your 2X ApplicationServer, then it will need to be configured to allow traffic to flow across port 3389.

Assuming that you are running 2X ApplicationServer in a Windows environment, the last thing that you will need to do is to verify that the Enable Server in Farm check box is selected. After doing so, click OK to close the Server Properties dialog box.

Testing the Agent

Although clients communicate with the Terminal Server using the RDP protocol, 2X ApplicationServer requires the use of an agent for communications between itself and the terminal server. The agent should already be installed on your terminal servers, but it is important to verify that the agent is working properly before continuing. 

To test the agent, select a terminal server from the Servers in Farm list, and then click the Check Agent button. Upon doing so you should see an Agent Information screen similar to the one that is shown in Figure B.


Figure B: You must perform a test to verify that agents are working properly

You don’t really have to do anything on the screen other than making sure that the agent was verified. One thing that I want to point out is the Uninstall button found at the bottom of the window. Should you decide to decommission a terminal server, or remove a terminal server from the 2X ApplicationServer farm, you can use this button to remove the agent from the server.

Publishing and Application

Although there are several advanced features that we have not yet touched, you have performed the minimum configuration necessary for publishing applications. To publish an application, click the Publish button found on the left side of the 2X ApplicationServer & LoadBalancer Console. When you do, you’ll see a screen similar to the one that is shown in Figure C.


Figure C: This is the screen that you will use to manage published applications

This is the screen that you will use to manage published applications. Notice that the Published Resources column is empty, which indicates that no applications are currently published. To publish your first application, click the Add button. Upon doing so, you will see the screen shown in Figure D.


Figure D: You must select the type of resource that you want to publish

Because we’re trying to publish applications, choose the Application option and click Next. You will now see a dialog box that asks you for several pieces of information regarding the application that you are publishing. Before I show you how to fill in this dialog box, I should tell you that the application that you are publishing must reside on the terminal server.

If you look at Figure E, you’ll see that the various fields have already been filled in. However, I simply did this to show you what the completed form looks like. The process of filling out the form is actually very simple. The first step is to select the server that will be hosting the application, from the Server drop down list.


Figure E: You must give 2X Application Server some information about the application that you want to host

The next step in the process is to provide the target path to the executable file. Although the figure shows a relative pathname, you do not actually have to enter a pathname. Instead, click the button containing the three dots that is found just to the right of the Target field. When you do, an Explorer style window will be displayed that allows you to navigate the file system of the target terminal server. Simply select the executable file, and click OK, and the Target field will be filled in for you.

You might have noticed that we started out by selecting a terminal server, rather than filling in the Name, Description, and other fields. The reason for this is that all of the fields shown on the screen get filled in automatically when you select the Target executable.

Keep in mind that you may need to make some changes to the data that is automatically filled in. For example, often times the Name field will simply contain the name of the executable file, rather than the name of the application. Likewise, you will notice in the figure that the Description field simply says Application. You can (and often should) modify these fields so that they more accurately reflect the name and description of the application that is being hosted.

In this particular case, Windows didn’t have any trouble picking up the icon belonging to the application that I’m hosting. Sometimes, a generic icon will be displayed instead.  When this happens, you can use the Change Icon button to try to locate an icon that is more suitable.

Conclusion

So far, we have begun the process of entering the pertinent information for the application that is being hosted. In Part 4 of this article series, I will continue the discussion by looking at the advanced settings that you can use when hosting an application.

If you would like to read the other articles in this series please go to:

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