(Classic) Add and Manage RemoteApp Collections

Overview

Creating a RemoteApp collection allows user groups to access a specific set of applications instead of having access to the full desktop and the rest of the VM resources. Specifically, those users can open only what the administrator publishes in the collection. Using RemoteApp Collection, users can only open one application at a time. In order to use multiple applications at once, please create a Desktop Collection instead.

RemoteApp Collection is useful for people that work from mobile devices and tablets, opening apps make the experience easier than having a desktop and having to navigate around it. It also makes deployments cheaper, since users can only access a limited number of applications, each session consumes fewer resources than a desktop session, allowing to have more people working in the same server than if they were working on a desktop-based environment.

Add a New RemoteApp Collection

• Click “+Add” button
• Fill out the RD Collection name
• Choose Windows 8, Windows 10 or Golden image version
• And the total number of users for collection
• Select the Storage size for the per user
• Based on inputs, MyCloudIT offers a default recommended infrastructure which can be customized further in Advanced Options. You can customize SH VM sizes and the total number of session hosts for collection.

Manage/Edit a RemoteApp Collection

1. Details Page
You will see the Collection Name, Collection Description and the User Groups associated with this RemoteApp Collection

There is a real-time update about the collection utilization to let you know whether you still have the capacity to add more users.

You must add User Groups to a RemoteApp Collection through Users/Groups page.

2. Host Servers

If RemoteApp Collection utilization exceeds the recommended capacity, adding new Session Hosts can help avoid slow user experience and performance issues.

• Add new Host Servers: Click “+Add” button and fill out the required information (Windows version and number of users). Based on input, MyCloudIT offers a default recommended infrastructure which can be customized further in Advanced Options. You can customize SH VM sizes and the total number of session hosts for collection.
• Edit existing Host Servers:
  • Clone allows you to clone an existing session host server so it can be leveraged as a new Golden Image. Click to read about the new Clone Server and how it can be leveraged as a new Golden Image.
  • Select Transfer to transfer a server to another Desktop/RemoteApp Collection
  • Select Delete to delete a server from the current RemoteApp Collection.
  • You cannot transfer or delete a session host unless there is more than one server in the collection. 

3. Session Settings

Edit Session Settings to specify Broken Connection Actions and Timeout Limit

• When a session limit is reached or a connection is broken: Disconnect or Log Off.
  • Disconnect: Close the session without logging off the user from it. The user will be kicked out of the session but it will remain open on the server side.
  • Log Off: Close and end the session on the server side. This option will close all programs and files that were open right before the logoff. Choose Enable Automatic Connection under Disconnect is beneficial if there is an internet connectivity issue, the system itself will try to log in back immediately once the internet is reestablished. If do not check this option, it just closes the session.
• Timeout Limits:
  • Disconnected Session Limit: End a disconnected session after a certain time limit. It means that after a session has been disconnected (e.g. when the user closes the session but doesn’t sign out) for the selected time, the system will end it.
  • Active Session Limit: End an active session after a certain time limit. It means that after a session has been active for the selected time, the system will end it.
  • Idle Session Limit: End an idle session after a certain time limit. It means that after a session has been idle (idle means active but not in use) for the selected time, the system will end it.

The benefit of closing the session without signing out is that the next time you open it everything will be just like the user left it. The disadvantage of not signing out is that every session that is not ended remains consuming resources in the virtual machine even if it is a little bit, so for system administrators, it is important to end the disconnected session after a reasonable timeframe.

4. Client Settings

Edit client settings for Device Redirection, Printers, and Monitors

• Device Redirection: Specify devices and resources on the client device that can be accessed when a user connects to a session-based desktop
  • Audio & video playback: Redirect audio and video to be reproduced on the remote desktop/remoteapp connection.
  • Audio Recording: Redirect audio to be recorded on the remote desktop/remoteapp connection.
  • Smart cards: Redirect access to Smart Cards from the remote desktop/remoteapp connection.
  • Plug & Play devices: Redirect access to Plug & Play devices to be used from the remote desktop connection.
• Printers: After allowing Client Printer Redirection, you’ll have 2 options. Use Client Printer As Default Printing Device means everything printed in the remote session host will be redirected to the printer on-site. Use Remote Desktop Easy Print allows you to easily connect in most printers remotely.
• Monitors: Specify the maximum number of monitors end-users can connect to for the remote desktop session hosts. If set this to 200, end-users could connect to 200 monitors but could not connect to 201 monitors.

Note*: The monitor is the term for the view of the computer. If the computer is a machine, then the number of screens connected to this machine means the number of monitors is accessed to the session hosts.

5. Load Balancing Settings

List out all the servers available. If you are using more than 1 host server, you can specify how many sessions to create on each by using the Session Limit column.

Edit the Session Limit to X means no more than X number of connections on the session host at the same time.

6. Security Settings

Edit Security Setting for Security Layer and Encryption Level. Specify from the client to the “RD Session Host” servers in the session collection

• Security Layer:
  • Negotiate: This is the default setting. The most secure layer that is supported by the client will be used. If supported, SSL (TLS 1.0) will be used. If the client does not support SSL (TLS 1.0), the RDP Security Layer will be used.
  • SSL (TSL 1.0): Will be used for server authentication and for encrypting all data transferred between the server and the client
  • RDP Security Layer: Communication between the server and the client will use native RDP encryption. If you select RDP Security Layer, you cannot use Network Level Authentication.

• Encryption Level:
  • Low: This level encrypts data sent from the client to the server by using 56-bit encryption. Data sent from the server to the client is not encrypted.
  • Client Compatible: This is the default setting. This level encrypts data sent between the client and the server at the maximum key strength supported by the client. Use this level when the RD Session Host server is running in an environment containing mixed or legacy clients.
  • High: This level encrypts data sent from the client to the server and from the server to the client by using 128-bit encryption. Use this level when the RD Session Host server is running in an environment containing 128-bit clients only (such as Remote Desktop Connection clients). Clients that do not support this level of encryption will not be able to connect.
  • FIPS Compliant: This level encrypts and decrypts data sent from the client to the server and from the server to the client by using Federal Information Process Standard (FIPS) 140-1 validated encryption methods. Clients that do not support this level of encryption cannot connect. For more information about this option, learn here.

7. Applications

Give a quick view of all the applications available. A checkmark indicates that the application is published and can be accessed by assigned User Groups.

• Manage Applications: Specify which applications you’d like to publish as RemoteApps. Checking a box will install the application; likewise unchecking a box will uninstall the application. Save and your applications will be published immediately.
• Add a 3rd Party Application: see our Add a 3rd Party Application guide.

Have a question or two about RemoteApp Collections? Emails us at support@mycloudit.com.