Microsoft KB Archive/252330

= Toggling Terminal Services to Application Server Mode May Cause Programs Not to Work =

Article ID: 252330

Article Last Modified on 2/28/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
 * Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server

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This article was previously published under Q252330





SUMMARY
There are two methods of toggling the Terminal Services mode that have adverse effects on the programs running on a Terminal Services server. The first method is by toggling between Remote Administration mode and Application Server mode. The second is by disabling or removing the Terminal Services component. If you do so, your programs may not start or work as designed.



MORE INFORMATION
Plan your environment carefully. Once you have chosen to install Terminal Services, you must choose the mode in which Terminal Services will function.

Terminal Services Modes
Remote Administration mode is designed for using the Terminal Services client as an administration tool, allowing you to use a low-bandwidth connection to perform server administration tasks. It does not affect the performance of Microsoft BackOffice applications or services. However, it allows only two connections to a server by using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Installing Terminal Services in Remote Administration mode is a good idea for all Windows 2000-based servers. You can add Terminal Services in Remote Administration mode at any time, but Microsoft recommends that it be installed when you are building the server.

Application Server mode is designed for serving end-user programs. If you choose Application Server mode, Terminal Services enables additional objects required for managing multiple users running the same programs concurrently. It affects the performance of BackOffice programs or services. There are no connection limitations; you must purchase licenses and run the Terminal Services Licensing service for accessing a Terminal Services server. If you are supporting a large number of users in Application Server mode, Microsoft recommends that the server be dedicated and not perform any additional tasks. Although other services can run concurrently, overall system performance may be affected.

Changing Modes
After you choose your mode of operation, changing or disabling the Terminal Services mode may cause programs not to work, requiring a reinstallation of the programs. If you want to prohibit server access by using RDP, change or remove permissions in RDP-TCP properties, which is located in the Terminal Services Configuration tool.

If you choose to install Terminal Services in Remote Administration mode, no special program installation or configuration work is necessary.

If you choose to install Terminal Services in Application Server mode, installing programs is a little different. Changes are made ("behind the GUI") to the operating system to enable multiple-user access. For example, you have to use the Add/Remove Programs tool to install programs. When you do so, you use "Install" mode. (You can also enter Install mode by typing change user /install at a command prompt.) See the Microsoft Windows 2000 Software Development Kit (SDK) for information about how to do this programmatically.

When you are installing programs in Install mode, Terminal Services tracks all registry entries. Terminal Services also reports the folder structure as Winnt and Winnt\System32.

When you finish the program installation (you click Finish in the Add/Remove Programs tool or type change user /execute ), the system returns to "Execute" mode. Terminal Services then checks individual user registries to make sure that they have proper information to run the programs, and reports the system folder structure as "Documents and Settings\ \Windows" and "Documents and Settings\ \Windows\System." The system also copies .ini files, if needed, from the Winnt folder to the user's new system folder.

If you have any programs that were installed before Terminal Services was installed in Application Server mode, you must reinstall them. Because the system was not "listening" to the registry writes of the installation and the registry entries are not being redirected to the proper user keys, you must reinstall all of your programs in Install mode to make the programs work properly.

Keywords: kbappdev kbinfo kbtermserv KB252330

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