Installing Terminal Services on a Windows 2000 Server

by Jim Boyce | Jan 08, 2007 8:00:00 AM

Tags: Servers, Jim Boyce, terminal services, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, server, Microsoft Windows, Windows 2000 Server Tips Newsletter

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Takeaway: Terminal Services is the Microsoft version of a thin client Windows 2000 Server. Multitask your server by installing Terminal Services. Here's how.

Terminal Services is the Microsoft implementation of a thin client Windows 2000 Server. That means that the Terminal Server delivers applications to the client while performing all the actual processing on the server itself. In practice, even a DOS-based system could run Office 2000, although it really depends on the overall capacity of the server, as well as the capacity (both real and statistical) and the processing power of the client. To install Terminal Services, you will need your Windows 2000 Server CD.

Before you set up Terminal Services, you will need to check to ensure that your DNS and DHCP (if you're using them locally) are configured properly. You will also want to define your server's domain name as either a registered domain name or, as suggested by Microsoft, in the form of sub-domain.domain.local. Otherwise, you might experience some difficulties with clients trying to access the server.

Insert the Windows 2000 Server CD in the drive.
From the Autostart menu, click Add/Remove Programs. When the dialog box appears, switch to Add/Remove Windows Components.
Scroll to the bottom of the list and enable the Terminal Services check box. You can leave Terminal Services Licensing off for 90 days while you make sure your installation is working perfectly.
Click OK.

Doing this will set a series of actions into motion that will result in the installation and configuration of Active Directory, which is necessary to use Terminal Services. Just follow the clear directions, and you'll have a complete Terminal Services installation.