Remote Desktop Services, Quick Notes of

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I received a few quick questions on Remote Desktop Services (RDS) and thought to share my answers.

1) Do the new remote desktop enhancements in Srv2008R2 & Windows7Ent/Ult require the upgrade of Active Directory to 2008R2 Native Mode?

The Domain functional level needs to be in 2008 R2 to take advantage of the VDI capabilities.

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In Active Directory User Object with Windows Server 2008 R2 domain functional level, we now have a tab for Personal Virtual Desktop, for example.

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2) Regarding publication of the server with ISA, since the authentication is now forms based, how is this done?

I have not had a chance to do this myself yet. However the process should be very similar, if not identical, with publishing Terminal Services Gateway ( TSG) in Windows Server 2008 to an ISA external interface. There are a great TechNet Magazine article, Enhance TS Gateway Security with ISA Server 2006 , and a TechNet page, Configuring the TS Gateway ISA Server Scenario , explaining the process well.