RDP

[Peter Risdon]

Chad Albert wrote:
> This is for Linux, but it is a project to replace Windows Terminal
> Services, 

[snip]
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
> [mailto:owner-freebsd-questions at freebsd.org] On Behalf Of Perry Riggle
> Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2004 12:47 AM
> To: freebsd-questions at freebsd.org
> Subject: RDP
> 
> I was wondering if there is a way to set FreeBSD up to replace a Windows
> 2000 server. The company I work for uses terminal services client to
> connect to the WIN2K server. When users connect they can log in and
> create documents, spreadsheets, etc. Currently I use rdesktop on FreeBSD
> at work to connect to the WIN2K. It would be nice to replace the Windows
> machine with a *BSD.

I read the OP as an interest in replacing the Windows 2000 server, not 
anything client-side. Assuming that's right...

If you replace this W2K box with a FreeBSD server, you can provide 
replacements for pretty much everything the Windows box can do (*full* 
Exchange functionality being a possible exception), and add some new 
stuff. You can certainly give users the ability to bring up a remote 
desktop on the server and do work, including creating (word processing) 
documents and spreadsheets. VNC is perhaps the best option for Windows 
clients, you could carry on using rdesktop.

In fact, while Windows was designed as a single user system, and 
terminal services is a sort of bolt-on afterthought, FreeBSD is a 
multi-user environment from the ground up.

But they'll be using a FreeBSD desktop. You can provide a nice window 
manager and a full office suite. It won't be the Windows GUI and it 
won't be MS Office. There may be retraining issues and also probs with 
backwards compatibility with previously created documents - depends how 
many Office features the users are taking advantage of. Simple documents 
are fine. Complicated, Visual Basic-ridden stuff won't work well or at all.

Having said that, it would be a step into a brighter future to make this 
replacement :-)

Peter.