Aqua Connect Terminal Server

Posted by Phenix

March 31, 2009

Aqua Connect TS
Any Sys Admin over a Windows Terminal Server would be able to tell you how great a Terminal Services (TS) environment can be regarding Application Management, OS patches, Group Policy, etc. Having served suitable time as such, I can personally attest to the increased efficiency of centralized management. You need to install Photoshop for 50 users, install it once on the server, and adjust Group Policy settings to allow those 50 specific users to have access to it, and upon next logon, POW!!! If my memory serves me correctly, Microsoft has offered Terminal Services since the Server 2000 platform. I’ve also spent some time working with Sun’s spin on TS via the SunRay server package, and the SunRay thin clients. Sun’s solution can be used to deploy independent Solaris OS Desktops to connecting users, and with a little more effort, Linux and Windows Desktop Sessions as well. Having used these TS solutions, my brain began to churn over the unlimited possibilities in a business or education environment. A college could easily setup labs of thin clients with smaller footprints, a cheaper price tag, and still offer to benefit of Windows, Solaris, and Linux in one sitting! What’s missing form this puzzle you say? Apple’s Mac OS, DUH! Until about 2 years ago, I had never seen someone take advantage of the TS concept on the Mac OS platform. Being a Mac fanboy I was severely disappointed. As I scathed the internet I did finally come across a package by the name of Aqua Connect Terminal Server. I originally viewed a webcast demo of Aqua Connect over at MacEnterprise, and it absolutely blew me away!!! There were no groundbreaking features that other TS packages didn’t have, but the sight of multiple Mac OS desktop sessions was beautiful. Over the past couple of years Aqua Connect has really evolved the product into what looks like an extremely solid Enterprise level application. They are now at version 3.0, and have added a very nice admin utility, and support for more protocols. As it stands now, it looks like the RDP, VNC, and X11 protocols are supported (others on the way), and they’ve extended hardware support to cover Apple, PC, Thin Client, Mobile Phones, laptops, and a few other platforms. At this point Aqua Connect is touting about 120 concurrent users sessions for an xserve (a few dozen on a MBP as per the webcast demo!!!), and around 98% application compatibility. They do not have support for local USB devices (though there are some work arounds for Printers and scanners). They also state that it’s easily integrated into Apple Directory Services, Microsoft Active Directory, and Open LDAP. All in all, this package looks Kick-Ass. I’m currently waiting on an evaluation version that i will hopefully be able to test on both Mac OS X Server 10.4 and 10.5. I’ll try to devote my up and coming free time to testing Aqua Connect TS, and letting you guys know if its the real deal! Anyone interested, I would highly suggest you check out the latest webcast (.mp4 format) from MacEnterprise and read the documentation at Aqua Connect’s site to see it for yourself.