Secure Global Desktop 4.40 Administration Guide > Applications, Documents, and Application Servers > Configuring Windows Applications

Configuring Windows Applications

You use a Windows application object if you want to give a Microsoft Windows graphical application to users.

This page includes the following topics:

Configuring Windows Application Objects
Creating Windows Application Objects on the Command Line
Using Microsoft Terminal Services for Windows Applications
Running Windows Applications on Client Devices
Using Seamless Windows for Windows Applications
Using SGD and Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop

Configuring Windows Application Objects

In the SGD Administration Console, the configuration settings for Windows application objects are divided into the following tabs:

General tab - these settings control the name and the icon used when creating links for users
Launch tab - these settings control how the application is started and whether application sessions can be suspended and resumed
Presentation tab - these settings control how the application is displayed to users
Performance tab - these settings are used to optimize the performance of the application
Client Device tab - these settings control how the user's client device interacts with the application

The following table lists the most commonly used settings for configuring Windows application objects and how to use them.

Tab	Attribute	Description
General	Name	The name that users see.
General	Icon	The icon that users see.
Launch	Application Command	The full path to the application that runs when users click the link. The application must be installed in the same location on all application servers. Leave this field blank if you want to run a Windows desktop session.
Launch	Arguments for Command	Any command-line arguments to use when starting the application.
Launch	Windows Protocol	The mechanism SGD uses to connect to the application. Select the Try Running from Client First check box to run the application on the user's client device. Select the Microsoft RDP Protocol option to run an application using Microsoft Terminal Services. This option gives users the best experience when using Windows applications displayed through SGD.
Launch	Domain Name	The Windows domain to use for the application server authentication process. This can be left blank. The domain can also be configured on either the application server or the user profile.
Launch	Number of Sessions	The number of instances of an application a user can run. The default is three.
Launch	Application Resumability	For how long the application is resumable. The following options are available: Never - the application can never be resumed User session - the application keeps running and is resumable until the user logs out of SGD General - the application keeps running for a time (controlled by the Timeout) after the user logs out of SGD, and can be resumed when the user next logs in
Presentation	Window Type	How the application is displayed to the user. Use Kiosk for full-screen desktop sessions. Selecting the Scale to Fit Window check box for the Window Size allows SGD to scale the application window to fit the client device display. For Independent Window, you must specify a Height and Width for the Window Size or select the Client's Maximum Size check box. Use Seamless Window to display the application in the same way it displays on the Windows application server, regardless of the user's desktop environment.
Presentation	Color Depth	The application's color depth. If the protocol is Microsoft RDP, only applications running on a Microsoft Windows 2003 Server can be displayed using 16-bit or 24-bit color. By default, a Windows 2003 Server displays applications using 16-bit color. If the color depth setting of a Windows application object is different from that of the application server, SGD automatically adjusts the color depth to match the server setting.
Performance	Application Load Balancing	How SGD chooses the best application server to run the application. See Application Load Balancing for more details.
Hosting Application Servers	Editable Assignments	Use the Editable Assignments table to select the application servers, or group of application servers, that can run the application. The application must be installed in the same location on all application servers
Assigned User Profiles	Editable Assignments	Use the Editable Assignments table to select the users that can see the application. Selecting Director or Directory (light) objects allows you to give the application to many users at once. You can also use an LDAP directory to assign applications.

In addition to this configuration, you might want to do the following:

Creating Windows Application Objects on the Command Line

On the command line, you create an Windows application object with the tarantella object new_windowsapp command. You can also batch-create multiple Windows application objects with the tarantella object script command.

Windows application objects can only be created in the o=applications organizational hierarchy.

Using Microsoft Windows Terminal Services for Windows Applications

Selecting Microsoft RDP Protocol as the Windows Protocol for the Windows application object, allows you to use Microsoft Windows Terminal Services. You might have to Configure Microsoft Windows Terminal Services for use with SGD to give users the best experience. You must also License Windows Terminal Services.

Running Windows Applications on Client Devices

You can run a Windows application on a client device instead of displaying it through SGD. If the application is not available on the client device, SGD tries to run it on the application server using the configured Windows Protocol.

Applications that run on client devices are not resumable, even if the Application Resumability and Windows Protocol attributes are configured.

The application must be installed in the same location on all client devices.

Using Seamless Windows for Windows Applications

With seamless windows, the Microsoft Windows application server manages the display of the application. This means an application's windows behave in the same way as an application displayed on the application server, regardless of the user's desktop environment. The window can be resized, stacked, maximized and minimized. The Windows Start Menu and Taskbar do not display.

Seamless windows are not suitable for displaying Windows desktop sessions. Use a kiosk or independent window instead.

The following are the conditions for using seamless windows:

The application server must be a Windows 2000 or 2003 application server
The Sun Secure Global Desktop Enhancement Module for Windows must be installed on the application server
The Windows application object must be configured to use Microsoft RDP as the Windows Protocol, and the Window Type must be seamless window

If any of the above conditions are not met, SGD displays the Windows application in an independent window instead.

Notes and Tips on Using Seamless Windows

The following are notes and tips on displaying applications in seamless windows:

If an application is launched in a seamless window, you can toggle between a seamless and independent window by pressing the Scroll Lock key
Applications that have non-rectangular windows, for example a media player with a customized skin, display in a rectangular window
On Windows client devices, seamless windows are not affected by the Cascade, Tile Windows Horizontally, or Tile Windows Vertically window commands
If a screen saver or the Windows Security dialog displays, the window automatically switches to an independent window. Unlocking the application automatically restores the window to a seamless window
If a seamless window application is resumed on a display that is a different size (larger or smaller) to the original session, the application is displayed in an independent window
Each application displaying in a seamless window has its own RDP connection

Gnome 2.0.0 Desktop Issue

Applications configured to display in seamless windows might not display correctly when accessed from a Gnome 2.0.0 Desktop. This is caused by an unpatched version of the Metacity Window Manager. The solution is to install the Gnome 2.0.0 Window Manager patch. Patch ID: 115780-. Available from the SunSolve web site (http://sunsolve.sun.com)

Using SGD and Microsoft Windows Remote Desktop

Some editions of Microsoft Windows include a Remote Desktop feature that allows you to access a computer using the Remote Desktop Protocol. You can use SGD and Remote Desktop, for example, to give users to access their office PC when they are out of the office.

Before introducing SGD, ensure that the Remote Desktop connection to the Microsoft Windows computer is working. For details see:

You configure SGD for use with Remote Desktop as follows:

Create an application server object for each Microsoft Windows computer.
Create Windows application objects.
Only full Windows desktop sessions are supported. You cannot run a specific application on the Windows computer. Seamless windows are not supported. To ensure users access their own computer, you have to create separate Windows desktop application objects for each Microsoft Windows computer.
To use client drive mapping, install the Sun Secure Global Desktop Enhancement Module for Windows on the Microsoft Windows computer.

Related Topics
Organizing Your Users, Applications, and Application Servers