Networking QuickBooks 2017 – Part III

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While all versions of QuickBooks 2017 can run in a Terminal Server environment, only QuickBooks Enterprise was designed (and is supported) for this environment. As such, the information provided below is specific (for purposes of this article) to QuickBooks Enterprise 17.0.

Windows Remote Desktop Services/Terminal Server

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a proprietary feature of Windows developed by Microsoft. The feature provides users with the ability to connect to another computer. RDP client software exists for most versions of Microsoft Windows as well as Linux, Unix, OS X, iOS, Android and several other operating systems.

RDP server software is incorporated into most Windows operating systems. The RDP server also is available for Unix and OS X.

Microsoft currently uses the nomenclature for its RDP server software as Remote Desktop Services (RDS). RDP technology formerly was known as "Terminal Services" (Terminal Server) in Windows Server 2008 and earlier Windows server software. For purposes of this article, RDP, RDS and Terminal Server may be used interchangeably throughout.

RDS was designed as a thin client implementation, where Windows software and the entire desktop of the computer running RDS becomes accessible to the remote client computer supporting RDP. With RDS, only software user interfaces must be transferred to the client system. All input from the client system is transmitted to the server, where all software execution takes place.

Even today, the server component of RDS is a Terminal Server that's entrusted with restricting remote clients according to the level of access established for them. The Terminal Server also enforces the configured software policies, so as to restrict the availability of specified software to only certain remote users.

One of the major benefits of RDS is the creation of a new windows user session for every RDP connection. This permits multiple RDS sessions to run simultaneously on a single RDP computer.

QuickBooks Enterprise was designed to take advantage of this capability. While QuickBooks Pro and Premier 2 will run under RDP, which is how most QuickBooks hosting companies operate, Intuit only supports QuickBooks Enterprise within an RDS environment.

Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) – also called Remote Desktop (formerly Microsoft Terminal Services Client) – is the client application for RDS. It allows a user to remotely log into a networked computer running RDS. RDC presents the desktop interface of the remote system, as if it were being accessed locally.

RemoteApp is a special mode of RDS, which became available in Windows Server 2008 R2 and later, where remote session configuration is integrated into the client operating system. The RemoteApp User-interface is facilitated in a window on the local desktop and appears like any other window for local applications, thus making remote applications behave like local applications.

Under RemoteApp, the task of establishing the remote session, as well as redirecting local resources to the remote application, becomes transparent to the end user. Most users think they're simply launching an application, like any other on their desktop, even if that application actually is running on a server halfway around the world.

QuickBooks Enterprise 17.0 Remote-Desktop/Terminal Server System Requirements

QuickBooks will many times perform better when running in an RDS environment than in a local Client-Server environment, especially when the RDS Server supporting QuickBooks is accessed across a local area network, rather than the internet. 

This is because the keyboard commands and visual images between the RDS Server and local workstation are flowing at speeds far greater within a 1000mbps local network than across most internet connections.

Even when accessing an RDS Server running QuickBooks across the internet, it still may be possible to realize better performance than a client-server installation, because the RDS Server tends to be a very robust computer with high speed disk drives and plenty of computer memory resources (RAM). 

Of course, this also assumes that the RDS Server has been properly configured to support the QuickBooks application installed for RDS use (multi-session/instance), along with the QuickBooks Database Server and hosted files.

The system requirements (shown below) are applicable to the QuickBooks requirements running in an RDS environment. They do not represent the overall requirements of the RDS Server, which may be supporting other RDS based applications in addition to QuickBooks.

Installing QuickBooks for Remote Desktop Services

To ensure that an application is installed correctly to work in a multiple user environment, you must put the terminal server into a special installation mode before you install the application on the terminal server.

This special installation mode ensures the correct registry entries and .ini files needed to support running the application in a multiple user environment are created during the installation process.

Download QuickBooks Enterprise and save it to your desktop. Once saved, double-click on the icon to begin installation, as soon as the Welcome to QuickBooks window appears, Cancel out of the installer.

You now must put the terminal server into the special installation mode by selecting the Install Application on Terminal Server tool under Programs in the Control Panel of the RDS computer. This tool will run a wizard to help install the application.

Follow these Installation wizard steps to install the QuickBooks Enterprise from your program download:

  1. When the wizard displays the Run Installation program window, type %temp% in the browse box
  2. Click Enter
  3. Navigate to the QuickBooks Enterprise folder and double-click on the Setup.exe file
  4. Click Enter
  5. When the wizard displays the next screen, click Next; QuickBooks Enterprise will begin installing for RDS/Terminal Services

Now we come to a choice, and this will depend on the exact configuration of your overall network. If you're running more than one physical server and/or more than one virtual server, you may not be running RDS (terminal server) on the same computer (physical or virtual) as your file server hosting your QuickBooks Company file(s).

Here are your options:

  • RDS Server Acts as QuickBooks Server – In this configuration, the RDS must support the QuickBooks Application and the QuickBooks Database Server. It also must host the QuickBooks Company file(s). QuickBooks should be installed using installation Option 2 (I’ll be using QuickBooks on this computer and be storing our Company file here so it can be shared over our network).
  • RDS Server Running QuickBooks Application Only – In these configurations, the RDS acts just like a Client Workstation for each and every RDS session being hosted. You should install QuickBooks using the first installation option (I’ll be using QuickBooks on this Computer). Each RDS session will make use of the QuickBooks application, but the Company file and QuickBooks Database Server will be located on the dedicated file server. At no time should the RDS Server have "hosting" turned on.

Using Remote Desktop Services

From your computer (either local or remote), begin an RDS Session by clicking on an RDS Desktop (shown below) or the RDS RemoteApp icon.

After logging in using your standard credentials, your User’s desktop will appear:

Each user will have his own desktop, start menu and QuickBooks Application, just like on an actual Client Workstation, but it's really running on the RDS Server.

From your RDS Desktop, you can launch the QuickBooks application by clicking on the QuickBooks Icon, just as if you were using your regular (local) desktop. 

From that point, everything works just as though you were running it on your local computer.

Note: This article is not intended to be a comprehensive guide on configuring or setting up an RDS network or RDS server. You should contact a qualified Information Technologist or Microsoft Network Engineer if you need assistance with the implementation of an RDS/Terminal Server computing environment.