External Devices in non-Citrix Environment?

Barkmull asks: "We have been running a Windows 2000 Terminal Services-based network for some time. We are currently using RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) and CDS (Citrix Device Services) for local COM and printer port usage on our thin clients. My question is this: has anyone been successful in using USB port replication with Windows 2000 Terminal Services? We looked into using Metaframe XPe, but it is ridiculously expensive to implement. I would very much like to know what other solutions Slashdot users have come up with using Terminal Services and local port replication."

Comments

They're neat

[Anonymous Coward]

indeed.

Groin..

[xdfgf]

I have a pickle. It looks like a penis.

Wait.

It is a penis.

My mistake!

You -might- be able to simulate this

[Sheetrock]

There are apparently serial and joystick port USB emulators out there -- my Gravis XTerminator came with one. We don't run a Citrix environment so I don't know how proprietary these things are and I'm fairly certain that if you're using the USB for anything high speed this approach can't work, but you might be able to kludge low-speed USB devices (keyboards, point-of-scale scanners, mice?) in this way.

Why Ask Slashdot sucks

[ObviousGuy]

Quite often Ask Slashdot questions are simple wastes of space as the answers are usually a quick Google search away. Not a chance goes by that certain slashbots don't take advantage of their ability to post and flame the submission for being so ridiculously simple as to be quite beneath the level of Slashdot gurus to answer it.

Then a question like this comes up. It is clear, direct, and most of all not at all obvious as to its solution. A simple Google search will certainly not suffice to help this submitter. No, it will require actual expertise from someone who has already done something similar or with expertise in the general area that can point the way to resources that would be overlooked by the uninitiated. This discussion would be valuable to all as a jumping point to learn about the topic at a much deeper level.

But no. For all the whining about Ask Slashdot questions being too easy, there certainly is a conspicuous lack of answers.

Ask Slashdot sucks because the questions that can be answered are generally too easy and in turn quite uninteresting, but the questions that require actual knowledge and mastery of a field are simply too far beyond the capabilities of the Slashdot population. It's quite sad.

The doctor is in.

[Eliza Troll]

We have been running a Windows 2000 Terminal Services-based network for some time.

Why do you say that?

We are currently using RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) and CDS (Citrix Device Services) for local COM and printer port usage on our thin clients.

I don't understand.

My question is this: has anyone been successful in using USB port replication with Windows 2000 Terminal Services?

Maybe your plans have something to do with this.

We looked into using Metaframe XPe, but it is ridiculously expensive to implement.

Is it because it is ridiculously expensive to implement that you came to me?

I would very much like to know what other solutions Slashdot users have come up with using Terminal Services and local port replication.

What makes you believe you might want very much to know what?

Thanks!

Can you elaborate on that?

Re:The doctor is in.

[Anonymous Coward]

Ok, our "company" (name withheld) decided to use citrix over a dsl line to place a bunch of terminals online together with a parts (inventory) and sales setup. The problem is, Microsoft Internet Explorer was left on the desktop of each terminal, and it was as if someone said, "Attention K-Mart Shoppers, Let the Surfing Begin!". So, many and various sites were visited online between phone calls and need to use the database, etc. Some supervisors were behind closed doors for hours surfing to ?. Then, one day, all of a sudden, the "admin", who btw is also the "boss" (bad idea), noticed that "we" had a VIRUS. Needless to say, those at the botton of the stack were blamed for the virus, probably picked up by surfing the internet (no firewall) and threats were made to fire anyone caught surfing again. Gee, our most valuable (otherwise) employees would be made examples of, and thrown out the door.
My question is, shouldn't the admin have set the permissions on Microsoft Internet Explorer so only "root" could run it? Oh, btw, calls had to be made to local geeks to find out how to operate the anti-virus software, to remove the virus. Whew! (I told you it was a bad idea to let the "boss" be the "IT man"). I realize this post is going to set off some bells and alarms, and that's what I want, to hear from anyone that knows just what a mess the "boss" can get us into.
Working at this place reminds me of the lyrics, "Fools to the right of me, Fools to the left of me, stuck in the middle with YOU." c

Non-Citrix Solution

[Neck_of_the_Woods]

The reason citrix is expensive is because it is the best and really has the market cornered. That out of the way the only other one worth it's salt is Canaveral iQ.

They focus on companies in the size range of around 30 to 1000 users or so. What I can tell you is that it has a universal printer driver that takes the sting out of printer setups in a share network.

To quote and artical I have on my desk " The driver runs at the server where it creates a standard Enhanced Metafile(EMF) that's delivered back to the client for processing and printing. The approach avoids multiple printer drivers and overloading of the spool engine at the terminal server, a common cause of problems." Arthor Bill Boswell

So I am not sure if that helps but at least it is better than no other solution at all. Citrix when you break it all down comes to about $320 a desktop where CanIQ checks in at about $175.

Good luck.

A simple solution

[fm6]

I realize this is a radical solution, but just give it some thought. It's possible to execute software on a local processor. Systems that do this are widely available! And it eliminates all issues of making local hardware available to the application.

Try the RDP5 client from WinXP/.NET Server

[briantf]

This is an updated client that has a much improved user interface (session bar at the top, annoying reminder you haven't logged off) and the ability to redirect USB printers (or old serial printers, I haven't one to try). The correctly named drivers must exist on the host server, but they map fine. This is a big deal for telecommuting as most/many consumer oriented printers are USB only at this point.

For .NET, the local drives of the client (including mapped network drives) map over to the server session (probably works with WinXP Pro as well, haven't fiddled with that aspect).

Other USB/serial devices (e.g. old DB-9 hotsync cradles) may or may not work depending on client and server version. Wouldn't cross my fingers on anything other than printers.

Regards,
Brian in CA