To access published resources, users require a client loaded and 2X provides versions for Windows, Linux and Macintosh systems. We had no problems deploying the client to our Windows systems and on loading it spotted the VDS server automatically and offered to create a connection to it.
The VDS client presents a very shallow learning curve to users as all published resources are presented in a single pane for easy access. Just select the one you want to use and it's fired up ready for use as though it were running locally. Any printers located on the VDS host system are made available to remote users and also appear as local devices.
2X now offers an Access Portal so users can access published resources via a web browser. Installation on the VDS host is a swift process and the portal is to the same design as the client so there's no extra training involved.
During testing we found VDS easy enough to install and deploy and fully capable of managing all virtual resources. It comes as standard with full server load balancing, enables applications and virtual desktops to be swiftly published and looks good overall value as well.
Verdict
VirtualDesktopServer is an elegant solution capable of solving the management problems associated with delivering Terminal Services and virtual desktops to a wide user base. We found VDS very easy to deploy and capable of making light work of publishing multiple resources to remote users with little training required.
OS support: Windows 2000 and above, Linux, Mac
