Administering ISA Server Remotely

There are several ways to administer ISA Server remotely. The following methods are the most commonly used:

• ISA Management console

• Terminal Services

• Remote control applications

ISA Management Console

The Microsoft Management Console (MMC) is the framework that allows snap-ins to be used and configured. Snap-ins, such as the ISA Management console, provide a graphical user interface (GUI) for performing day-to-day administrative tasks. Nearly all of the administration performed in ISA Server is done within the ISA Management console.

Terminal Services

Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 include Terminal Services, a component that you can install during the installation of the operating system, as well as from the Add/Remove Programs utility in Control Panel.

In Windows 2000 Server, when installing Terminal Services, you can deploy it in one of two modes: application or remote administration. Windows Server 2003 has a mode called Remote Desktop that is already installed, and is like Terminal Services in administration mode.

Application mode is appropriate if you will be installing applications on the Terminal Server and configuring the server to provide server-based computing. Using application mode, you're required to license the terminal service clients that will be connecting to the Terminal Server. The appropriate mode for Terminal Services on an ISA server is remote administration mode. Remote administration mode doesn't require the purchase of Terminal Services client licenses, and it allows for two concurrent connections to the Terminal Server. Considering the main purpose of remote administration mode is remote administration, two concurrent connections are appropriate. Additionally, only members of the Administrators group can connect to the Terminal Server in remote administration mode. In Windows Server 2003, you can control who has access to connect to Remote Desktop.

For more information, see the Windows Help documentation.

Remote Control Applications

A variety of other tools on the market allow you to perform administration from a remote computer. Some products are freeware, whereas others cost hundreds of dollars. The following are three cost-effective remote administration tools that you can use to administer ISA Server when choosing not to use Terminal Services or the ISA Management console.

• Microsoft NetMeeting This is Microsoft's collaboration utility for whiteboarding, video conferencing, and desktop sharing. It ships with Windows 2000 and is a very handy, integrated solution for remote desktop connectivity. An administrator must configure the Remote Desktop Sharing service, which requires a reboot of the server. NetMeeting 3.0 ships with the operating system but can be downloaded separately from http://www.microsoft.com/netmeeting/.

• Virtual Network Computing (VNC) VNC is a remote display system that allows connectivity from almost anywhere. This product is freeware and can be downloaded from http://www.realvnc.com/.

• PCAnywhere This Symantec product has been around for many years. The product is a very stable remote control application and has a rich feature set, but is more costly than the other options listed here. See http://www.symantec.com/pcanywhere for more information.