Remote Connectivity Tools for the Macintosh


In addition to configuring a PowerBook to access Exchange data easily from an onsite or offsite location as described in the previous section, a number of other remote tools can be used from the Macintosh to connect into the internal network from a remote location. This last section of the chapter covers Remote Web Workplace, Remote Desktop Connections, and VPN from the Macintosh perspective.

Remote Web Workplace (RWW)

Contrary to the public rumor mill, the Macintosh platform can use the Remote Web Workplace (RWW) interface provided by SBS, just not all of it. Macintosh users can load the RWW interface and access the Read My Company E-mail and Use My Company's Internal Web Site features (see Figure 17.22 for the standard user's view of RWW).

Figure 17.22. Safari can load the default user's view in RWW.


Administrators logging in to RWW from a Macintosh can access the Monitor Help Desk, Administer the Company's Internal Web Site, View Server Performance Report, View Server Usage Report, and Use Outlook Web Access links as shown in Figure 17.23.

Figure 17.23. Netscape can load the default administrator's view in RWW.


Some features of RWW cannot be run from the Macintosh, however, such as connecting to client or server desktops, downloading the connection manager, or configuring Outlook via the Internet. All those links require PC-specific applications that are not supported on the Macintosh. Connecting to remote desktops (server or client) is not supported through RWW on the Macintosh because of the ActiveX tool needed to make the remote control connection. However, all these components have workarounds that will be discussed in the next sections.

A few other issues make accessing RWW more challenging for the Macintosh user. First is the SSL certificate issue that has been discussed earlier in the chapter. If an SBS server is using a self-signed certificate, Internet Explorer for the Macintosh will not be able to connect to RWW, period. Other browsers, such as Safari, Firefox, and Netscape, have ways to handle the unrecognized certificate and can access the main interface.

Second, the Companyweb and monitoring links within RWW use a web authentication mechanism that the early versions of the Safari browser do not process correctly. So Mac users wanting to make as much use of the RWW interface as possible need to rely on Firefox or Netscape or version 2.0 or later of Safari to handle access to those areas of the service.

Third, when accessing email through RWW, the Mac uses the Basic version of OWA as described earlier in this chapter. Otherwise, users on a Macintosh get much of the same functionality from RWW as PC users.

Connecting to the SBS Network Using VPN

If the SBS server has been set up to allow incoming VPN traffic, users running Mac OS X can use the built-in VPN client to remotely access the internal network. The VPN configuration is started with the Internet Connect application, but changes also need to be made in the network configuration to ensure proper VPN access.

Follow these steps to create a new VPN connection and connect to the internal network from the Macintosh:

1.

Open the Internet Connect application (select Macintosh HD, Applications, Internet Connect).

2.

Select File, New VPN Connection from the menu.

3.

Click the PPTP button and then click Continue.

4.

Enter the public name or IP address of the server, the username, and the password in the appropriate fields as shown in Figure 17.24.

Figure 17.24. The server name in the VPN connectoid should be the public Internet name for the SBS server.


5.

Click Connect.

6.

When the VPN connection is established, quit Internet Connect. Enter a name for the VPN connection when prompted to save the settings.

7.

Open System Preferences (select the Apple menu, System Preferences).

8.

Click on the VPN (PPTP) section and click Configure.

9.

Enter the internal address for the SBS server in the DNS Servers field.

10.

Enter the internal domain name in the Search Domains field, as shown in Figure 17.25.

Figure 17.25. Adding the DNS server address and domain name allows the Mac to do internal name lookups while connected over VPN.


11.

Click Apply Now and quit System Preferences.

At this point, you will be able to access resources on the internal network by name. To disconnect the VPN connection, click on the VPN icon in the upper-right of the screen and select Disconnect, as shown in Figure 17.26. To reconnect the VPN session, click the same icon and select Connect.

Figure 17.26. The VPN icon in the Status Tray allows users to connect and disconnect VPN sessions easily.


Remote Desktop Connection

After the Macintosh has made a VPN connection into the local network, users can use the Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) client from Microsoft to remotely connect to Windows XP workstations or the SBS server. RDC is the Macintosh version of the terminal services client and uses the same services and port number to access remote systems.

The RDC client for Macintosh can be downloaded from the Mactopia site from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.aspx#Others. After the application is launched, the interface is almost exactly like that of the PC version. To help get the best performance out of the RDC connection, some default settings should be modified. Table 17.1 indicates the recommended settings for the RDC client for Macintosh and the tab where those settings are located.

Table 17.1. Remote Desktop Connection Performance Will Be Improved Using These Settings

Tab

Recommended Settings

Display

Set colors to Thousands instead of 256.

Local Resources

Select Do Not Play for Remote computer sound.

Disable the check boxes for Disk Drives and Printers.

Performance

Select Modem (56Kbps) for the connection speed.


The same rules apply to the Macintosh RDC client when connecting to an XP workstation, the SBS server, or a terminal server. Only one connection is allowed on an XP workstation, whether it's a local logon or a remote desktop connection. SBS 2003 allows only Remote Administration connections, not full terminal server support. Otherwise, using the Macintosh RDC client allows the same access as using the PC RDC client.




Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 Unleashed
Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 Unleashed
ISBN: 0672328054
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 253

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