Parallels Question

[occ10dog]

I'm not very proficient in server technology, so forgive me if I don't make sense.

The way I understand it, you can set up your computer so it will boot from the server, making your computer a workstation. Where I work, it's a Windows world and they are thinking of moving to a server based solution. I can continue to use my Mac for what I need, but what I was wondering was Is there any way that I can make a Parallels VM that will boot off of the server? If not, how about Bootcamp?

I really hope this makes sense.

 

[Scottyk9]

I'm not very proficient in server technology, so forgive me if I don't make sense.

The way I understand it, you can set up your computer so it will boot from the server, making your computer a workstation. Where I work, it's a Windows world and they are thinking of moving to a server based solution. I can continue to use my Mac for what I need, but what I was wondering was Is there any way that I can make a Parallels VM that will boot off of the server? If not, how about Bootcamp?

I really hope this makes sense.

I'm probably not the best person to answer this, but it sounds like you wouldn't need parallels or boot camp, as Windows would not be "running" on your computer. Windows is running on the server, and you would interact with it through an interface on your computer. This could be remote desktop (free from microsoft), or more likely through a web-browser using client software. THis already exists for Macs through Citrix.

I would read up a bit on remote desktop connection and the Citrix client, then ask your IT guys if the server setup would work with these.

Someone else can correct me if there are other considerations, I don't know too much about this

 

[jeremy.king]

You sure they are going to a true bootserver and not just a domain based network (where you authenticate to a server)?

If its the latter, its easy to get a windows computer to join a domain.

 

[occ10dog]

As far as bootserver, I think that is the way they are going. They want it to be where everyone runs all programs off of the server - I guess that's a bootserver.?

 

[occ10dog]

I just talked to the guy installing the server and he said that it was indeed going to be a true bootserver. We will be running Windows 2003 server edition, any clues as to what I will need to do?

 

[jeremy.king]

Looks complicated and way over my head. But since you are running parallels, perhaps whatever he does to PCs he can do to your Parallels VM image to allow netboot to work.

http://forum.onmac.net/showthread.php?t=1754

 

[Westside guy]

It sounds like you're going to be using Windows Terminal Services. If that's the case, you should be able to just connect to the server using Remote Desktop - and Microsoft does make a Mac client for that.

What you really need to do is ask the guy that's setting this up specifically how remote users will be connecting. The Windows world doesn't have a true "remote boot" as far as I know - the closest MS gets to thin clients is with Terminal Services (again, as far as I know).

What I'd do is ask the guy "is this setup basically using Terminal Services and Remote Desktop?"

Now, as others have pointed out, you can have a more standard setup with full-blown Windows computers joining an Active Directory domain. In this case you'd be booting Windows on your local computer, same as always (Note it's NOT "remote boot"); and when you connect to the domain your computer would then run an additional script the server pushes to you. If this is what's going on, then as others have said Parallels will do just fine.

 

[occ10dog]

Thanks for all the advice. I'll let you all know how it turns out.