Adding Desktops To The RADC Web Feed
Posted by Mike 
Comments off 
Last updated: August 9, 2023 20
The latest release of WSE RemoteApp (Version 1.255.1811.0 or greater) now allows you to add Desktops (i.e. Computers) to its RADC web feed so that you can access them directly from your favorite RADC web feed client instead of having to always sign in to the Essentials server’s built-in Remote Web Access (RWA) website. The new feature works great from the native RemoteApp and Desktop Connections applet in Windows, and from all of the free Microsoft Remote Desktop client apps for Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows (it even works from the Remote Desktop web client with a bit of persuasion). Continue reading for details on how to enable this feature.
How To Manually Set Up A Custom / Vanity Domain Name In Windows Server Essentials
Posted by Mike Comments off Last updated: June 8, 2024 27
Let me start off by saying that I typically recommend folks use a Microsoft personalized domain name (e.g. YourDomainPrefix.remotewebaccess.com) when setting up Anywhere Access / Remote Web Access on their Essentials server. The reason for this is that the domain name, the dynamic DNS update service, and the trusted SSL certificate are all automatically set up and managed for you by the Essentials server completely free of any charge or hassle. If you would rather take this much more convenient route instead, then see the following links for instructions on how to set up a Microsoft personalized domain name on your Essentials server:
Configuring and Customizing Remote Web Access on Windows Server 2012 R2 Essentials
Understand Microsoft personalized domain names
EDIT (11/15/2022): With the increased frequency that Microsoft keeps breaking their online services in Windows Server Essentials (including their remotewebaccess.com personalized domain names and dynamic DNS service), it’s becoming abundantly clear that they no longer care about their Windows Server Essentials customers. Therefore, I now STRONGLY recommend that folks avoid using a Microsoft personalized domain name and just set up their very own custom / vanity domain name instead.
That being said, I also understand that some folks would rather forgo the convenience of using a Microsoft personalized domain name in order to have their very own custom / vanity domain name instead (e.g. YourDomainPrefix.YourCustomDomain.com). Using a custom / vanity domain name presents some additional challenges that must be overcome though; such as purchasing, setting up, and managing the domain name, the dynamic DNS update service, and the trusted SSL certificate. For those folks who are willing to take on those additional challenges, I’ll do my best to try and help by walking you through the entire manual domain name set up process here step-by-step (using either a user-purchased SSL certificate or a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate via Certify the web).
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Posted by Mike Comments off Last updated: May 26, 2020 29
For those wanting to use secure Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) with WHS / WSE RemoteApp (or any of our older legacy RemoteApp-based add-ins), we have some good news. We have just finished testing Duo Authentication for Windows Logon and RDP with all of our RemoteApp-based products, and we are happy to report that it works wonderfully with all of them.
Connecting From Mac / iOS / Android / Windows Computers and Devices
Posted by Mike Comments off Last updated: October 31, 2023 8
I would like to introduce everyone to an exciting new feature recently added to all of our WHS / WSE RemoteApp products that allows you to connect to them from Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows computers and devices. The new feature allows your server to act as a RemoteApp and Desktop Connections (RADC) web feed server for serving remote resources to RADC clients; including the native Windows “RemoteApp and Desktop Connections” Control Panel applet, the freely available Microsoft Remote Desktop client apps for Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows, and Microsoft’s newly released Remote Desktop web client.
WHS / WSE RemoteApp
Posted by Mike Comments off Last updated: February 19, 2024 3
I would like to introduce everyone to a new Windows Server Solutions (WSS) add-in that I have released called WHS / WSE RemoteApp (“WHS RemoteApp 2011“, “WSE RemoteApp 2012“, “WSE RemoteApp 2012 R2“, and “WSE RemoteApp 2016“).
If you are at all familiar with any of my older (legacy) WSS add-ins, then you will feel right at home with the new add-in. It works just like my older add-ins do, except that your users are no longer limited to the use of a single server-installed application (or a fixed set of server-installed applications). Instead, you can grant your users remote access to pretty much any desktop application that has been installed on your server. Here is a more in-depth explanation of the new add-in:
WSS 2011 Add-In Updates
Posted by Mike Comments off Last updated: July 24, 2016 1
Yesterday I released updated versions of each of my Windows Server Solutions 2011 add-ins (WHS Office 2011, WHS Outlook 2011, WHS QuickBooks 2011, and WHS Quicken 2011) bringing them all up to version 1.1.65.65. Normally I don’t mention news about minor updates on my website, but I felt that this particular set of updates was worth mentioning.
WHS QuickBooks 2011
Posted by Mike Comments off Last updated: July 24, 2016 21
Just a quick note to let everyone know that I have finished writing a new version of my WHS QuickBooks add-in for use with Windows Home Server 2011, Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, and Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials. It’s a complete rewrite, from the ground up, of the WHS QuickBooks for WHS V1/2003 add-in that provides individual user-level access to Intuit’s QuickBooks application from your Windows Server Solutions server.
WHS QuickBooks 2011 can run a server-installed copy of QuickBooks from any computer just as if it were running directly on the local computer. QuickBooks runs in its own fully resizable window with its own entry in the taskbar. Its popup windows are redirected to the local desktop, its notification area icons (if any) appear in the local computer’s notification area, and the local computer’s drives and printers can be redirected to it; making a completely seamless “QuickBooks” experience for your end-users.
With WHS QuickBooks 2011, a single server-side installation of QuickBooks can be accessed by up to 10 users of your network (up to 25 when used with WSBS2011e or WSS2008R2e). Using the remote application capabilities of your server, WHS QuickBooks 2011 provides your users with full access to their very own instance of QuickBooks just as if it were running on their local computer. They’ll be able to organize their business finances, create invoices, pay bills, track sales & expenses, and manage payroll from any Windows-based computer on your network, or from almost anywhere using your server’s built-in Remote Web Access website.
There’s a fully functional 21 day evaluation period available, so go and try it out for yourself. I’m more than sure that you will enjoy it as much as I do. And, as always, I welcome your comments and feedback.
More Information, Screenshots, and Download
NOTE: This product has been superseded by WHS RemoteApp 2011.
WHS Quicken 2011
Just a quick note to let everyone know that I have finished writing a new version of my WHS Quicken add-in for use with Windows Home Server 2011, Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, and Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials. It’s a complete rewrite, from the ground up, of the WHS Quicken for WHS V1/2003 add-in that provides individual user-level access to Intuit’s Quicken application from your Windows Server Solutions server.
WHS Quicken 2011 can run a server-installed copy of Quicken from any computer just as if it were running directly on the local computer. Quicken runs in its own fully resizable window with its own entry in the taskbar. Its popup windows are redirected to the local desktop, its notification area icons (if any) appear in the local computer’s notification area, and the local computer’s drives and printers can be redirected to it; making a completely seamless “Quicken” experience for your end-users.
With WHS Quicken 2011, a single server-side installation of Quicken can be accessed by up to 10 users of your network (up to 25 when used with WSBS2011e or WSS2008R2e). Using the remote application capabilities of your server, WHS Quicken 2011 provides your users with full access to their very own instance of Quicken just as if it were running on their local computer. They’ll be able to manage their spending, stay on top of their personal finances, and stick to a budget from any Windows-based computer on your network, or from almost anywhere using your server’s built-in Remote Web Access website.
There’s a fully functional 21 day evaluation period available, so go and try it out for yourself. I’m more than sure that you will enjoy it as much as I do. And, as always, I welcome your comments and feedback.
More Information, Screenshots, and Download
NOTE: This product has been superseded by WHS RemoteApp 2011.
WHS Office 2011
Posted by Mike Comments off Last updated: July 24, 2016 21
Just a quick note to let everyone know that I have finished writing a new version of my WHS Office add-in for use with Windows Home Server 2011, Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, and Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials. It’s a complete rewrite, from the ground up, of the WHS Office for WHS V1/2003 add-in that provides individual user-level access to each of the Microsoft Office applications (Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word) from your Windows Server Solutions server.
WHS Office 2011 can run a server-installed copy of each of the Microsoft Office applications from any computer just as if they were running directly on the local computer. Each application runs in its own fully resizable window with its own entry in the taskbar. Its popup windows are redirected to the local desktop, its notification area icons (if any) appear in the local computer’s notification area, and the local computer’s drives and printers can be redirected to it; making a completely seamless “Office” experience for your end-users.
With WHS Office 2011, a single server-side installation of Microsoft Office can be accessed by up to 10 users of your network (up to 25 in the “Plus” edition when used with WSBS2011e or WSS2008R2e). Using the remote application capabilities of your server, WHS Office 2011 provides your users with full access to their very own instance of the individual Microsoft Office applications just as if they were running on their local computer. They’ll enjoy access to Excel, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word (the “Plus” edition also supports Access, InfoPath, Lync, Project, Publisher, SharePoint Workspace/OneDrive for Business, and Visio) from any Windows-based computer on your network, or from almost anywhere using your server’s built-in Remote Web Access website.
There’s a fully functional 21 day evaluation period available, so go and try it out for yourself. I’m more than sure that you will enjoy it as much as I do. And, as always, I welcome your comments and feedback.
More Information, Screenshots, and Download
NOTE: This product has been superseded by WHS RemoteApp 2011.
WHS Outlook 2011
Well, I finally did it! I went ahead and wrote a version of WHS Outlook for use with Windows Home Server 2011. I can’t even begin to tell you the number of requests I’ve received for doing this over the last year or so. However, I was reluctant to do it for a couple of reasons. First, seeing as Microsoft added no backwards compatibility for WHS V1/2003 add-ins to WHS 2011, I knew that it was going to take a substantial amount of work to write a new version of the add-in, from the ground up, to support the WHS 2011 platform. Second, I really wasn’t convinced that the WHS 2011 platform was something that I’d ever want to use on a personal level. Well, I can tell you that once I took a closer look at WHS 2011, I ended up really liking it, and WHS Outlook 2011 naturally followed from there. And yes indeed, it sure was a whole lot of work just as I expected it would be. Wow!
In the end, I think (and I’m sure you’ll agree) that it was time and effort well spent on my part. The new remote application features in the underlying Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system, as well as the built-in Remote Web Access website in WHS 2011, really allow WHS Outlook to shine like it never could in WHS V1/2003. WHS Outlook 2011 can run a server-installed copy of Microsoft Outlook from any computer just as if it were running directly on the local computer. Outlook runs in its own fully resizable window with its own entry in the taskbar. Its popup windows are redirected to the local desktop, its notification area icons appear in the local computer’s notification area, and the local computer’s drives and printers can be redirected to it; making a completely seamless “Outlook” experience for your end-users.
WHS Outlook 2011 is actually a Windows Server Solutions add-in, meaning that not only will it run on Windows Home Server 2011, but it will run on all of the Windows Server Solutions, including Windows Small Business Server 2011 Essentials and Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials. It allows a single server-side installation of Microsoft Outlook to be accessed by up to 10 users of your network (up to 25 when used with WSBS2011e or WSS2008R2e). Using the remote application capabilities of your server, WHS Outlook 2011 provides your users with full access to their very own instance of Microsoft Outlook just as if it were running on their local computer. They’ll enjoy access to their mail, calendars, contacts, and tasks from any Windows-based computer on your network, or from almost anywhere using your server’s built-in Remote Web Access website.
There’s a fully functional 21 day evaluation period available, so go and try it out for yourself. I’m more than sure that you will enjoy it as much as I do. And, as always, I welcome your comments and feedback.
More Information, Screenshots, and Download
NOTE: This product has been superseded by WHS RemoteApp 2011.