Optimizing Applications for Windows 2000 Terminal Services and Windows nt server 0

Conclusion

This document has presented a variety of guidelines and suggestions for fine-tuning applications for the Terminal Services environment. All of these guidelines and suggestions should be taken into consideration when you develop 32-bit applications; however, you should remember these three points in particular about the Terminal Services environment:

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  Applications must distinguish between global and local (user-specific) data structures, including registry keys. All data structures should be locked during access and stored in an appropriate location.
  
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  The Terminal Services environment uses more network resources than a client/server or distributed computing environment. In the Terminal Services environment, all graphical output and keyboard/mouse input flows over the network. Overlaid images, on-screen animation, and splash screens take longer to display on the client computer and can slow down the user experience.
  
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  In the Terminal Services environment, all application processing occurs on the server. Applications that monopolize CPU, RAM, and hard drive resources or otherwise assume a single-user environment will not perform well in a Terminal Services environment when multiple sessions are running.