Case study · Terminal server
106 branches on one central RDS farm
For a well-known discount retailer headquartered in Dortmund, INFONET designed and implemented a central Microsoft Windows RDS farm made up of five servers. It supplies 106 branches with the applications they need. Once the project was complete, operation passed to the client's in-house team of administrators.
The challenge
With 106 sites, every individual installation becomes a problem
With 106 geographically dispersed branches, a decentralised IT setup creates a considerable administrative workload. Applications, updates and configurations would otherwise have to be maintained on a large number of individual systems – every change turns into a rollout across more than a hundred sites.
The key technical question was therefore: how can 106 branches be reliably supplied with applications and centrally administered through one shared Windows infrastructure?
The answer was a Remote Desktop Services environment in which the applications are provided centrally and the branches access them. Installation and updates happen in one place, not in a hundred and six.
The architecture
From branch network to central application environment
106 branches
Every branch needs the same applications – but not its own server installation to run them.
Central site connectivity
The branches access the central environment via the site-to-site connection.
Windows RDS farm with five servers
Deliberately not a single terminal server: user sessions and system load are spread across five machines.
Central applications and resources
Software rollouts, updates, version changes and permissions are maintained in one place.
Sizing
What matters in a farm of this size
An RDS farm stands or falls by its sizing. Among the factors we took into account:
- Number of concurrent sessions
- CPU and RAM requirements per session
- Storage performance
- Network bandwidth to the branches
- User profiles
- Application compatibility
- Printers at the branches
- Group Policies
- Load balancing across the five servers
The operating model
Built by INFONET, run by the client
One distinctive feature of this project was the operating model. INFONET was commissioned to design and implement the environment; ongoing support was then to be taken over by the client's existing in-house team of administrators.
After successful implementation, the environment was therefore handed over to the in-house IT department. Completing the project meant not only delivering the technology, but also passing on to the in-house administrators the information they need to keep it running.
This matters enough to us to mention it here: we build environments so that another team can take them over. An infrastructure that only its creator understands is not a result – it is a dependency.
Result
An environment that supports a branch network of this size
The result is a central Windows RDS farm of five servers that connects 106 branches to centrally provided applications. Compared with a fully decentralised environment, the administrative effort at the individual branch sites is significantly reduced.
After completion and handover, the client's in-house team of administrators took over day-to-day operation.
- 106 branches connected to one shared environment
- Five RDS servers sharing the user load
- Consistent software versions at every site
- Simpler software rollouts and central updates
- Central user and permissions management
- Scalable architecture for further growth
Project facts at a glance
106 branches · 5 RDS servers · central Windows RDS farm · Microsoft Remote Desktop Services · central application delivery · load balancing · central administration · implemented by INFONET · handed over to the in-house team of administrators
Frequently asked questions
What people usually ask us about this
Why five servers rather than one big one?
For two reasons. First, the load is spread: if one server fails or needs an update, not every user loses their session at once. Second, a farm scales better – when sites are added, you add a server instead of replacing the one big machine.
Isn't this outdated? Everything runs in the cloud these days.
Central application delivery is exactly what cloud desktops do as well – just in a different place. Whether the farm sits in your own data centre or with a provider is a question of cost and latency. The principle of running applications centrally rather than at every site remains the right one.
Do you take over operation, or do you always hand over?
Both are possible, and the client decides. Here there was an in-house team of administrators, so handing over was the right approach. For clients without their own IT department, we continue to look after the environment on an ongoing basis. What we do not build are environments you can no longer get out of.
How many users can a farm like this handle?
There is no general answer – it depends on the applications, on session behaviour and on the memory each user needs. That is why we start by assessing actual usage, not with a vendor's catalogue recommendation.
A note on confidentiality
For reasons of confidentiality, we only publish client names and contact persons with their express consent. If you have a specific interest, we will be happy to put you in touch personally after consulting the reference client.
Free initial consultation
Many sites, the same software everywhere?
If an update means someone has to visit every one of your sites, it is worth talking to us. We look at your applications and your network and tell you what can be centralised.
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