Hello,
I developed a desktop software program which uses some simple flat file databases to keep track of inventory. I had a 4 location company (offices separated by 25 miles or more) using the software by installing it on their network on a shared drive on the server, and having everyone launch from their office. That was a disaster as I got all kinds of socket errors, database errors and others such that it was a no-go. The IT person suggested that he set it up through RDS (which he already had installed) and have the offices access the program via RDS. It now is working perfectly with no issues. Since I'm a desktop developer and not a deployment guy I have some questions:
1) Why did it not work using their network and worked great when RDS was used? Is it a good possibility that I could run into the same problem again since I have no knowledge or control over someone's network?
2) Let's say the answer to 1) is that I can't depend on an internal network to deliver this application and I need to do RDS for the next folks who want to use the software. Let's also assume they have a Windows server (for the sake of argument lets say 2008 R2) but do not currently use RDS for anything and it isn't installed. What software/licensing would be needed and what would the ballpark cost be to install RDS from scratch for 5 concurrent users? Assuming a person knew what he/she was doing, how long would it take to set the RDS up and getting people to the point where they can open a remote session? I know there is additional setup required to allow access to my application but I'm just interested in the RDS logon portion.
I'd appreciate any general input that can be provided.
MartyD