Data Protection Manager is a great product but one of its shortcomings is that you can only run the DPM console on the DPM server. However, with Server 2008 Terminal Services or Server 2008 R2 Remote Desktop Services it is possible to publish the console so it is accessible from a PC. What's great about this is that the console link can be published in a users Start menu so to them it looks like a standard application. It's also possible to publish the app through TS Web Access but I will be demonstrating how to publish the console to a users start menu.
The steps below outline how to set up the Data Protection Manager 2010 console in RemoteApp on Server 2008 R2. The steps will be very similar for Server 2008 except the role to be installed will be Terminal Services and not Remote Desktop Services. This will also work for both DPM 2007 and DPM 2010.
To be able to publish the DPM console you need to install Remote Desktop Services before you install Data Protection Manager. If you install Data Protection Manager before Remote Desktop Services you may experience issues with the application.
So here we go with Part 1, installing Remote Desktop Services:
1. Log into your server as an administrator, open Server Manager, select Roles and click Add Roles.
2. If you receive the Before You Begin page, click Next.
3. On the Select Server Roles page, place a check next to Remote Desktop Services (or Terminal Services if not Server 2008 R2) and click Next.
4. Click Next on the Remote Desktop Services page.
5. Place a check next to Remote Desktop Session Host on the Select Role Services page, click Next.
6. Click Next on the Application Compatibility page.
7. On the Authentication Method page, select the relevant option for your environment. As this is guide on creating a RemoteApp I selected Do not require Network Level Authentication.
8. Again, on the Licensing Mode page select the relevant option for your environment. I will be selecting Configure Later.
9. Add the relevant users or groups on the User Groups page. These users or groups will be added to the local Remote Desktop Users group so they will be able to access the RemoteApp. As I want all my domain users to access the app, I have added the Domain Users group.
10. As we are just publishing a RemoteApp we will leave the all the Client Experience options unchecked and click Next.
11. Check the summary is correct on the Confirmation page and click Install.
12. After a minute or two you will be presented with the Installation Results page where you are prompted to restart the server. Click Close and then Yes when prompted to restart the server.
13. Log back into the server after it has rebooted and the Remote Desktop Services installation will resume and complete.
With the Remote Desktop Services installation completed, it is now time to install Data Protection Manager. I am going to install DPM 2010 Beta but you could install DPM 2007. As I am demonstrating how to get the DPM console on your desktop I will not go through the DPM installation steps here. If you need them, the DPM installation steps can be found here, http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb808735.aspx. Once DPM is installed along with any required or needed updates, it is time to configure the console as a RemoteApp.
So, here we go with Part 2:
1. Log into the server as an administrator.
2. Select RemoteApp Manager from Start -> Administrative Tools -> Remote Desktop Services.
3. When the RemoteApp Manager opens, select Add RemoteApp Programs from the Actions menu on the right hand side.
4. Click Next on the first window of the RemoteApp Wizard that opens.
5. The next window will ask you to select the programs you want to add the RemoteApp Programs list. You'll notice here that the DPM console is not listed, this is because the DPM console is an MMC snapin so will need to add this manually. To do this, click Browse and select MMC.exe from C:\Windows\SysWOW64 (or C:\Windows\System32 if 32bit OS) which will add mmc to the program list. Make sure mmc is checked and click Next the Finish.
6. With the wizard now closed, mmc.exe should now be listed in the RemoteApp Programs list. Highlight mmc.exe in this list and select properties from the Actions menu on the right.
7. Change the RemoteApp Program Name and Alias to Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager. Also select Always use the following command-line arguments and enter "C:\Program Files\Microsoft DPM\DPM\bin\Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2010.msc" (You do need to enter the "). And, if you want to finish it off nicely hit the Change Icon... button and select the DPM console icon which is located at C:\Program Files\Microsoft DPM\DPM\setup\DPMProductIcon.ico. Once done, click OK.
8. Now it's time to create the file to deliver to the user. We can either create a RDP file to give to the user or we can create an MSI package which can then be installed on users computers with System Center Configuration Manager, Group Policy or even manually. I like the MSI option the best as it also places a nice link in the users start menu.
To create the MSI package, make sure you have the program highlighted in the RemoteApp Programs list and then click Create Windows Installer Package.
9. Click Next on the welcome wizard page.
10. Select a location to save the MSI file, I'm leaving mine as the default. On this page you can also specify a different RDP port if you have changed it as well as any RD Gateway settings and certificate settings. Click Next.
11. Now specify where you would like the icon to appear and click Next.
12. Review your settings and click Finish to create the MSI.
Now we have the MSI created we can now deploy it to the users that require the DPM console. As mentioned earlier you can deploy this MSI using System Center Configuration Manager, Group Policy or manually. As the end result is the same, I installed the MSI manually on a client machine. I simply copied the MSI to the client PC and double clicked it, no further action is required as it installs itself.
Once installed, open the Start menu and select Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager from All Program -> RemotePrograms.
And presto, a DPM console will launch !
I know this looks really long winded but it really isn't and can be set-up in no time.
Good luck and let me know if you have any problems !
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David Allen
MVP System Center Operations Manager
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