This guide is intended for system administrators responsible for installing, configuring, and administering Parallels RAS. This guide assumes that the reader is familiar with Microsoft Remote Desktop Services and has an intermediate networking knowledge.

The following table lists the Parallels RAS 19 release history. Parallels RAS documentation is updated for every release. This guide refers to the latest Parallels RAS 19 release from the table below. If you are using a newer Parallels RAS release or version, please download the current version of the guide from https://www.parallels.com/products/ras/resources/.

Welcome to Parallels® Remote Application Server (Parallels RAS), an integrated solution to virtualize your applications, desktops and data. Parallels RAS publishes applications and delivers remote and virtual desktops to any device on your network, anywhere.

Parallels RAS provides vendor independent virtual desktop and application delivery from a single platform. Accessible from anywhere with platform-specific clients and web enabled solutions, like the built-in Parallels Web Client, Parallels RAS allows you to publish remote desktops, applications and documents, improving desktop manageability, security and performance.

Parallels RAS extends Windows Remote Desktop Services by using a customized shell and virtual channel extensions over the Microsoft RDP protocol. Parallels RAS supports all major hypervisors from Microsoft, VMware, and other vendors including Hyperconverged solutions such as Nutanix AHV (AOS) and Scale Computing and Cloud platforms and services such as Microsoft Azure and Azure Virtual Desktop (formerly known as Windows Virtual Desktop), enabling the publishing of virtual desktops and applications to Parallels Client.

The product includes powerful universal printing and scanning functionality, as well as resource-based load balancing and management features.

With Parallels Device Manager Module for Parallels RAS you can also centrally manage user connections and PCs converted into thin clients using the free Parallels Client.

How does it work?

When a user requests an application or a desktop, Parallels RAS finds a least loaded RD Session Host or a guest VM on one of the least loaded Providers and establishes an RDP connection with it. Using Microsoft RDP protocol, the requested application or desktop is presented to the user. Note that in addition to RD Sessions Hosts and VDI, Parallels RAS can also be used to configure, manage and publish Azure Virtual Desktop resources.

Users can connect to Parallels RAS using Parallels Client (available at no charge), which can run on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, Chrome, iOS and iPadOS. Users can also connect via an HTML5 browser or Chromebook.

As newer versions of Windows keep on being developed as time goes by, you need to defend the migration cost to your business. Parallels RAS can help. Desktop replacement allows you to extend the lifespan of your hardware and delay migration to the latest OSs to a time that suits you best. The Parallels RAS solution allows you to be very flexible: you can lock machine configurations on the user side, placing your corporate data in an extremely secure position; or you can opt to allow users to run some local and remote applications. Parallels Client Desktop Replacement is able to reduce the operability of the local machine by disabling the most common local configuration options, while guaranteeing the same level of service and security afforded by thin clients, directly from your existing PCs.

Parallels RAS 19.4.2

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.4.2:

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• Ability to select whether unenrolled users can see the The user name or password is incorrect error when they enter incorrect credentials for , , and .

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Parallels RAS 19.4.1

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.4.1:

Parallels RAS 19.4

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.4:

• Support for IGEL 11 and 12.

• Extended image management for Nutanix AHV (AOS).

• Support for Scale Computing SC//HyperCore 9.2.

• Validation of HTTP host headers to protect against host header injections.

• • Sessions disconnections for host pools

  • Transport protocol for host pools

  • Bandwidth availability for host pools

  • Latency for host pool

  • Connection quality for host pool

  • UX Evaluator for host pool

  • Logon duration for host pool

• Azure Virtual Desktop improvements.

Parallels RAS 19.3.1

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.3.1:

• Azure Virtual Desktop improvements.

Parallels RAS 19.3

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.3:

• Template versioning for RD Session Hosts, VDI, and Azure Virtual Desktop. This feature includes the following:
• Ability to configure user profiles and other settings on the host pool level.

• Dynamic printer mapping.

• Azure Virtual Desktop improvements.

• Add multiple provider addresses for the SC//HyperCore provider.

• Ability to hide billing information on Tenants.

• Ability to recreate hosts keeping the existing MAC addresses on the SC//HyperCore provider.

• TLS 1.3 support.

• Terminology updates:

  • References to Pools/Groups have been standardized as "Host Pools".

  • Reference to Desktop/Guests have been standardized as "Hosts".

• • Session activity

  • Disconnection reasons

Parallels RAS 19.2.3

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.2.f3:

Parallels RAS 19.2.2

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.2.2:

Parallels RAS 19.2

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.2:

• Ability to recreate RD Session Hosts and hosts with their original BIOS UUID on ESXi and vCenter (works automatically).

Deprecations and updated system requirements:

Parallels RAS 19.1

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.1:

• • Transport protocol (TCP/UDP)

  • Network latency

  • Connection quality

  • Bandwidth availability

Deprecations and updated system requirements:

Parallels RAS 19.0

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.0:

• New Parallels Client for Windows for ARM64.

Deprecations and updated system requirements: