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.

Before installing Parallels RAS, please verify that your hardware and software meet or exceed the hardware and software requirements described below. Please note that although Parallels RAS can be used in Workgroup environment, Parallels recommends using Active Directory to manage users, groups, and machine accounts via group policies.

Parallels RAS 19.4.2

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.4.2:

• Ability to redirect local disk drives as read-only.

• Ability to limit clipboard to plain text.

• Ability to use SAML SSO together with credentials for user authentication.

• Ability to add a custom background for User Portal.

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

• Ability to automatically connect to an alternative Connection Broker.

Parallels RAS 19.4.1

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.4.1:

• Ability to select if Parallels Client detection is triggered on sign-in to User Portal or after the user confirms it via a prompt

• Ability to configure a Service URL through which User Portal will detect the IP of the browser it is running on

• Added an option to map the Windows key to a key combination when running User Portal on Chrome OS

Parallels RAS 19.4

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.4:

• Ability to send OTP via email.

• Ability to automatically upgrade Agents on RD Session Hosts, VDI, and Azure Virtual Desktop.

• Support for IGEL 11 and 12.

• Extended image management for Nutanix AHV (AOS).

• Support for Scale Computing SC//HyperCore 9.2.

• Ability to enable tunneling for the <Default> Theme.

• Ability to edit the message that will be shown by Parallels Client when users sign in using MFA for Radius and TOTP.

• Active Directory (AD) based permissions for session management.

• Ability to add a customizable URL that points to internal support from RAS Console and Management Portal.

• Administrator permissions to view license information.

• Ability to configure the minimum key size of certificate authority templates.

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

• New predefined reports:

  • 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:

• Ability to automatically reset sessions on user logoff.

• Azure Virtual Desktop improvements.

For the complete list of new features and improvements, see Release notes: https://kb.parallels.com/en/129018.

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:

  • Version management

  • Version tags

  • The ability to assign template versions to host pools for RD Session Hosts, VDI, and Azure Virtual Desktop.

  • Scheduled template recreation for RD Session Hosts, VDI, and Azure Virtual Desktop.

• Ability to configure user profiles and other settings on the host pool level.

• Ability to change user passwords via third-party IdPs.

• New policy for configuring drive redirection cache.

• New policy for prohibiting saving username.

• Ability to drain and power off hosts based on the workload.

• FSLogix Office Containers support and enhanced management for FSLogix.

• 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.

• FIPS 140-2 compliance.

• Terminology updates:

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

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

• New predefined reports:

  • Session activity

  • Disconnection reasons

For the complete list of new features and improvements, see Release notes: https://kb.parallels.com/en/129018.

Parallels RAS 19.2.3

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

• Ability to turn off audit database synchronization across Connection Brokers.

• Support for drive redirection cache in a session initiated by Parallels Client for macOS.

For the complete list of new features and improvements, see Release notes: https://kb.parallels.com/en/129018.

Parallels RAS 19.2.2

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.2.2:

• Ability to modify the license type of a host when it joins a host pool. You can also manually change the license type of any host within a host pool.

• Ability to lock or log off from a computer when all user sessions are closed.

For the complete list of new features and improvements, see Release notes: https://kb.parallels.com/en/129018.

Parallels RAS 19.2

The following new features were added in Parallels RAS 19.2:

• Integration with MSIX app attach for AVD.

• Disk storage cost optimization for VDI and AVD.

• Ability to choose the transport protocol for connections between Parallels Client and a server on RDSH, VDI, and Remote PC.

• Ability to use RDP Shortpath for single-session and multi-session AVD hosts.

• Ability to connect to AVD resources using Parallels Web Client.

• New policy for selecting the display configuration.