Parallels today is unveiling an RDP (remote desktop protocol) client for the Raspberry Pi, allowing the tiny computer to remotely access Windows desktops and applications.
Although the Pi has appealed to hobbyists and developers, this product is for businesses, turning the Pi into a thin client for virtual desktop deployments. The pricing isn't aimed at individuals. The Pi client works with the Parallels 2X Remote Application Server, which costs $75 per concurrent user, requiring a minimum of 15 users, making the minimum price $1,125.
But there does seem to be an exception that allows free use for small groups and individuals. There's a 30-day free trial that supports 50 concurrent users, and "After 30 days, you can continue using 2X Remote Application Server for three concurrent users with the FREE license key that you will receive via email after registration," the 2X download page says.
2X allows access to Windows desktops and applications from a variety of clients, including Windows and Mac computers, Android and iOS mobile devices, Windows Phone, HTML5 browsers, and Chromebooks. 2X also already had a Linux client, which was adapted to work on the Pi. Downloads are available here.
Printing redirection is automatically configured, letting users "print directly from any device without the administrator having to install drivers on the server," Parallels said. The client will work on all versions of Raspberry Pi hardware and is optimized to run on Raspbian, the most commonly used version of Linux for the Pi.
"It may also run on other third-party Linux OSes for Raspberry Pi (i.e. Snappy Ubuntu Core, OSMC, RISC OS, OpenELEC, and Pidora), but these have not been tested yet," a Parallels spokesperson told Ars. "We are evaluating customer feedback regarding interest in running on third-party OSes for Raspberry Pi."
Parallels is best known for its virtualization software that lets Mac users run Windows and other operating systems, but also has a number of products aimed at IT shops and cloud service providers. 2X is one of the newest for Parallels, as it was bought by the company earlier this year, but 2X previously made its software as an independent vendor for a decade. The 2X Remote Application Server works with any hypervisor and can be installed by businesses themselves or accessed as a hosted service through a third-party service provider.
Although the Pi isn't a particularly powerful computer, Parallels said it will work just fine as a thin client, as most of the heavy lifting is handled on the server-side. 2X can be deployed to devices in minutes and uses server load balancing to improve performance and reliability, according to Parallels. It also has various management tools that give IT administrators control over Windows installations, let them provide remote support, and monitor server activity.
If you're looking to access a Windows remote desktop from the Pi without a full-fledged business product, you could check out one of the tutorials written by Pi users. Microsoft is also developing a free version of Windows 10 for the latest Pi hardware.
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