Run an old XP application and provide access to different users

[timeshifter]

Have a customer who has an old application, Telemagic, that they need to reference every so often. In the past I've tried to get it to work on Windows 7 but ended up running it in XP Mode. Now it runs in VMware Player on one machine on the owner's laptop.

He recently asked me to do the same setup for two other users.

Note 1: the data from Telemagic has already been converted to their newer system, but there is some info that they can only get from the real thing apparently.
Note 2: it's only used from an historical perspective, so if it's on multiple machines they don't have to be networked or talk to each other, essentially read only of old data.
Note 3: it will rarely be used, doesn't need to be more than one at a time. A user may get in once a month for example.

We are in the process of ordering a new server. It will run a Hyper-V VM of Windows Server 2016. Will be an AD and file server and share Sage. A couple of users may access Sage by Remote Desktop.

Since we'll have Sage in a shared environment was thinking it would be cool to share the XP instance to run Telemagic as needed.

Trying to figure out how to do this and do it securely.

If the new server is running Windows Server 2016 Standard with their new "server" being a Hyper-V VM, then that would leave one license or instance of Server 2016 we could still spin up. If I run XP under a Hyper-V VM on that server then how do they access it? Don't want to enable any network adapters for XP, so no RDP to it. If they RDP to the Hyper-V host then it's now doing a new role and you've burned one instance.

But, as I write this I think I have a solution: the end user can connect to the Hyper-V server with the Hyper-V remote management tool and access the XP instance that way? Does that work?

Any other ideas? Or should I just punt and install VMware or Virtual Box on individual PCs, which isn't anywhere near as cool or fun or help sell a server.

 

[Moltuae]

But, as I write this I think I have a solution: the end user can connect to the Hyper-V server with the Hyper-V remote management tool and access the XP instance that way? Does that work?

That would probably be my preferred solution.

Or you could restrict the XP VM's internet access at the router/firewall and/or put it on an isolated subnet/VLAN, allowing only specified main-LAN IPs to connect to it. In that scenario I would probably use VNC (eg TightVNC) instead of RDP, depending on whether concurrent user access is preferred or not.

 

[timeshifter]

Concurrent user access? So two people could be looking at the same screen in Telemagic?

 

[Moltuae]

Yeah, depends on the requirement though and whether that would be desirable or not. VNC uses screen-sharing of course, allowing users to share a single Windows user account. RDP, on the other hand, is one user at a time.

 

[E Bell]

How large is the VM? If it isn't very large then the easiest and cheapest may be to have VMWare Player and the image on each workstation. Let them spin up their local instance if/when they need access.

I also thought of this way as well:

But, as I write this I think I have a solution: the end user can connect to the Hyper-V server with the Hyper-V remote management tool and access the XP instance that way? Does that work?

Should be able to:

 

[HCHTech]

Now it runs in VMware Player on one machine on the owner's laptop.

I'm with @EBell above. Copy that VM to each workstation that needs access and run VMware Player on each of those machines to access it. Since the need is "read only", no need to work out sharing a single dataset. Make sure you have a backup copy of the VM.

 

[timeshifter]

Looks to me the VMware Player is no longer free except for non commercial use. It’s $149.

 

[Moltuae]

If you're looking for a free VMware player alternative, there's VirtualBox: https://www.virtualbox.org

Haven't used it myself in quite a while but I seem to recall it worked quite well.


EDIT: What flavour of Windows are the PCs running? If they're Windows 10 Pro, you could enable Hyper-V on each of them.

 

[Markverhyden]

XP doesn't support multiple concurrent sessions. Is this a client server app? Meaning that multiple users can access the db at the same time using the client on workstations?

How often do they use it? Maybe the nickel solution to the dime problem is to just have a stand alone XP box with RDP enabled. Then they can connect as needed using RDP.

 

[timeshifter]

Is this a client server app?

No.

How often do they use it?

Every now and then.

Maybe the nickel solution to the dime problem is to just have a stand alone XP box with RDP enabled.

I don't like the idea of an XP box connected to the network in any way. The application doesn't need any networking. I do like the idea of it sort of sandboxed inside a VM.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I'd virtualbox it locally on each rig for those legacy lookups. I wouldn't want it attached to the network at all (malware spreading)...and certainly not sharing out...because XP is SMB1 for file sharing, and...once you have that on the network...even riskier for malware.

Or...setup a stand along PC...not attached to network..and (gasp)...have people get up off their lazy butts and walk over to it for that few times a year they need to look up something that historical.

 

[JoelM]

+1 on this ^

 

[allanc]

Have a customer who has an old application, Telemagic, that they need to reference every so often. In the past I've tried to get it to work on Windows 7 but ended up running it in XP Mode. Now it runs in VMware Player on one machine on the owner's laptop.

He recently asked me to do the same setup for two other users.

Note 1: the data from Telemagic has already been converted to their newer system, but there is some info that they can only get from the real thing apparently.
Note 2: it's only used from an historical perspective, so if it's on multiple machines they don't have to be networked or talk to each other, essentially read only of old data.
Note 3: it will rarely be used, doesn't need to be more than one at a time. A user may get in once a month for example.

We are in the process of ordering a new server. It will run a Hyper-V VM of Windows Server 2016. Will be an AD and file server and share Sage. A couple of users may access Sage by Remote Desktop.

Since we'll have Sage in a shared environment was thinking it would be cool to share the XP instance to run Telemagic as needed.

Trying to figure out how to do this and do it securely.

If the new server is running Windows Server 2016 Standard with their new "server" being a Hyper-V VM, then that would leave one license or instance of Server 2016 we could still spin up. If I run XP under a Hyper-V VM on that server then how do they access it? Don't want to enable any network adapters for XP, so no RDP to it. If they RDP to the Hyper-V host then it's now doing a new role and you've burned one instance.

But, as I write this I think I have a solution: the end user can connect to the Hyper-V server with the Hyper-V remote management tool and access the XP instance that way? Does that work?

Any other ideas? Or should I just punt and install VMware or Virtual Box on individual PCs, which isn't anywhere near as cool or fun or help sell a server.

I know that this is waaay off base but:
I was using the same accounting program for about 15-20 years.
I ended up printing whatever I needed to PDF files.
E.G. invoices, G/L, etc.
I also exported certain files to Excel spreadsheets that I can sort filter, etc.