Creating a true multi-user terminal server environment on macOS has historically been problematic due to Apple's licensing restrictions and technical limitations. While Windows Server has long offered Remote Desktop Services (RDS) for this purpose, macOS solutions require more creative engineering.

Starting with OS X Lion (10.7), Apple introduced limited multi-user remote capabilities through Screen Sharing (VNC). However, this remains constrained by:

• Single concurrent user limitation for GUI sessions
• No native RDP protocol support
• Lack of session virtualization

These tools can help create a thin client environment:

1. X2Go with XQuartz

A Linux-based approach using macOS's underlying UNIX foundations:

# Install XQuartz and X2Go components
brew install xquartz
brew install --cask x2goclient

# Configure server (requires Linux VM)
sudo apt-get install x2goserver x2goserver-xsession

2. Virtualized macOS Instances

Using virtualization with tools like Parallels or VMware ESXi:

# Sample ESXi API call to provision VMs
POST /api/vms
{
  "name": "macOS_User1",
  "guest_os": "darwin17_64Guest",
  "memory_mb": 4096,
  "num_cores_per_socket": 2,
  "disks": [{"size_gb": 50}]
}

3. NoMachine NX Technology

Enterprise-grade remote access solution supporting multiple sessions:

# NoMachine server configuration snippet
nxserver --install
nxserver --enable-rdp
nxserver --adduser username

Remember Apple's EULA restrictions:

• Virtualized macOS instances must run on Apple hardware
• App Store versions of macOS Server have different licensing terms than physical copies
• Enterprise agreements may provide additional flexibility

For better thin client performance:

# Network quality of service settings
sudo pfctl -f /etc/pf.conf
# Example pf.conf entries for VNC traffic
pass in proto tcp from any to any port 5900:5910

Setting up a true multi-user terminal server on Mac OS X has been a persistent pain point for developers managing shared resources. While macOS Server provides network home folders, it still requires full client installations, defeating the purpose of thin clients.

Since Lion (10.7), Apple introduced Screen Sharing service improvements that support multiple concurrent remote users. Here's how to configure it:

# Enable screen sharing for multiple users
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.RemoteManagement \
    MultipleSessionEnabled -bool true

# Configure access permissions
sudo dseditgroup -o edit -a staff -t group com.apple.access_ssh
sudo dseditgroup -o edit -a staff -t group com.apple.access_screensharing

For production environments, consider these robust solutions:

• X2Go: Linux-based solution with macOS client support
• Guacamole: HTML5 gateway with VNC/RDP support
• NoMachine: High-performance NX protocol implementation

Here's a bash script to automate basic configuration:

#!/bin/bash
# macOS Thin Client Server Setup

# Enable ARD for remote management
sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart \
    -activate -configure -access -on -restart -agent -privs -all

# Configure SSH for remote access
sudo systemsetup -setremotelogin on

# Set default screen resolution for all users
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver DisplayResolutionEnabled -bool true
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.windowserver.plist DisplaySettings -dict-add resolution -string "1920x1080"

# Enable Fast User Switching
sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/.GlobalPreferences MultipleSessionEnabled -bool YES

For development workloads, consider these tweaks:

# Disable UI animations
defaults write com.apple.dock expose-animation-duration -float 0.1
killall Dock

# Increase VNC compression
defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.RemoteDesktop \
    DoNotSendBitmaps -bool false
defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.RemoteDesktop \
    CompressionLevel -int 5

For Windows thin clients connecting via RDP:

# RDP configuration file example (save as .rdp)
screen mode id:i:2
use multimon:i:1
desktopwidth:i:1920
desktopheight:i:1080
session bpp:i:32
winposstr:s:0,1,0,0,800,600
compression:i:1
keyboardhook:i:2
audiocapturemode:i:0
videoplaybackmode:i:1
connection type:i:7
networkautodetect:i:1
bandwidthautodetect:i:1
displayconnectionbar:i:1
enableworkspacereconnect:i:0
disable wallpaper:i:1
allow font smoothing:i:1
allow desktop composition:i:0
disable full window drag:i:1
disable menu anims:i:1
disable themes:i:0
disable cursor setting:i:0
bitmapcachepersistenable:i:1
full address:s:your-mac-server.local
audiomode:i:0
redirectprinters:i:1
redirectcomports:i:0
redirectsmartcards:i:1
redirectclipboard:i:1
redirectposdevices:i:0
autoreconnection enabled:i:1
authentication level:i:2
prompt for credentials:i:0
negotiate security layer:i:1
remoteapplicationmode:i:0
alternate shell:s:
shell working directory:s:
gatewayhostname:s:
gatewayusagemethod:i:4
gatewaycredentialssource:i:4
gatewayprofileusagemethod:i:0
promptcredentialonce:i:0
use redirection server name:i:0