VPN login to windows terminal application servers.

BACKGROUND

Forgive me if this is a duplicate thread or an old subject, but I am a new subscriber and donor to PA.com.

I have the fortune that my employer provides me a RSA SecurID and Cisco VPN concentrators for me to remotely log in while on business travel. My employer also provides Windows application terminal servers for me to remotely login to access email, applications, files, etc. I currently use VPNC and RDESKTOP on my home Linux machine to access these services. The advantages of course are several fold. 1. I don't have to shell out for proprietary operating system or applications. 2. I don't have to dual boot into Linux/Windows. 3. Most important, I do not have to subject myself to the risk of having company propitiatory files or cached files on my home system.

I have read similar posts regarding the desire to be able to VPN into an employers or personal system from any computer anywhere and remotely log into a desktop machine, terminal server, etc. I have also read conflicting reports of a VPN client being totally portable. I have downloaded, but not tried yet, the Open VPN Portable from Sourceforge. I also am still looking for a portable RDESKTOP client or similar application that would allow me to access my employers application servers, similar to what I already do on my Linux home system.

QUESTIONS

1. Is OpenVPN Portable really portable that it does not require installation on a host system or administrative access?
2. Is there a portable version of RDESKTOP or similar open source client?
3. Has anyone else tried something similar with any degree of success?

Thanks in advance,

Elvis