Supportingremote systems is much easier thanks to Windows XP's Remote Desktopapplication. The application's biggest benefit is that it provides access to adesktop as if you were sitting in front of the system. In addition to receivingthe actual desktop GUI, you can access network shares and printers as if seatedat the PC.
Windows Remote Desktop
Connectingto a remote desktop is fairly straightforward, but a few elements must be inplace first:
- The host desktop must have Internet access (preferably high-speed).
- The local system (the PC connecting to the remote desktop that will serve as the host) must be running Windows XP Professional (or a Windows 2003-flavor server) or have the appropriate Terminal Services tools installed.
- Firewalls between the local system and the remote host must be configured to pass the appropriate traffic.
- Remote Desktop must be installed and enabled on the target system.
Installing Remote Desktop
RemoteDesktop is an optional Windows XP Professional service. To install it on a hostsystem (to enable a computer to accept a remote connection request), Microsoftrecommends you:
- Click Start.
- Click Control Panel.
- Select Add Or Remove Programs.
- Select Add/Remove Windows Components.
- Select Internet Information Services.
- Click the Details button.
- Select World Wide Web Service.
- Click the Details button.
- Check the Remote Desktop Web Connection checkbox.
- Click OK.
- Click Next.
- Click Finish to complete the wizard.
- Click Start.
- Select Run.
- Enter Net Stop w3svc and click the OK button or press Enter.
- Click Start.
- Select All Programs.
- Select Microsoft Update.
- Select Scan For Updates.
- Install all critical updates on the host system.
- Click Start.
- Select Run.
- Enter Net Start w3svc and click the OK button.
Installing Remote Desktop connection on non-XP systems
Non-WindowsXP systems can also access Windows systems running Windows Remote Desktop. Thelocal system used to access the remote computer must have the remoteconnectivity client software installed. To install the required TerminalServices components:
- Insert a Windows XP Professional CD in the local system’s CD or DVD drive.
- From the resulting Welcome To Microsoft Windows XP screen, click Perform Additional Tasks.
- Click Setup Remote Desktop Connection from the What Do You Want To Do Screen.
- The InstallShield Wizard will open; click Next on the Welcome To The InstallShield Wizard for Remote Desktop Connection.
- Read and accept the license agreement and click Next.
- Enter the customer name and organization, and specify whether the desktop connection is to be available to all users or only the logged in user and click Next.
- Click Install.
- Click Finish.
Theolder Windows system can now open the Remote Desktop Connection menu byclicking Start | Programs | Accessories | Communications | Remote DesktopConnection or by opening a command prompt and typing mstsc.
Firewall settings
Before attempting a Remote Desktop session, ensure the hostsystem’s Windows Firewall is set to enable the connection. Follow these stepsto confirm the Windows Firewall is properly configured:
- Click Start.
- Click Control Panel.
- Access the Windows Firewall menu (by clicking Windows Firewall using Control Panel’s Category View or by clicking Security Center and selecting Windows Firewall using the Classic Vew).
- Click the Exceptions tab.
- Confirm the Remote Desktop checkbox is checked and isn’t overridden by a group policy.
When working with other firewalls, it’s usually best thatport 3389 (and port 80) be opened to enable Terminal Services traffic (and theconnection to the Remote Desktop application). This is especially true whenattempting to connect to Small Business Server 2003 desktops.
Enabling user access
Toensure a remote system is configured to support Remote Desktop, follow thesesteps:
- Click Start.
- Click Control Panel.
- Select Performance and Maintenance and click System (if the view is set to Category; if the Classic View is in use simply click the Control Panel’s System applet).
- Click the Remote tab.
- Confirm the Remote Desktop checkbox is checked (Allow Users To Connect Remotely To This Computer).
Next, you need to specify which users can access the systemremotely. To do so:
- Open the Remote tab again (following the steps just described).
- Click the Select Remote Users button, shown in Figure A.
- Click the Add button.
- Specify those users that should receive permission to access the system remotely.
- Click OK to close the Select Users window.
- Click OK to close the Remote Desktop Users window.
| Figure A |
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| Confirm a system is set to enable a Remote Desktop connection using theControl Panel’s System applet’s Remote tab. |
By default, any members of the Administrators group canconnect to the system, even if they’re not specifically authorized using theRemote Desktop Users window. Should you wish to remove a user’s permission tolog on remotely, highlight that user’s name and click the Remove button.
Configuring Remote Desktop
Oncethose conditions are met, users and administrators should be able to accesssystems using Remote Desktop by:
- Clicking Start.
- Selecting Run.
- Typing mstsc and clicking OK.
Alternatively, one can:
- Click Start.
- Click All Programs.
- Click Accessories.
- Click Communications.
- Click Remote Desktop Connection.
The Remote Desktop Connection Screen will appear. Bydefault, an abbreviated version displays, as shown in Figure B
| Figure B |
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| By default, a simple Remote Desktop Connection menu appears. |
To display more remote connectivity options and configureadditional settings, click the Options button. Clicking the Options buttonreveals five tabs, from which additional settings are configured, as shown in Figure C
| Figure C | |
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| Clicking Options reveals a host of additional Remote Desktop Connectionsettings. | |
From the General tab, you can enter the IP address or fullyqualified domain name (FQDN) of the computer you wish to connect to within theComputer field. If you use the default menu shown in Figure A the remote computer will prompt you for a username andpassword.
However, from the General tab, you can specify the username,password and domain in the appropriate fields and skip the logon process.Saving this information makes quick work of logging on to remote connections,such as those used often by employees wishing to connect to their officedesktops from home.
The Display tab, shown in Figure D provides options for configuring the desktop size. It’simportant to match the remote system’s desktop size to the local PC, otherwisethe user may go crazy trying to navigate menus that can consistently reachbeyond his or her monitor’s range if configure incorrectly.
| Figure D |
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| The Display tab enables changing desktop size and color settings. |
Use the Local Resources tab, shown in Figure E to set sound, keyboard and local device options. Forexample, you can configure remote system events to generate sounds on the localPC (by selecting Bring To This Computer within the drop down box within theRemote Computer Sound section or automatically connect to remote printers, diskdrives and even serial ports (by selecting the respective checkbox from withinthe Local Devices section).
| Figure E |
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| The Local Resources tab provides access to remote printers and disk drivesand enables triggering system sounds, among other options. |
The Programs tab, shown in Figure F, permits users to trigger aspecific program upon establishing the remote connection. To enable the feature, check theStart The Following Program On Connection box andspecify the program’s location using the provided fields.
| Figure F |
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| Use the Programs tab to start a specific program upon connecting to theremote system. |
The Experience tab, shown in Figure G makes it possible to configure the remote connection’slook and feel. For example, you can set the connection speed to maximizeperformance, apply the remote system’s theme and even display its desktopbackground. Or, to optimize performance, you can turn off menu and window animation, forego displaying the remote system’s desktopbackground, etc.
| Figure G |
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| Configure options on the Experience tab to optimize the remote connection’snetwork performance. |
