I can also use mstsc /multimon as a command line to use multiple monitors. So I set my selectedmonitors:s:0,1 to use my left and middle monitor and skip my right one. In this picture, I'm RDP'ed into a remote Windows 10 machine in Azure on Monitors 1 and 2 while Monitor 3 is my local one. Rdp-rs is a pure Rust implementation of Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol. Rdp-rs is delivered with an client implementation named mstsc-rs. This crate is focus on security, and address user who wants a safe client, or security researcher that want to play with RDP. This article is going to cover the other side of Windows RDP-Related Event Logs: Identification, Tracking, and Investigation and RDP Event Log Forensics. Both of these document the events that occur when viewing logs from the server side. This documents the events that occur on the client end of the. Set client connection encryption level – Set this to High Level so your Remote Desktop sessions are secured with 128-bit encryption. Require secure RPC communication – Set this to Enabled. Require use of specific security layer for remote (RDP) connections – Set this to SSL (TLS 1.0). Windows Virtual Desktop has been pivotal during this pandemic for a lot of business. Most of our customers are using the Remote Desktop (MSRDC) – WVD client for Windows 10 application to access virtual apps and desktops. This gives the most feature-rich integration with your local physical client device. One of the benefits of your Microsoft 365 E3 (and above) license services is the access.
Updated 14/04/2021
Thin Clients, are computers which are optimized to establish a remote connection to a server and run using the remote resources. Usually those systems are not meant to be used for intensive tasks or gaming and they are mostly found in office environments. In the following guide you will find out how to use a Raspberry PI to connect to a local Windows Computer using Microsoft’s RDP Protocol.
Every version of Microsoft Windows following the release of Windows XP includes a Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) client (mstsc.exe). The Remote Desktop Connection is accomplished through the Client using the Remote Desktop Protocol a proprietary Microsoft Protocol which provides a graphical interface to connect to another computer.
Requirements
1) A computer running Microsoft Windows XP or later.
2) A Raspberry PI Device. (Prefer a Raspberry PI 3 or 4 for performance reasons)
3) Network connectivity between the two devices. (If the devices are not in the same local network, port forwarding must be enabled at the router of the Computer’s network.)
Preparation
Enable Remote Connections on Microsoft Windows 10
Mstsc Client Windows 7
1) Open Control Panel
Mstsc Client For Mac
2) Click on System and Security
3) At the 'System' section, click Allow remote access
4) A new window will pop up. Select the Remote tab.
5) Under the 'Remote Desktop' section:
- check the Allow remote connections to this computer option
- check the Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication option.
- Click OK and close the window.
Allow only Specific Users to login remotely. [Optional]
1) From the Remote Tab, click the Select Users… button
2) In the popup window click on Add button
2) Type the preferred username(s) using commas to separate them
!
3) Click the Check Names button, to validate username(s). If username(s) is/are valid username(s) on the current computer then the computer’s name will be prepended to the username(s).
Raspberry PI Setup
Mstsc Client Alternative
- Prepare a new sd-card with RaspiOS Lite (Version Used for this tutorial: January 11th 2021)
- In the boot partition of the sd-card create an empty file, name it 'ssh' and make sure it has no extension.
- Insert the SD card in your Raspi, connect it to your local network and power it up.
- Establish an SSH connection to the raspi using the default credentials (pi/raspberry). Use the official guides for Windows or Linux or Mac if you haven’t use SSH before.
- After connecting using SSH, update and upgrade your distribution
- Install OpenBox Windows Manager and x11 Windowing System by running the following command.
- Next, Install Remmina, an opensource Remote Desktop client with RDP support.
8.Make a configuration file at your home directory '/home/pi' and name it 'windows.remmina'.
Add the following contents to the configuration file (use: sudo nano /home/pi/windows.remmina): Change server from xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx to your computer’s IP address and username to the computer’s login username. The password will be requested when remmina run.
Next, edit the file /home/pi/.profile (use: nano /home/pi/.profile) and append the following line at the end of the file.
Configure xinitrc by editing /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc (use: sudo nano /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc) :
Comment out the following line:and add the following line:
Lastly, edit openbox configuration file (use: sudo nano /etc/xdg/openbox/autostart) and type the following commands at the end of the file to disable any form of Screen Saver, Screen Blanking and Power Management and set Remmina to launch when launching openbox :
Configure console autologin
Run Raspberry PI configuration by typing:
Select 'System Options'
At the next screen select 'S5 Boot / Auto Login'
And finally, select 'B2 Console Autologin'
Use the Arrow Keys (Right arrow twice) to move to the Finish Button
Before Reboot confirmation connect your Raspberry to an external screen and attach a Mouse and a Keyboard in order to be ready for the next step.
Establishing an RDP Connection
Free video special effects software for mac. At this point everything is ready, your Raspberry will boot to OpenBox and Remmina will open asking to Accept the Certificate for the connection. Click on YES
Now Remmina will ask for the password:
Finally, connection established, toggle fullscreen and you are ready to go!
Extra Functionality
Shutdown Hardware Button
You can also add a Power On / Off button to your Raspberry PI using the information from the Raspberry PI Drone post
Show Desktop’s Background instead of Black Screen
Added 14/04/2021
By changing 'quality' property in the windows.remmina file from 0 to 9 your backround will be visible
Full Screen connection
Added 14/04/2021
By changing 'viewmode' property in the windows.remmina file from 1 to 4 the connection will start in full screen.
Are you looking for the best remote desktop connection manager?
Then you’re in the right place.
As a System Administrator, it is common to establish multiple RDP connections on a day to day basis. You may also make other daily connections like SSH or telnet to manage and troubleshoot network equipment.
To manually establish these connections over and over again is a major pain.
How many times a day do you enter in your credentials? Somedays I could end up making 50+ connections a day. That’s 50+ times I manually enter in my credentials to make a remote connection.
This is why I started using a remote desktop connection manager.
It saves me time and is much more efficient.
Let’s take a look at some of the best remote connection manager.
1. mRemoteNG
mRemoteNG is a multi tab remote connection manager. Just like RDCman it is a centralized tool that manages connections to remote systems. mRemoteNG has many features that RDCman does not have such as the ability to manage different connection types.
In addition to RDP, it supports VNC, ICA, SSH, Telnet, RAW, Rlogin and Http/S protocols.
The tab features comes in handy when you open multiple sessions and need to jump back and forth between them.
Can you download apex legends on mac. More features include, easy to organize and maintain a list of connections, store credentials for auto logons, importing from Active Directory, fullscreen mode, allows for grouping and nesting folders and more.
I really like this tool, it is easy to use and has a clean interface. I can group together all server connections and create separate groups for all other types of connections like SSH.
2. RoyalTS
RoyalTS is a connection manager that supports a variety of connection types such as RDP, VNC, SSH, S/FTP and web based interfaces.
It includes a built in credential manager, team sharing options so you can share a list of connections.
You can also automate tasks like command sequence and streamline workflows.
When researching connection managers, RoyalTS kept popping up on searches and in forums. It appears to be a popular choice by other System Admins.
I personally found it to be a bit clunky and complicated to get started. It does have a lot of features that other connection managers do not have but I just found it difficult to get started compared to other products.
3. Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager
Devolutions is another centralized connection manager that can handle different protocols and centralize credentials You can even integrate existing password managers such as keepass and lastpass.
This product includes a two factor authentication features. This will enforce two successive steps of authentication to grant access to the data source.
It also has the ability to manage desktops and servers with a mobile application. Devolutions comes in a free edition and paid edition. The free version is good for standalone users, the enterprise is best for teams.
4. DameWare Mini Remote Control
Damware is a tool primarily used by help desk staff and support technicians to easily establish connections with end user devices.
The main difference between this and an RDP connection manager is it allows the screen to be shared. With RDP the remote system will log off so you can’t share the screen with the end user. That’s why RDP managers are best for servers.
Damware is supported on Multiple platforms and allows remote control of Windows, Linux, and Max computers.
Additional Features
- Chat message to communicate with remote users
- Built in screenshot tool
- Secure file transfer
- Lock end users keyboard
- Remote Wake on LAN
- Remotely edit BIOS settings
- Active Directory integration
- and much more
5. Terminals
Terminals is a multi tab remote desktop manager that supports several protocols such as RDP, VNC, SSH, Telnet, Citrix, HTTP and HTTPS.
Key features include a multi tab interface, open terminal window in full screen, resizable windows, connection history, customizable toolbars and search.
Terminals also includes several network tools such as ping, tracert, wak on lan, port scanner and who is. This can come in handy for some basic troubleshooting.
Terminals is an open source project and is currently not under development. It does still work on Windows 10.
Bonus Pick: Dameware Remote Everywhere
Dameware remote everywhere is a cloud based remote support solution that allows IT professionals to access nearly any platform (Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android).
Remote everywhere allows you to quickly gain remote access to systems that are on premise such as users in the office or remote workers like when they are at home, at a hotel or anywhere with an internet connection. The cloud based web portal makes it easy to manage connections and support remote workers. This is a great tool for helpdesk or any IT professional that needs to remotely support end users.
Key Features:
- Session recording
- Hide wallpaper and screen blanking
- Screen sharing and multi-monitor support
- Organize and manage connections
- Live chat and video conferencing
- Built in troubleshooting tools
- Remotely restart and shutdown devices
- and much more.
Final Thoughts
Each remote connection manager has its pros and cons. To find what best fits your needs I recommend downloading and trying them out for yourself. I personally use mRemoteNG and Damware mini remote control.
I use MremoteNG to manage RDP server connections and ssh connection to network switches. I like that it has a clean interface its simple to use and is not bloated with extra junk that I don’t need. I can also share the connection file with my team to make the whole team more efficient.
Helpdesk and my team use DamWare to connect to end users desktop and laptops. It allows us to remote shadow end users systems to troubleshoot and assist with any issues they have. With its wide range of features it’s a great tool for end user support.
That’s all. I hope that this list helped you find a remote connection manager for you and your team. You may also want to see check out my list of Active Directory Tools.
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Recommended Tool: SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor
This utility was designed to Monitor Active Directory and other critical services like DNS & DHCP. It will quickly spot domain controller issues, prevent replication failures, track failed logon attempts and much more.
What I like best about SAM is it’s easy to use dashboard and alerting features. It also has the ability to monitor virtual machines and storage.