Remote Desktop (RDP)

[bcjenkins]

Hi All,

I know there is a decent debate about using RDP vs. VNC and the benefits of each, etc. I personally like RDP better than VNC for speed reasons. In the past I resorted to using a dll from a beta verison of Windows to setup multiple logons for XP Pro. Which meant that you had to be wary of updates to your system breaking your remote access capabilities. I found a handy program that will allow up to 3 simultaneous sessions for free and they have versions which support XP stations in a domain, or standalone. I put it on a new machine build I completed over the weekend and it seems to be running fine.

http://www.xpunlimited.com

Have fun!

B

[DynamoBen]

Personally I use UltraVNC. I've used it for the last 4 years without any problems. Best part is it is free.

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by DynamoBen

Personally I use UltraVNC. I've used it for the last 4 years without any problems. Best part is it is free.

Yeah, I'd rather spend the $125 on a new dual tuner card ...

But of course, that's just my personal opinion ...

Dirk

[bcjenkins]

How many simultaneous do you need? You can run it in demo mode for up to 3 without paying for it and it does not expire.

With our Demo software of XP Unlimited you can have 3 remote desktop sessions in case nobody logs in localy, or 2 remote desktop sessions in case the system is also used locally. There is no time-limit in our Demo software. It will not expire.
The Application Control module shows a nag screen, telling you it is the demo. Besides the nag screen, it is fully functional. The full version does not come with a nag screen.

This thread is not meant to be a discussion on the merits of RDP vs. VNC. I like RDP, here's a non invasive way of doing multiple sessions. If you like RDP, check it out.

B

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by bcjenkins

How many simultaneous do you need? You can run it in demo mode for up to 3 without paying for it and it does not expire.

Ah ok, didn't know that you can continue to run it in demo mode. Then it certainly sounds like a good alternative, thanks for the info !

Dirk

[zuzzu]

Originally Posted by flachbar

Ah ok, didn't know that you can continue to run it in demo mode. Then it certainly sounds like a good alternative, thanks for the info !

Dirk

Its not really demo mode, its actually called remote administration mode ... and is a standard feature of Windows server products. If running a full fledged terminal server, where clients are essentially dumb terminals and all apps are run from the server, you use user application mode .. which does require licensing.

Of course, on XP there is no user application mode.

I use remote desktop on XP Pro to admin my Sage box.... it is WAY better than VNC or any other remote control tool (much faster over internet links, fully integrated into OS for fast performance, can do file transfers). a bonus is that if it is idling, it throttles back to using 1KB/s or even less of bandwidth (I have checked in a network analyzer). I use a webserver that hosts the remote desktop activeX control ... so logging into the webserver lets me run the remote desktop client without needing to have it installed (handy from older OSes, like Windows 2000).

[ybrew]

Thanks for the link.

I tie up my home PC all day and my wife HATES it. if we can both be on the PC this will be great!

thanks again. Getting ready to install.

[jbarr]

I have been using UltraVNC simply because it's the least "intrusive" in my opinion. Aside from a single brief screen flicker at the start and end of each session, you don't even know it's in use. It just works, and works well. Don't expect to view streaming video, because it's slow, even on a 100MB network.

Then again, the idea of multiple-session RDP is very enticing because it could let me "work" on the box in another session without intruding on the SageTV session.

This is one of the many double-edged swords in the Windows world--lots of ways to do things, lots of ways to add complexity to the mix. But the good news is that Windows XP (IMHO) is mature enough to manage many scenarios.

Because these two solutions are free, I'd suggest trying them out and finding which mix works best for your setup.

[jbarr]

Originally Posted by zuzzu

I use a webserver that hosts the remote desktop activeX control ... so logging into the webserver lets me run the remote desktop client without needing to have it installed (handy from older OSes, like Windows 2000).

Sweet! I hadn't thought of that. Great...one more task to add to the "Ultimate SageTV Build" project....

[jimmyb]

For mutiple XP log ons I use this hack.
http://sig9.com/articles/concurrent-...desktop?page=1

Have it installed on 2 machines and working well. On one machine I have Xlobby running with X10 Pro Home Automation and on the other user I run a Sagetv Client. I need this in order to get my Viewsonics Airpanels working

[zuzzu]

Originally Posted by jimmyb

For mutiple XP log ons I use this hack.
http://sig9.com/articles/concurrent-...desktop?page=1

Have it installed on 2 machines and working well. On one machine I have Xlobby running with X10 Pro Home Automation and on the other user I run a Sagetv Client. I need this in order to get my Viewsonics Airpanels working

The problem with changing system files is that sooner or later, the hacks you did will get overwritten by some windows update or other, requiring a newer version of the hack that works on the newer DLLs. Stil worth it if you really need concurrent sessions though.

--------------------------------------

Link to remote desktop web connection download:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d...rdwebconn.mspx

[nielm]

Originally Posted by zuzzu

it is WAY better than VNC or any other remote control tool

Out of curiousity, which VNC did you compare against -- there are many of them with varying features...

I use UltraVNC because of it's ability to automatically dynamically readjust the compression mode to bandwidth availability -- it can also reduce color depth to 8bpp and shrink the screen on the server side to reduce bandwidth...
Also the file transfer feature is very convienient!...

I have even been able to remote-admin my Sage system via a 33Kbit dial-up link (remember them )!

[Wheemer]

I have installed this hack http://sala.pri.ee/?page_id=11

It's an easy installation program and it works perfectly.

[bcjenkins]

Originally Posted by zuzzu

The problem with changing system files is that sooner or later, the hacks you did will get overwritten by some windows update or other, requiring a newer version of the hack that works on the newer DLLs.

BINGO!

Everytime there is a system update, you have the chance of dorking up your multiple RDP sessions. Also, if there are any security fixes, etc., in termsvr.dll you don't get them because you're stuck running one which allows multiple sessions.

B

[bcjenkins]

Originally Posted by Wheemer

I have installed this hack http://sala.pri.ee/?page_id=11

It's an easy installation program and it works perfectly.

This is still the hack, but in a pretty package.

B