Category: Remote Desktop Services

Microsoft Remote Desktop Is Also Available For Android And Updated For Mac OS X

Yesterday we heard about iOS getting an official Microsoft Remote Desktop (RemoteFX) app.  Today, I found that a version was also released for Android.

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Features include:

  • Access to remote resources through your Remote Desktop Gateway
  • Rich multi-touch experience with remote desktop protocol (RDP) and RemoteFX supporting Windows gestures
  • Secure connection to your data and applications with breakthrough Network Layer Authentication (NLA) technology
  • Simple management of all remote connections from the connection center
  • High quality video and sound streaming with improved compression and bandwidth usage

I tried it out.  It works.  My high-res desktop looks tiny on my HTC One phone, but the zoom option makes is useful for quick operations.  This would be a much better experience on a 10” tablet.

For Mac OS X (10.6.0 or later) have been able to get an old version of Remote Desktop with Microsoft Office for Mac.  I read on MacRumours that there is an updated version offering:

  • Access to remote resources through the Remote Desktop Gateway
  • Secure connection to your data and applications with breakthrough Network Layer Authentication (NLA) technology
  • Simple management of all remote connections from the connection center
    High quality video and sound streaming with improved compression and bandwidth usage
  • Easy connection to multiple monitors or projectors for presentations
  • Print from Windows applications to any printer configured on your Mac
  • Access local files on your Mac from your Windows applications

I know nothing about the upgrade process for Mac users.

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Microsoft Releases Remote Desktop For Apple iOS

You don’t need pricey third party RDP apps anymore.  Microsoft has finally released a Remote Desktop app for iPhone and iPad.  The features are:

  • Access to remote resources through the Remote Desktop Gateway
  • Rich multi-touch experience with remote desktop protocol (RDP) and RemoteFX supporting Windows gestures
  • Secure connection to your data and applications with breakthrough Network Layer Authentication (NLA) technology
  • Simple management of all remote connections from the connection center
  • High quality video and sound streaming with improved compression and bandwidth usage
  • Easy connection to external monitors or projectors for presentations

The price is good: free.  And all the gesture stuff works – now I don’t feel stupid for swiping from the right on an iPad 🙂

IMAG0097 An abomination: Windows 8.1 “running” on an Apple iPad

Source: Wes Miller (@getwired).

EDIT:

Microsoft also released the Microsoft Remote Desktop app for Android and updated it for Mac OS X.

KB2795531 – You Cannot Log In To A VM Running Windows 8 Or Windows Server 2012 In A VDI Environment

This isn’t exactly a Hyper-V issue (it’s RDS) but Hyper-V is running on the affected WS2012 hosts. 

Consider the following scenario:

  • You deploy a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) environment in a network.
  • You enable the Remote Desktop Virtualization Host (RD Virtualization Host) role service on the Windows Server 2012-based computers.
  • You try to log on to a virtual machine that is running Windows 8 or Windows Server 2012 in the VDI environment.

In this scenario, you cannot log on to the virtual machine. The logon screen appears but the logon process cannot be completed.
Notes

  • The previous corresponding remote session to the RD Virtualization Host does not log off.
  • You may receive the following error message when you try to manually logoff the session in the Server Manager console:

    RD Connection Broker failed to process the connection request for user <domain><userid>.
    Failed while checking for disconnected session.
    Error: User is trying to connect to the same Pool more than once simultaneously.

This issue occurs because the host computer does not receive a notification that the previous session has ended during the logoff operation. Therefore, the previous session does not log off successfully.

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft.

Finally Some Sense – Gartner Says “Cost Savings” Of VDI Are Fiction

I think I’ve talked about how VDI makes no financial sense once or twice before.  The Register has a story on how Gartner has analysed the costs of implementing and owning VDI.  Long story short: it costs as much if not more (I say much more) than buying and owning PCs.  The reason to implement VDI isn’t simplified management, it isn’t reduced costs.  It is the side effects of centralisation such as easier data access and stricter security. 

Personally I think RDS Session Hosts (Terminal Servers) are a much more cost effective way of getting these same results, possibly with App-V to prevent application silos.

Windows Thin PC for Software Assurance Customers

Microsoft has released WinTPC as an additional benefit for software assurance customers.  You can get access to this benefit with SA for your desktops, or by buying VDA VDI licensing.  Microsoft is aiming this version of Windows at those who are moving to VDI/RDS session hosts, and who want to convert some or all PCs into terminals.  Terminals are expensive so WinTPC gives you another option.  It will allow you to reuse existing PC hardware by converting them into terminals, but using the latest generation of Windows as the terminal OS.  You’ll still have access to features like BitLocker, DirectAccess, RemoteFX, and AppLocker.  You can also use System Center to manage WinTPC devices.  Eventually, you’ll want to recycle your PC hardware, and then you can switch to dedicated terminal devices.

The system requirements for WinTPC are:

  • 1 GHz or faster processor
  • 1GB RAM
  • 16GB hard disk space
  • DirectX 9 graphics device with Windows Display Driver Model 1.0 or later
  • Bootable DVD-ROM drive

I’m wondering about that DVD requirement.  I’ve not involved myself in the beta, but surely the DVD requirement is not necessary if you deploy the OS using the network – this appears to be a supported option according to the FAQ.

Deploying Microsoft RemoteFX for Personal Virtual Desktops Step-by-Step Guide

“This step-by-step guide walks you through the process of setting up a working personal virtual desktop that uses RemoteFX in a test environment. Upon completion of this step-by-step guide, you will have a personal virtual desktop with RemoteFX assigned to a user account that can connect by using RD Web Access. You can then test and verify this functionality by connecting to the personal virtual desktop from RD Web Access as a standard user”

Microsoft RemoteFX Documentation

Microsoft has published some documentation for RemoteFX to go along with the Service Pack 1 beta.

My Lab is Remotely Accessible – TS Gateway

I’ve been meaning to do this for a while.  We’ve been using TS Gateway for remotely accessible solutions for our customers at work for a while now.  This evening, I set up my Hyper-V/Virtual Server/vSphere lab to be remotely accessible from anywhere.  This will allow me to access my lab and work on the book even if I am commuting on public transport or am in remote locations.

It was simple enough to configure.  I added the Remote Desktop Services role (I’m using W2008 R2.  Use Terminal Services on W2008), choosing only the TS Gateway Role Service, to my Hyper-V host (don’t add any roles other than Hyper-V to hosts in production!!!).  The TS RAP allows my user account to access all devices.  It’s all configured on my netbook so I can use it while at PubForum.

Yes, this would be all easier with Home Server but I have my reasons not to deploy that for a while yet.

Now I can RDP into the lab and work away, just as if I was sitting in front of it.  Pretty sweet!  It even works perfectly well over 3G connections.