Windows Server 2008: The Definitive Guide

Enabling Remote Desktop

As I mentioned earlier in this chapter, Remote Desktop mode is a special Terminal Services feature that enables you to open an RDP session as a single user to a specific machine and use its interface as though you were directly in front of it. This is useful if you're not looking to host applications for multiuser access but simply want a way to avoid walking to the server closet.

Windows Server 2008 comes installed with everything you need to use RDP to administer a server remotely, but as a security precaution, the service is turned off. It's easy to turn it back on, and it follows the same pattern that you use to turn on Remote Desktop in Windows XP versions as well. To turn it back on, follow these steps:

1. Open the System applet in the Control Panel.

2. Click the Remote settings link, and acknowledge the UAC prompt if necessary.

3. Under the section at the bottom called Remote Desktop, select the "Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop (less secure)" radio button for backward compatibility with all versions of the RDP client, or "Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication (more secure)" to limit connections to RDP 6.0 clients.

4. Click Apply, and then click OK.

Windows will display a dialog box that reminds you that it disables RDP access to accounts that have no password. This is to protect your computer from being invaded by Internet crackers. If you're using a firewall, you might also ...