Remote Desktop and my server.

[LeperousDust]

Whats the best port of call here in case i have to do this? I've got my SSH set up and working great so i'd hope i wouldn't need to, but you never know :p.

I was thinking TightVNC because thats what ive used before and i'd plan to just secure it if i'm away from home over SSH. But then i found echoVNC which apparently uses 128AES encryption if need be which seems to be quite handy.

So any recommendations, or advice before i balls this up too? ;D :)

Also this is probably more aimed at Daz, but am i better using PowerShell with my SSH over the cmd? I assume PowerShell does everything it does and more anyway? And its essentially better and the future? Is PowerShell shipped with Home Server or Server 2003, or will i have to install it myself?

[Chuckles]

I'd just go with Microsoft RDP :)

I assume your server is windows based?

[LeperousDust]

It is, but i'm thinking remotely, is that a plan? I was also thinking but didn't write VNP then RDP, internally i can use whatever i wish i'm aware. I just want to make sure i'm not over exposing from outside otherwise.

[Chuckles]

RDP as 128bit encryption and as long as you haven't set your admin password to "fred" you should be ok :D

I have to access 1 mac server at work across the internet which has got VNC on and its totally crap (slow refresh etc) compared with RDP on windows servers.

[divine]

as long as you haven't set your admin password to "fred" you should be ok :D

balls.


*goes and changes passwords*

[Burble]

RDP works very nicely over home and low bandwidth connections. From memory it works using lots of small packets whereas VNC likes a nice big 1500 byte packet and can be frustratingly slow.

I'd go for RDP - that's how I connect to my Windows VM's albeit over an SSH tunnel.

[leowyatt]

I know it's not RDP or VNC but I've been using the logmein.com site for remote management. Infact I'm using it now to post here. No problems with it and it's a breeze to setup.

[Daz]

RDP works very nicely over home and low bandwidth connections. From memory it works using lots of small packets whereas VNC likes a nice big 1500 byte packet and can be frustratingly slow.
Indeed, and I'd agree, RDP > VNC when it comes to Windows. VNC can also a bit wobbly in terms of protocol vulnerabilities. I personally (like Burble) wouldn't expose it to the web though - it is still Windows. Set yourself up a VPN server of some description, VPN in, and RDP internally. That's what I do. Logmein is a nice, pretty slick solution, but I personally have issues with potentially giving third parties complete access to my machine. All it takes is a little site vulnerability at their end and who knows could get access.

As for powershell, it wont come installed, and it's nothing you need. It's nowhere near a general purpose shell yet (it's not even really a shell), and all the 'cmdlets' are mostly targeted at specific products (Exchange etc).

They're forever reinventing the wheel with the shell. I just wish they'd do something with bash/ssh, proven for many many many years, rather than waste their time with crap like this (http://blogs.technet.com/server_core/archive/2006/08/11/446122.aspx) [Windows Remote Shell]
When you use WinRS to execute a command, the request is sent to the listener on the remote box. A command prompt is then launched, the command is executed, the reulsts(sic) are captured, the command prompt is closed, and the results are returned to the original box and displayed.
<snip>
Currently any commands you execute can’t be interactive or prompt for input. WinRS just executes what you specify and returns the results. Therefore, if you are using something like netsh, you need to include the full command string to execute.
Utterly useless.

[/random rant]

[Burble]

If Alex already has SSH setup then an SSH tunnel is an option. I keep meaning to setup an IPSEC VPN to my PIX but am a lazy sod so haven't got around to it yet. I can't make RDP connections to my VM's from outside so I tunnel them via an SSH tunnel to one of the Linux VM's.

I've been avoiding WinRS for exactly that reason.

[Daz]

I've got a PPTP server running on my buntu box. Not as secure I know, but it's the only thing I'm pretty much guaranteed to find a client for on every PC I use, and it's way better than nothing at all!

[Mark]

VPN is firewalled outbound at work so it is not an option for me (at least not that I know of). I've never got RDP to tunnel over SSH but I don't know why. Must be some trick I'm missing. In any event I'm having to use a VNC-like client to my media box as Mediaportal doesn't play nice with RDP.

[Burble]

PPTP is an option that I may go for just for lazyness.

I should be able to setup an IPSEC VPN to the PIX but I've always had problems getting a 501 to do IPSEC. I do have a spare Cisco 3725 which whilst total overkill would do IPSEC very nicely.

[LeperousDust]

Cool so essentially i should be happy with RDP, thansk guys :)

I haven't quite worked out how to SSH tunnel yet, but i "know" i can. I'm also looking at setting up a VPN too, which would make things quite easy when i'm away from home for certain things :). I haven't even looked into how to set this up yet, so expect another thread. I think after that though i'm done! :D Haha At long last.

Cheers for clearing up Powershell Daz, though MS where heading in the right dirrection, but maybe not just yet :p

[Burble]

If you want to tunnel over SSH from a Windows box grab yourself a copy of 'MyEnTunnel' and give that a whirl.

If you wanted to tunnel an RDP session over SSH then install the program enter the SSH server, username & password into the 'Settings' tab, then go to the 'Tunnels' tab and under the local section enter this:

3389:internal.ip.of.windowsmachine:3389

What that says is send anything sent to 3389 on my machine to 3389 on the Windows box. If the SSH server and Windows box are one and the same (which I believe they are), then you could enter:

3389:localhost:3389

Localhost is relative to the SSH server, not your local machine. So if the SSH and Windows box are the same then you'll be connecting to 3389 on the Windows box.

Fire up your RDP client and tell it to connect to 'localhost' and marvel that it works.

[LeperousDust]

Yeah same box indeed, cool Burble, you've all been more than helpful! :)

I plan on having a VPN set up anyway, and working out how i can turn my box into a socks proxy for when im out and about over open wireless AP's. I mean i might as well if i can :)!

//Edit:I'm trying to work out how i can tunnel with freeSSHd to save me installing yet another program, but we'll see how it goes...

[Feek]

I know it's not RDP or VNC but I've been using the logmein.com site for remote management. Infact I'm using it now to post here. No problems with it and it's a breeze to setup.

I've heard of this before but never used it. Until now! I set it up last night and am using it from work to the computer at home. Very impressed :)

[LeperousDust]

Logmein isn't bad i was using it a while ago with my PC, but i don't feel its a server solution :) I did try it as a parent help desk thing as well, but i find using ultraVNC exe creator thingy and listener much better for that now too. Pkus I've just about sorted my SSH RDP goodness, and I'm very impressed! I'm just have user authentication troubles with SSH again not quite sure what it is yet but i have found the most perfect software ever :) That being WinSSHd and Tunnelier.

[leowyatt]

I've heard of this before but never used it. Until now! I set it up last night and am using it from work to the computer at home. Very impressed :)

It rocks :cool: a big :thumbsup: to Mr Pitch for recommending it.

[Rich_L]

Yeah I <3 logmein, on my account I have my work computer, sittingroom media pc and my laptop, so easy to use and damn useful if I've left a file somewhere or want to set up a download