remote desktop locking session

[Admiral208]

morning all,

 

Our digital sinage is basically a powerpoint presentation that runs on a loop.

 

The person who is responsible for the presentation is currently using dameware to remotely connect to the machine, edit the presentaion and then log off.

 

To cut a long story short, we cant use dameware anymore. We can use remote desktop to connect to the machine but whenever we close the RDP session, it locks the machine. This is no good because we need it to still show the presentation.

 

How can I stop the remote desktop from locking the workstation when the session ends??

 

TIA

 

James

[FN-GM]

Not the aswer you want but you could use VNC....

[chazzy2501]

yes, you can't use RDP in the way you want. VNC is free and easy and will do as you need.

[MatthewL]

VNC sounds to be exactly what you need and its free.

[Admiral208]

i knew you were all going to say VNC. I know I can use VNC but as you said FN-GM, thats not the answer I wanted.

 

Does anyone else have an idea??

[FN-GM]

i knew you were all going to say VNC. I know I can use VNC but as you said FN-GM, thats not the answer I wanted.

 

Does anyone else have an idea??

 

Can i ask the reason you dont want VNC please?

 

If you want AD auth like RDP you can use uVNC it will allow you to do this http://www.uvnc.com/

 

I am pretty sure you cant use RDP like that as it simply wasnt designed for the job.

Edited June 20, 2011 by FN-GM

[chazzy2501]

RDP is designed for servers, it will not allow you to view what is on the screen of the remote PC (at the remote ends screen that is)logged in or not. This is by design and cannot be altered.

[strawberry]

you wont be able to change it, Choices are use somehting like vnc which interacts with the console, or set your digisignage to run at startup and restart the pc at the end of the rdp session.

[chazzy2501]

You could create a scheduled task that loads the powerpoint from a remote folder then you could just save a new powerpoint in that directory. you could set the task to run every ten minutes then terminate and run again.

[soveryapt]

The problem is that when you log on with RDP, the computer you're logging onto locks then so that the session can't be interfered with at the other end and then the session is piped to your RDP Client.

 

Remote Assistance apparently allows you to join a session and control it, but I'm not sure if you can set the machine to auto accept as Remote Assistance instead (normally it's a send a request kind of thing). The easiest thing for you to do is really going to be VNC. With UltraVNC you can set it to use logon details from AD to be the login method, and you can even lock it down to which groups on the AD can access it. Is there a particular reason you don't want to use VNC?

[Admiral208]

Im not saying that I dont want to use it, Im saying that I do want to use RDP. Its already built in, its simple to use and I dont have to install anymore software.

 

Im not sure you can say that that RDP wasnt designed for the job, its called remote desktop. thats exactly what it is designed for.

[soveryapt]

The other option (by the way) is to install Xibo on the machine (use WAMP to install the server with and then have the client on the same machine) that way you can still use the PowerPoint element on there, but you just go in and update the Layout with the new PowerPoint and off you go. Obviously, it adds in more functionality as well in that you can have videos displayed on their own without the need for PowerPoint etc. Always worth a look for a freebie and then you simply control it via it's web interface ..

[Admiral208]

The other option (by the way) is to install Xibo on the machine (use WAMP to install the server with and then have the client on the same machine) that way you can still use the PowerPoint element on there, but you just go in and update the Layout with the new PowerPoint and off you go. Obviously, it adds in more functionality as well in that you can have videos displayed on their own without the need for PowerPoint etc. Always worth a look for a freebie and then you simply control it via it's web interface ..

 

Yeah, Xibo is a project for over the summer. Dont have time to fully test it and get it set up properly now.

[soveryapt]

Im not saying that I dont want to use it, Im saying that I do want to use RDP. Its already built in, its simple to use and I dont have to install anymore software.

 

Im not sure you can say that that RDP wasnt designed for the job, its called remote desktop. thats exactly what it is designed for.

 

Very true, though the later variants have moved away from shared sessions and RDP is something that is separate from the PC control element. Where they used to be the same thing, you now have 2 streams, RDP for Terminal Stuff, working on Servers Remotely, etc etc, and then Remote Assistance for working in an existing session and sharing it. So whilst it's part of the RDP stuff, it's a different way of working. I've never used it myself other than very brielfy, but I find that having VNC is the easiest way for desktop support across site and that RDP is best for getting onto the servers.

 

As it's signage, see my suggestion about XIBO. I know it's another piece of software, but it's a piece of software designed for doing signage and means that the signage screen doesn't have the lock screen coming up and things but it's all done from a backend web interface. Works rather well, though you do need to make sure that you follow the PowerPoint setup instructions for XIBO (Manual:Layouts:Design - Xibo) else it won't display properly.

[soveryapt]

Yeah, Xibo is a project for over the summer. Dont have time to fully test it and get it set up properly now.

 

Yeah, it does take a while to get used to it, but when you do have the time it's brilliant ..

[Admiral208]

looks like VNC it is then...

[Arthur]

http://www.missingremote.com/guide/how-enable-concurrent-sessions-windows-7-service-pack-1

 

* If you use this patch there's obviously the EULA issue to contend with.

[Cache]

Assuming that the machine is set to auto-login, how about a shortcut to the powerpoint in the startup folder. Then once your done updating the powerpoint, you restart the machine through the remote desktop connection so that when it comes back up it launches the updated powerpoint?

 

More of a faff then just using VNC, but is a way of achieving what you want to do without using it.

[Steve21]

Any reason you can't just make a disconnect users BAT then run that instead of logging off? Then it shouldn't lock as you didn't initialise the logoff

 

Steve

[soveryapt]

Any reason you can't just make a disconnect users BAT then run that instead of logging off? Then it shouldn't lock as you didn't initialise the logoff

 

Steve

 

AFAIK, the session locks when you log on, not at the point you logoff / disconnect. All the machines I've RDP'd onto here basically show the "This computer is in use by" screen with the Ctrl+Alt+Del option. If I disconnect, that options remains, if I log off, then the machine just shows "Ctrl+Alt+Del To Log on" screen.

 

If you're in Remote Assistance (which normally needs someone to accept the offer of help, though I have read you can set that somewhere to be automatic, but I can't remember where and VNC does the job for me better) then you have the session sharing option which means if you log off then the machine logs off, if you disconnect session then you leave the session open and running as you found it.

[ChrisMiles]

The problem with VNC is that everyone can see what you are doing while you edit it and who knows how long that will take. It's not particularly professional to see someone tinkering with a power point presentation, and maybe images and stuff broadcast all over the place for ages.

 

If it was me, I would do something like have a script on startup that checks a folder (be it local or network based) for the presentation file, copy it to a local temp folder and run that automatically. Then all you have to do is update the original document and force a reboot quickly.

 

Assuming the machine is set to auto logon you can update the presentation with minimal downtime.

[Admiral208]

I installed VNC and to be honest I was surprised at how easy it was. As mentioned above, the only downside is that everyone can see what your doing when your editing the file. Not too much of a problem because it doesnt happen all that often.

 

Thanks for all your help guys!

[soveryapt]

I installed VNC and to be honest I was surprised at how easy it was. As mentioned above, the only downside is that everyone can see what your doing when your editing the file. Not too much of a problem because it doesnt happen all that often.

 

Thanks for all your help guys!

 

With VNC you can blank the remote screen and ask it to do so on login if you change the settings (personally I only do that if I need to by using my client to blank the server/machine I'm logged into.)