Has anyone solved for ​multi-​monitor remote desktop?

Everyone who's used it knows that Remote Desktop is the greatest technology ever made, greater than sliced bread, the arabic "0", the relational data model, and the flower-decal-powered iMac.

RD's single, fatal shortcoming for programmer-types is its lack of multi-monitor support. This sucks. When I come home to work, it's like someone cut one of my arms off.

Is multi-monitor RD in works for Vista? Has someone else solved this while still keeping RDs best features (speed, local device access?)

-KF

*cough* CITRIX *cough*

I'd just like to point out that MSTSC would not be possible without the great contributions of the arabic "0" and sliced bread.   Oh, whats that? The iMac?  Oh, well, that's not even funny.

kenfine wrote:

Everyone who's used it knows that Remote Desktop is the greatest technology ever made, greater than sliced bread, the arabic "0", the relational data model, and the flower-decal-powered iMac.

RD's single, fatal shortcoming for programmer-types is its lack of multi-monitor support. This sucks. When I come home to work, it's like someone cut one of my arms off.

Is multi-monitor RD in works for Vista? Has someone else solved this while still keeping RDs best features (speed, local device access?)

-KF

By 'multi-monitor' capability, do you mean functionality like what you see here?

http://www.apple.com/remotedesktop/remoteassistance.html

brichpmr wrote:

By 'multi-monitor' capability, do you mean functionality like what you see here?

http://www.apple.com/remotedesktop/remoteassistance.html

No.

IRT thread:

Uhm.

Terminal Services /DOES/ support non-4:3 resolutions, just configure your client to connect and obtain an 8:3 screen resolution instead.

Quite simple really.

Yours is an interesting idea, so interesting that I spent an hour or so looking into it.

Unfortunately I'm having no luck extending my sessions beyond the confines of 1600x1200, and I've tried a bunch of different things.

.RDP files can be hand-edited to accept larger display sizes, but the RD window won't let itself be resized beyond 1600x1200, the width of one of my monitors.

I got "clever" and tried running Remote Web Connection, the browser-based version of RD. That did not work either: I could expand my window beyond 1600x1200, but the viewable area remained limited.

I'm using an ATI Radeon Pro 9800.

Something in windows is restricting what it thinks is the max width for the screen, and I'm not sure how to get around it. Anyone got ideas?

Thanks, this is helpful. I can stop banging my head on this particular problem.

I'm told that PC Anywhere 11.5 will allow multi-monitor setups; maybe I'll give that a try. 

Hi guys.

Regarding multi-monitor support.
RDP is confined to 1600x1200 resolution due to the video buffer limitation with 5.2 as well as 6.0 Vista Beta client. You will be limited to this “aperture” independently from the number of physical monitors. Citrix video buffer is apparently larger - 8129 kb which can give you resolution of 2400x1024 at 16-bit or 1900x1471 at 16-bit. This higher resolution along with another useful Citrix feature like a "fake" multi-monitor support will work well with multiple monitors, as long as monitors are identical and lined-up at the top.

Although some insiders were claiming that Microsoft video buffer is 16 MB (2x of Citrix) and thus Microsoft RDP client supports resolution above 1600x1200, I have found no official confirmation nor have seen anyone breaking this barrier with existing client builds.

Regarding iShadow Desktop that some of you happened to stumble into. This app, while constrained with intrinsic ICA-RDP-VNC client limitations, will help with arrangement of multiple session windows on multiple monitors (or just one monitor). These sessions can be run simultaneously in full-screen mode across multiple monitors.

A few things that might be handy while using iShadow Desktop - the ability to run in a "full-screen" with sessions that have higher resolution as compared to the local physical resolution of the monitor. This full-screen mode has the capability to scale session screen to fit available space for all supported protocols – ICA (scale down), RDP (scale down) and VNC (scale up and down).

http://www.ishadow.com/Downloads/Betas/tabid/88/Default.aspx.

ALEX

Stephen wrote:

Compared to RDP PC Anywhere is very slow.

Isn't PC Anywhere just a commerically-supported version of VNC?

W3bbo wrote:

Stephen wrote: Compared to RDP PC Anywhere is very slow.

Isn't PC Anywhere just a commerically-supported version of VNC?

PCAnywhere used to be a good utility for remote host management and ftp transfers and also as a crude terminal server for a host.

With TS built into W2K that was the end of that part and RDP got rid of any value I saw in having to purchase a commercial product as VNC and RDP were available for free.

I had heard rumours a while ago and just can't be bothered looking them up is that PCA would have the RDP protocol in it. Doesn't matter I ain't looking to pay for RDP from a commercial company if it is natievly in MS products.

The one piece of software I use continously is the 'Remote Desktops'  MMC plug-in part of Windows 2003 server. I use it to list all of my RDP clients servers and also have my Virtual Server connections in these. You could call it a very crude and basic Windows Hypervisor. One monitor with a browser on it and the other with my full menu of RDP sessions to either my dev machines or a clients server. Very easy window and RDP management.

One thing I want to know... what is the purpose of Citrix in this day and age?

Citrix came up with the RDP platform in the first place (named "ICA"), Microsoft then licensed it.

Yet Citrix sells their Metaframe product as an additional layer on top of Terminal Services.

A lot of our customers use Citrix for ease of deployment. They install our app on Citrix servers, and the clients use the app using the Citrix client. It saves them the trouble of installing our app throughout their enterprise.

Well, although Microsoft RDP client these days has many features to match ICA client, RDP is not based on ICA and as protocol has a long history. ICA client can be considered superior in many areas especially when multi-platform support is concerned (well, you can find RDP on a bunch of platforms too lately...).

Some of the notable advantages of ICA versus RDP as of today:

1. Ability to work with high latency connections
2. Superior support for port mapping including USB
3. Native support for SSL encapsulation which makes it firewall friendly
4. Support for published applications
5. High resolution
6. Support for protocols outside of the TCP/IP
7. Server availability on a broad range of UNIX platforms
8. Adjustable encryption levels
9. Built-in support for screen capture
10. Ability to logoff (not just disconnect) sessions
11. Availability of nicely integrated web portal
12. Pilot testing for screen recording and playback on the protocol level (not an AVI or other movie format!!!)

If you like to compare ICA, RDP and VNC side by side - try iShadow Desktop from http://www.ishadow.com. Also try beta RDP client from Microsoft Vista (mstsc.exe) - it rocks!

Some of the notable advantages of ICA versus RDP as of today:

1. Ability to work with high latency connections

Fair point

2. Superior support for port mapping including USB

Fair point though I don't need many gadgets whilst remoting remapped to a local connection

3. Native support for SSL encapsulation which makes it firewall friendly

TLS 1.0 (SSL) Technet

4. Support for published applications

Fair point (Longhorn )

5. High resolution

RDP 24Bit

6. Support for protocols outside of the TCP/IP

I very rarely need any other protocol

7. Server availability on a broad range of UNIX platforms

Don't touch Unix

8. Adjustable encryption levels

RDP - FIPS-compliant and None, Attempt and Require Options with TLS/SSL

9. Built-in support for screen capture

RDP - ALT Print Screen ...lol

10. Ability to logoff (not just disconnect) sessions

Logoff.exe on Windows boxes

11. Availability of nicely integrated web portal

A Quick and dirty one if needed can be whiped up

12. Pilot testing for screen recording and playback on the protocol level (not an AVI or other movie format!!!)

For session recording would be nice

I am a Microsoft dude and there are not many things I cannot do from the out of the box scenario with RDP.

Many of us are Microsoft "dudes"... Regarding SSL encapsulation and portal implementation - check Citrix Secure Gateway and Web Interface (free as long as you own their core product) or their SSL VPN. Also check their UNIX MetaFrame ... It is very cool...

Dr.ALEX wrote:

Many of us are Microsoft "dudes"... Regarding SSL encapsulation and portal implementation - check Citrix Secure Gateway and Web Interface (free as long as you own their core product) or their SSL VPN. Also check their UNIX MetaFrame ... It is very cool...

My father's company, United Utilities, uses Citrix MetaFrame and their portal software to publish applications to client computers.

I am impressed, although the client is Java based and one could easily confuse published applications with local ones (especially if you're on Windows 2000 with titlebar gradients disabled)

SURE you can run multi-monitor RDP sessions!!!

I'm using rdesktop (a linux client) to connect to Windows XP backends and I can get a resolution of up to 4096x2048.  I currently am running 3 19" monitors at 1280x1024 with 6 rdesktop sessions connecting to Windows 2003 Server, Windows XP and an old Win2000 TS all running at 3840x1024.  I can then use a hot key switch setup to toggle which virtual desktop is in focus (effectively giving me a look and feel of 6 independent desktops).  I'm also running a program called "Actual Title Buttons" which allows me to maximize to a resolution so that apps don't span all 3 screens when maximized.

I have a solution for all you guys that don't want to install linux to do this.  Install Cygwin, and compile rdesktop for cygwin.  I just tried it here, and after making sure that some of the libraries are installed, compiling rdesktop was as simple as typing: ./bootstrap; configure; make install.

Hope this helps you guys out.

Regards,
-- Adam

Seamless application hosting is a nice feature of metaframe, but we don't have any use for it here... and since replacing all our old desktops with dedicated thin clients (i.e. no more need for a DOS client) there's not much else about Metaframe that I find compelling for the office... so when we moved our TS farm from WS-2000 to WS-2003, I chose not to use Metaframe internally.

On LAN-Speed connections, it's hard to justify the money for Metaframe and ICA... but ICA is a better protocol than RDP, when used in low-bandwidth environments. I've tested with both where only dial-up is available, and RDP is just too heavy-weight in those conditions.

However... neither have really solved the biggest bug-bear of remote sessions over slow connections... PRINTING.

Adam,

Can you please share your recipe to overcome video buffer limit on Windows 2000 TS server and get outside 1600x1200 maximum resolution?