free multi-user remote desktop utility

[Yousuf Khan]

Is there a free remote desktop utility that allows multiple simultaneous
user logins? I've been using Windows RDP as well as TightVNC so far, and
they are both fine. But what I'd really like is something that will
allow users to remain actively logged in without suspending them in the
background when somebody else logs in. I believe Windows Terminal
Services and Citrix does this, but of course neither of them are free.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Is there a free remote desktop utility that allows multiple
simultaneous user logins? I've been using Windows RDP as well as
TightVNC so far, and they are both fine. But what I'd really like is
something that will allow users to remain actively logged in without
suspending them in the background when somebody else logs in. I
believe Windows Terminal Services and Citrix does this, but of course
neither of them are free.
Yousuf Khan

I don't know of anything that's free - there are allegedly some old hacks
for XP to permit multiple simultaneous RD connections, but they most
certainly aren't supported (and I don't know where to find them, either).
I'd consider them unsuitable for use in a business environment for many
reasons.

Terminal Services is what you need, if you want to stick with Windows, I'm
afraid. You don't need Citrix.

 

[Yousuf Khan]

I don't know of anything that's free - there are allegedly some old hacks
for XP to permit multiple simultaneous RD connections, but they most
certainly aren't supported (and I don't know where to find them, either).
I'd consider them unsuitable for use in a business environment for many
reasons.

Terminal Services is what you need, if you want to stick with Windows, I'm
afraid. You don't need Citrix.

Well, fortunately, it's not for a business environment, it's for my own
home network. Aren't home networks just resembling business networks
from a few years ago? I have 3 machines scattered throughout the house,
and I'd rather manage them all from whichever machine I'm sitting at at
the time rather than trudging around from room to room. VNC and RDP get
me 90% of the way there, but I like to be able to keep control over the
machines even when somebody else is using one of them.

What's the XP hacks called, that you mentioned? All of the machines are
XP, though some of them may be Home, and some may be Pro.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Robert Redelmeier]

Well, fortunately, it's not for a business environment, it's
for my own home network. Aren't home networks just resembling
business networks from a few years ago? I have 3 machines
scattered throughout the house, and I'd rather manage them all
from whichever machine I'm sitting at at the time rather than
trudging around from room to room. VNC and RDP get me 90% of
the way there, but I like to be able to keep control over the
machines even when somebody else is using one of them.

What's the XP hacks called, that you mentioned? All of the
machines are XP, though some of them may be Home, and some may
be Pro.

Well, if you don't want to use a KVM, then you might try sshd
compiled for MS-Win32 . This should give you command-line
(cmd.exe or other shell) access to the machine

-- Robert

 

[Yousuf Khan]

Well, if you don't want to use a KVM, then you might try sshd
compiled for MS-Win32 . This should give you command-line
(cmd.exe or other shell) access to the machine

As I said, the machines are scattered throughout the house, nowhere in
range of any kvm switch.

SSH? I didn't say Linux here, I said Windows. I got my solutions for
Linux already. Barely anything more than basic stuff that you can do
with Windows on the command-line.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Robert Redelmeier]

SSH? I didn't say Linux here, I said Windows. I got my
solutions for Linux already. Barely anything more than
basic stuff that you can do with Windows on the command-line.

Well, I don't claim any MS-Windows expertise nor have you told us
the sorts of activities you wish to do on remote boxen. Highly
interactive stuff like running a browser or office app likely
would require a fairly "heavy" solution like Symantec PC-Anywhere.

However, if you are merely looking for remote administration,
I believe many of these can still be done cmd-line: ipconfig,
arp, attr, etc. Perhaps some of these can still _only_ be done
cmd-line. AFAIK, patching is done by KBxxxxxx.exe which should be
remotely executable. MS doesn't make this easy, but that is the
nature of learning GUIs: easy to start then progressively tougher.
CLI has a much larger initial hurdle, but then gets easier.

Look at it another way: you will be getting your exercise

Personally, I keep all of my data and work all my data on _one_
machine (automagically backed up onto others). Then I don't need
to worry about where a file or email is. I believe you can do
much the same with MS-Windows by seting up network drives.

-- Robert

 

[smlunatick]

Is there a free remote desktop utility that allows multiple simultaneous
user logins? I've been using Windows RDP as well as TightVNC so far, and
they are both fine. But what I'd really like is something that will
allow users to remain actively logged in without suspending them in the
background when somebody else logs in. I believe Windows Terminal
Services and Citrix does this, but of course neither of them are free.

Yousuf Khan

Windows Terminal Services has been renamed as Remote Desktop. With
RDP, you can only do what you want with a Server grade version of
Windows (Windows 2003 or the new Windows 2008.)

As for a KVM solution, you might want to look at the following:
http://www.lantronix.com/data-center-management/kvm-solutions/securelinx-spider.html

These "Spider" units are self-contained and only require their own CAT
5 cable.

 

[Yousuf Khan]

Well, I don't claim any MS-Windows expertise nor have you told us
the sorts of activities you wish to do on remote boxen. Highly
interactive stuff like running a browser or office app likely
would require a fairly "heavy" solution like Symantec PC-Anywhere.

Yeah, the remote desktop apps that I've mentioned that I'm already using
right now are RDP (bundled with Windows) and TightVNC (open-source)
which are both similar to PC-Anywhere. Basically, you get a full-screen
GUI coming out through the network, appearing on a remote machine, much
like the X Windows system in the Unix world, albeit a little bit cruder.

The only problem with what I'm using now is that it isn't multi-user.
That is, only one person at a time can be logged into a particular
machine. So if somebody is logged into a machine, that I want to use, if
I login to it, it will kick them off. Then they log back in, and kick me
off, etc.

For example, RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) that I've mentioned
previously is a Microsoft application that they include for free with
all versions of Windows (the Home versions usually only have the client
but not the server portion). Microsoft sells a package called Terminal
Services, for several thousand dollars, which is an upgraded version of
RDP, allowing multiple user logins. Similarly there is a third party
application sold by Citrix systems for thousands of dollars too.
However, I haven't used PC-Anywhere or Carbon Copy in ages, so I don't
know if they are just unitary-user or multi-user. Anybody have an idea?

However, if you are merely looking for remote administration,
I believe many of these can still be done cmd-line: ipconfig,
arp, attr, etc. Perhaps some of these can still _only_ be done
cmd-line. AFAIK, patching is done by KBxxxxxx.exe which should be
remotely executable. MS doesn't make this easy, but that is the
nature of learning GUIs: easy to start then progressively tougher.
CLI has a much larger initial hurdle, but then gets easier.

Trust me, I know my way around a command-line, DOS or Unix. But in the
Windows world, there is just way too much stuff that can't be managed
through a command-line (Linux is also getting to that level now). When
I'm talking of managing a Windows box remotely, I mean managing it
entirely, including its running applications. If I want to adjust a
configuration in an application, I have no choice but to get to its GUI,
and mouse-click over to the options or preferences menu.

Personally, I keep all of my data and work all my data on _one_
machine (automagically backed up onto others). Then I don't need
to worry about where a file or email is. I believe you can do
much the same with MS-Windows by seting up network drives.

Network drives were among the first tools I setup, this now goes beyond
that. I'm not just trying to access data from a box, but manage the
whole box.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Michael W. Ryder]

Yeah, the remote desktop apps that I've mentioned that I'm already using
right now are RDP (bundled with Windows) and TightVNC (open-source)
which are both similar to PC-Anywhere. Basically, you get a full-screen
GUI coming out through the network, appearing on a remote machine, much
like the X Windows system in the Unix world, albeit a little bit cruder.

The only problem with what I'm using now is that it isn't multi-user.
That is, only one person at a time can be logged into a particular
machine. So if somebody is logged into a machine, that I want to use, if
I login to it, it will kick them off. Then they log back in, and kick me
off, etc.

For example, RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) that I've mentioned
previously is a Microsoft application that they include for free with
all versions of Windows (the Home versions usually only have the client
but not the server portion). Microsoft sells a package called Terminal
Services, for several thousand dollars, which is an upgraded version of
RDP, allowing multiple user logins. Similarly there is a third party
application sold by Citrix systems for thousands of dollars too.
However, I haven't used PC-Anywhere or Carbon Copy in ages, so I don't
know if they are just unitary-user or multi-user. Anybody have an idea?

I know that with PC-Anywhere that the user can use the computer at the
same time as someone logged in through PC-Anywhere. Obviously, the
remote user could not log in as a different user while the first person
is logged in, anymore than two people can use XP on the same desktop at
the same time. PC-Anywhere does allow two people to interact, such as
one person opening a window and the second person editing a file in the
opened window.

 

[daytripper]

Yeah, the remote desktop apps that I've mentioned that I'm already using
right now are RDP (bundled with Windows) and TightVNC (open-source)
which are both similar to PC-Anywhere. Basically, you get a full-screen
GUI coming out through the network, appearing on a remote machine, much
like the X Windows system in the Unix world, albeit a little bit cruder.

The only problem with what I'm using now is that it isn't multi-user.
That is, only one person at a time can be logged into a particular
machine. So if somebody is logged into a machine, that I want to use, if
I login to it, it will kick them off. Then they log back in, and kick me
off, etc.

I haven't tried TightVNC, but the "original" VNC allowed a server-side setting
that allowed a local login to co-exist with a remote connection. I use it this
was to remote-manage all of the systems I've somehow become responsible for
(read: my systems, my wife's, my kids', their spouses, relatives, etc ;-)

Take a real close look around the server-side settings to see if TightVNC hid
such a toggle. I'd be surprised if "tight" actually means "we stripped out a
highly useful feature"....

Cheers

/daytripper

 

[The little lost angel]

The only problem with what I'm using now is that it isn't multi-user.
That is, only one person at a time can be logged into a particular
machine. So if somebody is logged into a machine, that I want to use, if
I login to it, it will kick them off. Then they log back in, and kick me
off, etc.

Hmm, that's kinda weird. We use TightVNC at home so that we could
access stuff from outside in case we forgot to copy them out earlier
or to check the home fax.

If somebody else was on the computer, then it just becomes a case of
two person fighting over the mouse and keyboard, nobody gets logged
off. At which point, it's simply an unwritten rule to let the remote
person do what is needed, or the remote person opens up notepad and
type in what's wanted, the local person can usually do it faster

Of course, there's only two of us so we simply use a single admin
privilege account on Windows. But even if you logged into a
non-privileged account, I suppose you could always use the (I think it
exists) Run As... function?

 

[Yousuf Khan]

Hmm, that's kinda weird. We use TightVNC at home so that we could
access stuff from outside in case we forgot to copy them out earlier
or to check the home fax.

If somebody else was on the computer, then it just becomes a case of
two person fighting over the mouse and keyboard, nobody gets logged
off. At which point, it's simply an unwritten rule to let the remote
person do what is needed, or the remote person opens up notepad and
type in what's wanted, the local person can usually do it faster

Of course, there's only two of us so we simply use a single admin
privilege account on Windows. But even if you logged into a
non-privileged account, I suppose you could always use the (I think it
exists) Run As... function?

Yes, that is available in TightVNC, but that's not what I want. I want
to be able to login to my own account while somebody is logged into
their own account, simultaneously. Don't necessarily want to take over
somebody else's account while they're working in it.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Yousuf Khan]

I know that with PC-Anywhere that the user can use the computer at the
same time as someone logged in through PC-Anywhere. Obviously, the
remote user could not log in as a different user while the first person
is logged in, anymore than two people can use XP on the same desktop at
the same time. PC-Anywhere does allow two people to interact, such as
one person opening a window and the second person editing a file in the
opened window.

Yes, well then it looks like PC-Anywhere has got exactly the same
functionality as TightVNC. However, I was looking for a package that
allowed me to login to my own account while letting someone else
continue working on their own separate account, simultaneously.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Yes, that is available in TightVNC, but that's not what I want. I want
to be able to login to my own account while somebody is logged into
their own account, simultaneously. Don't necessarily want to take over
somebody else's account while they're working in it.

Yousuf Khan

Terminal Services will do this for you - there's no other way in Windows.

 

[nobody]

Is there a free remote desktop utility that allows multiple simultaneous
user logins? I've been using Windows RDP as well as TightVNC so far, and
they are both fine. But what I'd really like is something that will
allow users to remain actively logged in without suspending them in the
background when somebody else logs in. I believe Windows Terminal
Services and Citrix does this, but of course neither of them are free.

Yousuf Khan

I remember using a few years ago something called Dameware mini
remote, this thing (unlike Windows RDP) didn't log current desktop
user out. Don't remember though if it was free, or my then-current
company bought a site license - it was available to anyone with admin
rights to their own box to install off the network and run against any
other box.

NNN

 

[nobody]

Terminal Services will do this for you - there's no other way in Windows.

But only if you run a Server version - and even then there is a limit,
IIRC it is console + 2 remote users, all others get some sort of
over-the-limit message until one of current remote users logs off
(could be annoying calling everyone around the office asking if he/she
keeps a dormant remote logon on that #$%^ing box). With plain XP
(prolly vista as well - never tried yet) no way at all - remote user
gets the current console user kicked out.

NNN

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

But only if you run a Server version

Of course.....hence the name, eh?

- and even then there is a limit,
IIRC it is console + 2 remote users,

No, that's not Terminal Services - that's Remote Desktop for admin use.
Terminal Services allows you as many simultaneous connections as you have TS
licenses to support.

all others get some sort of
over-the-limit message until one of current remote users logs off
(could be annoying calling everyone around the office asking if he/she
keeps a dormant remote logon on that #$%^ing box). With plain XP
(prolly vista as well - never tried yet) no way at all - remote user
gets the current console user kicked out.

That's correct.

 

[YKhan]

No, that's not Terminal Services - that's Remote Desktop for admin use.
Terminal Services allows you as many simultaneous connections as you have TS
licenses to support.

So I assume Remote Desktop for admin use is only available with a
server version of Windows too?

I guess I've been a bit spoiled by Unix and Linux, just assumed that
this was basic functionality in Windows too.

Yousuf Khan

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

So I assume Remote Desktop for admin use is only available with a
server version of Windows too?
Yep.


I guess I've been a bit spoiled by Unix and Linux, just assumed that
this was basic functionality in Windows too.

No, alas.

 

[krw]

So I assume Remote Desktop for admin use is only available with a
server version of Windows too?

I guess I've been a bit spoiled by Unix and Linux, just assumed that
this was basic functionality in Windows too.

Yousuf! Assuming that something useful was basic functionality of
Windows? Next you'll be expecting Windows to be reliable and secure.