Watching FS TV while serving remote terminals?

[eyhang]

Dear Experts,

I want to build a small form factor PC for my living
room using an AIW. However, I also want to
use this same PC as the file server for the house so
I need to access its desktop remotely by using VNC
or Windows terminal. Does any one know whether
I can log into the machine and remotely and do things
while the other party is using the machine to watch full
screen TV? Will the remote session kill the TV or I
should expect some other troubles?

Thanks in advance for your help!


EH

 

[Tony DiMarzio]

If the only thing else you want this box to do is work as a file-server than
there is nothing to worry about. All smb activity will be transparent to the
local session on the machine (assuming it's a relatively quick machine with
a relatively quick HD). However, if you truly require access to other
resources on the box which would further require logging into its desktop,
than of course... VNC will not do. VNC is "remote control", not "remote use"
so the people watching tv would see you scuttling around the desktop. Term
Serving would work excellent, but now we've brought OS dependency into the
equation. Any Windows Server-Based OS will do (W2k server, adv, DC etc or
Windows Server2k3 ent, etc...) as they include multi-user terminal services.
However, I think you might be able to get by with WindowsXP Professional...
NOT WinXP Home Edition. Only thing is, by default WinXP Pro is single user
for RDP connections.. meaning one at a time, so if you logged into the box
then the local console session would disconnect. BUT!!! I read somewhere
(haven't tried it out myself yet though ..sorry) that you can apply a
registry hack to WinXP Pro SP-1 (or maybe it was SP-2 which hasn't been
released yet, though, could have been a typo on the page I read it) and
enable two simultaneous RDP connections. They're were a few limitations like
the logged-in accounts had to be different, but nothing to crippling.

Sorry for the bad grammar and formatting I'm at work and being watched
.... Basically, google for the XP-Pro RDP two user simultaneous registry
hack. If you can get it to work then you're golden with XP-Pro. If not,
you're only recourse is Win2k or 2k3 server which might not behave as well
with your AIW.