MS Remote Desktop Client for Mac OS X

Posted:
in Mac Software edited January 2014
Has anyone seen or realized the importance of microsh*t releasing Remote Desktop Client for Mac OS X?!

Let me tell you why it's such a big deal...my company are merging with another who use windows admin apps, they want us to move to PC too, but now we can all connect our Macs to a terminal server which gives us a virtual Windows session to run apps in but still keep our Macs, with QuickMail etc... The MS posturing over the development Office is nothing, this tells me that MS consider OS X a serious contender and that the Mac has a foothold it will never break. I'm over the moon! Commments?



[changed title to reflect topic - Brad]



[ 07-19-2002: Message edited by: Brad ]</p>
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 34
    hmurchisonhmurchison Posts: 12,419member
    It's amazing that people really haven't talked about this. It is important.
  • Reply 2 of 34
    bluejekyllbluejekyll Posts: 103member
    It is interesting that MS did this, but it's nothing new. You could always do this with VNC.
  • Reply 3 of 34
    The beauty is that we can manage our servers or use our own desktops remotely while at a client location with our iBooks! Not only that, but we have a lab of eMacs and if the five PC labs are in use, we can run term services to all these Macs and use the Mac lab as a PC lab if need be.



    I am quite impressed with MS, this client performs as well as my Win2k client.
  • Reply 4 of 34
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    Yes this IS BIG news. I expect this thread will become popular once more people try this out.



    Question 1) Is/will there be support for multiple remote machines?



    Question 2) How is it! Anyone used it yet? Do games work? I am considering getting a $200 shitbox (no Windows installed ) for use with this. I'll never have to touch a PC keyboard or mouse again! Yay!



    I like something BrianMacOS once said, and I think it applies: "I used to use Windows once. Now I use it in MacOS X"
  • Reply 5 of 34
    robsterrobster Posts: 256member
    I'm hoping to try it out on thursday, across a 2Mb line to another site, WAN-style. I'll let you know as soon as I have any results...

    But i'm glad that some other people have noticed this too.



    [quote] <hr></blockquote>
  • Reply 6 of 34
    dualsduals Posts: 41member
    I agree completely. This hasn't been big news, but it is very interesting. I would love to hear some feedback from people who've used, and some screenshots. I'm just curious what this would look like
  • Reply 7 of 34
    escherescher Posts: 1,811member
    I still don't understand this Remote Desktop thing completely. Does this mean I can log into my work/school Windows NT server from my Mac instead of having to use a Wintel client?



    As some have pointed out above, I would love to screenshots of this stuff in action. If MS Remote Desktop means that I can possibly keep using a Mac in a Windows NT environment (i.e. most of the employers that I will be looking at after I get my JD next year) this development is truly groundbreaking.



    Escher
  • Reply 8 of 34
    dualsduals Posts: 41member
    This MS page has some details and a small screenshot:



    <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/rdc/default.asp"; target="_blank">http://www.microsoft.com/mac/products/rdc/default.asp</a>;
  • Reply 9 of 34
    farmerfarmer Posts: 7member
    [quote]Originally posted by Aquatik:

    [QB]Yes this IS BIG news. I expect this thread will become popular once more people try this out.



    Question 1) Is/will there be support for multiple remote machines?



    Question 2) How is it! Anyone used it yet? Do games work? I am considering getting a $200 shitbox (no Windows installed ) for use with this. I'll never have to touch a PC keyboard or mouse again! Yay! <hr></blockquote>



    What do you mean by multiple remote machines?

    Terminal services comes in two flavors. App hosting and remote administration. With the server configured as an app server you can have unlimited simultaneous sessions. In remote administration mode you can have two simultaneous sessions. If you're curious whether you can have multiple machines with the client, the answer is yes.



    As for the 200.00 dollar shit box I am not sure what you mean. Most people don't realize that you need a version of windows that supports an RDP connection or terminal services. Right now that means 2K server or XP on the desktop.

    Games are a big no. Terminal services is fast but no where near what someone would need to play games. Bandwith would severly limit this possibility as well.

    I just got done testing it on my roommates xp laptop. I must admit I am impressed. Performance seems on par with the 2K pro clients I setup at the family business.



    Robster, I do realize the importance of this. I was going to purchase a PC laptop for the sole purpose of administering a 2K server for the family business. I tried hoblink and some of the other solutions out there but wanted something that would work like I was using a Windows box. This is it. Now I can log in remotely using terminal services, then launch pc anywhere and administer the server, 3 workstations, and 3 point of sale terminals all from my mac over the internet. Best part, the money that was going to a pc laptop now is going to a mac laptop!





    [quote] The MS posturing over the development Office is nothing, this tells me that MS consider OS X a serious contender and that the Mac has a foothold it will never break. I'm over the moon! Commments?

    <hr></blockquote>

    I am not so sure. This in many ways means people with macs could run windows apps off the server in app hosting mode. Why have a mac version of office when you can run the pc version off the server? Seems pessimistic but it is possible. I will be using it to run a pc program that will never run on a mac in my lifetime. Development costs for this client are much cheaper than those for a program like office. I think this might have broader implications than it initially seems.



    Nevertheless, I'm thrilled!
  • Reply 10 of 34
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    Escher, suggest you take a gander at Macwindows.com's "Citrix section." It is like telnetting to a UNIX box, but of course graphical. For a long time only 3rd parties provided this ability fully from the Mac, like Citrix et al. Thus I didn't want to use them. Not M$ kosher. Because, as we all know, PC users are protective of their machines. Seeing as WinDOHze is so "fragile..."



    However, this officially sanctioned client really caught me by surprise. This is BIG news. Escher I have a feeling you'll like this.



    From one Macwindows.com reader:



    [quote]

    Fred Tsui:



    I, of course, downloaded RDC the moment I got to work yesterday, I listened to the keynote at home over a modem, and tried it out on the servers at Mission High School. It worked surprisingly well for a v1 of a MS product. My biggest complaint would be not having the ability to open multiple connections. Which HOBLink JWT is supposed to let you have the ability to do, but it is not very easy to set up. RDC does remember your last server you connected to. That is very nice.



    At this point, I have to say that RDC is a better value (Free) then HOBLink JWT for Mac OS X users. If HOB can add more features (like multiple connections) faster than MS then their product could be worth the money.



    <hr></blockquote>



    This suggests I can't have multiple PC machines "running on my Mac." I mean, multiple different PCs on my Mac monitor, not multiple connections between my Mac and a Wintel.



    I'm aware what windoze versions I need. Expen$ive ones. I have a licensed copy of XP Pro. So this will work apparently (anyone with this set-up, I'd be obliged to hear your story, MacWindows says XP Pro only does "Remote Help")



    Also about bandwith. Since the box on the other end is doing most of the heavy lifting, the only info sent back to the Mac is sound and the display. Input is sent (trivial.) So would there be enough bandwith to play games on the PC through the Mac? Or do other big apps like Office XP (I have licensed copy actually)? Assuming top of the line systems and network?



    Thanks for chiming in everyone. I think it's awfully ironic that this may be one of the biggest features to get "switchers!" Imagine that, this would be one of the most impressive things to demo to a casual PC users, and from the Evil Empire itself! Hey, who needs Apple to market OS X when M$ can do it?
  • Reply 11 of 34
    eskimoeskimo Posts: 474member
    [quote](anyone with this set-up, I'd be obliged to hear your story, MacWindows says XP Pro only does "Remote Help<hr></blockquote>



    I've used RDC on the PC side since XP was in release canidate, so well over a year now. XP Pro includes full suport for RDC while XP Home only allows for the Remote help.



    I tried playing some Quake 2 over the RDC connection but like others said network bandwidth isn't quite up to snuff with requirements, hehe.



    [quote]This suggests I can't have multiple PC machines "running on my Mac." I mean, multiple different PCs on my Mac monitor, not multiple connections between my Mac and a Wintel.

    <hr></blockquote>



    AFAIK you can only be connected to a single machine at once.



    [quote]Why have a mac version of office when you can run the pc version off the server? Seems pessimistic but it is possible. I will be using it to run a pc program that will never run on a mac in my lifetime. <hr></blockquote>



    Not sure but that might violate Microsoft's EULA. Doesn't mean much to home users but it is something companies worry about.
  • Reply 12 of 34
    tulkastulkas Posts: 3,757member
    I downloaded and tried the RDC the day it was announced. I have tried playing around with it for a few days.



    The comparison to VNC is a little off. VNC allows you to have a single password protected connection. A client connected via VNC has full rights of the Windows user account that is logged in. Basically, with VNC, if you want a client to have admin rights, you must leave your Windows server logged in as admin. This is far from ideal. RDC allows you to connect as any Windows user that has remote connections available on the server. This is much more secure, as you can leave the server on, but logged out. You may also limit the type of account remote users have, whereas VNC anyone with the single password can connect, and have access at whatever level the currently logged on user has.



    Throughput seems to be much better than VNC as well. I read over some documentation, and RDC increases bandwidth as demand increases, where as VNC is pretty mcuh a static connection. As a test, I tried playing a QT movie. As mentioned in MS documentation, the movie and sound at first was a little stuttered, but as the movie played, the video and sound become less jumpy. network activity also jumped from about 1Mb/s to around 5.5Mb/s. The ability to hear sound from the server is also a benefit over VNC.



    Another benefit, is that when connecting from your Mac to the Windows server, you may choose to allow your Windows acount to have full access to your Mac drives and printers. This is great. Even if your PC isn't set up for your PS printer on your Mac network, it can use the established RDC connection to print to that printer.



    All in all, I have been pretty impressed. Depending on where I am in the house, I use both an OSX and an XP box. When I am on the Mac, I have been using VNC to admin the PC from 2 floors down, but RDC is seeming to be a much better option.



    Now I am wishing that Apple would drop the price on their Apple Remote Desktop, or bundle it in a pro version of OSX, and also release a Windows Client for it.
  • Reply 13 of 34
    franckfranck Posts: 135member
    For the ones who need a screeenshot, here's one: (a friend of mine posted it, but i've never personaly tried RDC)



    <a href="http://www.aucuneid.net/share/pic/rdc.png"; target="_blank">Clic Me !</a>
  • Reply 14 of 34
    I sold my iBook about 2 days ago because I couldn't use it at work. This little piece of software would have changed all that. I support and administer about 200 servers worldwide using WTS. I'm now very pissed!



    Goddam IBM thinkpad, lousy nipple - Oh save me!



    Thank god for the iMac at home

    Tim
  • Reply 15 of 34
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    Tim, sorry to hear that.



    [quote]

    ...and also release a Windows Client for it. <hr></blockquote>



    Good call!



    Franck thanks for the screen shot, but I can't believe IE doesn't support PNG. Stupid IE. Mozilla and Netscape 6.2.3 are looking better every day...



    Eskimo, thanks for the informative post. You can't use multiple PCs from the Mac? That would be super-ultra-mega cool!



    So, what were you using when trying to play Quake II? Maybe with Gigabit ethernet and fast boxes games will work?
  • Reply 16 of 34
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    *bump*!
  • Reply 17 of 34
    pyr3pyr3 Posts: 946member
    [quote]Originally posted by Escher:

    <strong>I still don't understand this Remote Desktop thing completely. Does this mean I can log into my work/school Windows NT server from my Mac instead of having to use a Wintel client?



    As some have pointed out above, I would love to screenshots of this stuff in action. If MS Remote Desktop means that I can possibly keep using a Mac in a Windows NT environment (i.e. most of the employers that I will be looking at after I get my JD next year) this development is truly groundbreaking.



    Escher</strong><hr></blockquote>



    You could keep using it in a WindowsNT environment as long as your company has a Terminal Server or will allow you to run XP. WindowsNT Terminal Server, Windows 2k Server family, and Windows XP Pro are the only Windows that you can remote desktop into (it's only called remote desktop on XP, it's 'terminal services' in NT and 2K).



    As far as some people talking about games. This will only work with some games. Non-graphical games. By this I mean games that don't require a high refresh. Playing movies and 3d games are out, but games like Civilization II with the movies and animations turned off shouldn't have a problem working. (technically the machine will still be running the game if it requires a high refresh, only you won't be able to see what is going on as well since the Remote Desktop doens't refresh at 30+ fps ).
  • Reply 18 of 34
    pyr3pyr3 Posts: 946member
    I have used RDC a lot (in XP, not in OSX). I used it to administer to a Windows XP box I had running as a server for a Direct Connect Anime hub while I was on my college's connection. I also used it for IRC when I found out that my IP was banned from #C++@dalnet (this was the first time that I tried that channel) since I had two IPs with the school. Back on track though, RDC works prett nice for average applications. Things like movies and games , as I mentioned above won't worka s well since the refresh isn't that great. There is one cool thing (at least in the windows versions). You can tell the audio to play on your computer or the remote computer. You can use RDC to stream sounds to the computer you are running RDC from or you can have all the sounds that you are playing play on the actual computer that you are logging into whicb is kinda cool.
  • Reply 19 of 34
    robsterrobster Posts: 256member
    Hi,

    Well i've been testing the RDC connecting across a WAN link to a Win2k server, from both OS X and WinNT4...

    The client end is great, even a little faster in OS X, there are some good features like saving of profiles (woefully lacking in HOBlink). It's going to make my life a lot easier. I'll try and get a screen grab to post on monday.

    [quote] <hr></blockquote>
  • Reply 20 of 34
    aquaticaquatic Posts: 5,602member
    Yes I guess for games it's a pipe dream. For now, in a few years we'll see. Maybe when those "better" PCs get Gigabit Ethernet? Still sounds very exciting, I can't wait to try this when I get to college this Fall! Screen grabs would be great, and that sound toggling feature is just plain slick. M$ needs to be split up! Apple buys MacBU and M$ is forced to maintain compatibility! I can dream



    So is RDC better than Citrix and 3rd party clients on the whole? I don't understand why I'd want to buy those when this is free. (Sounds so familiar, hmm who are we talking about?)



    Being able to control more than one PC from your Mac would be extremely cool and useful, no?
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