Finally, with the 6.1 version that came with Windows Server 2008 and SP1 for Vista, we got full printing capabilities without the need to install printer drivers on the server in order to print on a local printer. It wasn’t until version 6.0 in Vista that we finally got support for multiple monitors – which, to me, was a big deal because for almost a decade and a half I’ve always had three monitors connected to my primary desktop machine. Then the Windows XP RDP client added support for 24 bit color and sound. In the Windows NT days, you couldn’t even print to local printers that feature was added in Windows Server 2000 but still had limitations. I can still remember when Remote Desktop (then called Terminal Services) was a very pale imitation of the “real” desktop. Let’s look at what had been some of the differences between what you got when using your local desktop and when working over RDP. The apps are available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
In October 2013, Microsoft released Remote Desktop apps for iOS and Android devices that use RemoteFX to provide a rich desktop experience on those devices. RemoteFX allows the single GPU on a Hyper-V server to be shared by multiple virtual desktops on multiple clients, including thin and “ultrathin” clients (the latter referring to client systems with no local operating system or storage that boot from the network, also called “zero clients”). This relies on virtualization of the GPU, the graphics processing unit. The experience is almost the same as running the applications on the local computer. Then the compressed bitmaps are sent to the client, where the RemoteFX decoder decodes it. The data on the screen is compressed and then encoded by the RemoteFX encoder. TechNet, in its usual inscrutable style, describes RemoteFX as the “enabling of a rich user experience by providing a 3D virtual adapter, intelligent codecs, and the ability to redirect USB devices in virtual machines.” But what exactly does that mean?įirst, it means graphics are rendered on the host computer (the RDP server) instead of on the client device, and the applications use the host’s GPU and CPU to run at full speed. Remote Desktop Protocol/RemoteFX’s primary competitors are Citrix HDX, which was formerly known as ICA, and VMware’s PCoiP (PC over IP). It’s an enhancement to the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Microsoft first introduced RemoteFX as a new feature in Server 2008 R2 SP1. Understanding RemoteFX: What it does and how it does it In this, the third and last part of the series, we’ll wrap it up by taking a look at changes to an important feature that benefits both end users and admins: RemoteFX. In Part 2, we discussed how additional enhancements and additions have made RDS easier for IT pros to deploy, secure and manage. In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how changes and improvements in Remote Desktop Services in Windows Server 2012/2012 R2 and Windows 8/8.1 have improved the overall experience for end-users.
You can see that the Time Bomb has been reset to 120 days.If you would like to read the other parts in this article series please go to:
To verify our handling, disconnect and reconnect to the server. Use the services.msc command.įinally, restart the Remote Desktop Services service When this is done, access the Windows services. If this is the first time you do this on your machine, right-click on the GracePeriod directory and add the administrator account with full control. Navigate the registry to the following location : HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\RCM\GracePeriod (make sure you have a copy locally, as well as on another location). Right-click on HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE then Export. Since we are going to modify an element of the registry, it is better to do an export of this one. Then, open the Windows registry using the regedit command.
In this procedure, we will see how to reset the 120-day RDS “Time Bomb” for Windows Server, without rebooting the machine.įirst, launch PowerShell as Administrator. It’s called the grace period or time bomb delay.
If you do not have an RDS license server or Microsoft CALs, the use of the Remote Desktop Connection is limited to 120 days.