TS/RDP for virtual KM solution

  • Thread starter Thread starter Brandon Ibach
  • Start date Start date
B

Brandon Ibach

Guest
I, along with other members of my team, have come to rely on Remote Desktop
in XP Pro both for getting work done while away from the office as well as
simplifying demos and other presentations within our building.

Since this feature is built in and doesn't require a separate install
(frowned upon by our IT administrators), we'd also like to make use of it as
a sort of virtual keyboard/mouse switch when using two computers side by
side, ideally shifting focus by simply moving the mouse cursor off of the
side of one screen and having it appear on the other, shifting keyboard focus
as well. I've used similar solutions in the past, such as win2vnc, based on
the x2x program for X Windows systems, which provided such functionality
based on the VNC remote access system.

I'd like to try to build such a solution around TS/RDP, but have had
difficulty finding relevant information in the MSDN documentation. The
ActiveX control seems like the easiest route to go, but I've not found
obvious information about overcoming the challenges of configuring the
connection so that the remote screen remains visible and so that display
updates are minimized or eliminated, with any updates discarded on the local
system.

Is something like this feasible? If so, can someone provide a pointer to a
good starting point (or points) in the documentation that might clarify how
to proceed? Thank you for your time and expertise...

-Brandon :)
 
Re: TS/RDP for virtual KM solution

=?Utf-8?B?QnJhbmRvbiBJYmFjaA==?=
<BrandonIbach@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
news:FB89F11E-2041-41E9-BF97-59B5E531A79D@microsoft.com:

> I, along with other members of my team, have come to rely on Remote
> Desktop in XP Pro both for getting work done while away from the
> office as well as simplifying demos and other presentations within our
> building.
>
> Since this feature is built in and doesn't require a separate install
> (frowned upon by our IT administrators), we'd also like to make use of
> it as a sort of virtual keyboard/mouse switch when using two computers
> side by side, ideally shifting focus by simply moving the mouse cursor
> off of the side of one screen and having it appear on the other,
> shifting keyboard focus as well. I've used similar solutions in the
> past, such as win2vnc, based on the x2x program for X Windows systems,
> which provided such functionality based on the VNC remote access
> system.
>
> I'd like to try to build such a solution around TS/RDP, but have had
> difficulty finding relevant information in the MSDN documentation.
> The ActiveX control seems like the easiest route to go, but I've not
> found obvious information about overcoming the challenges of
> configuring the connection so that the remote screen remains visible
> and so that display updates are minimized or eliminated, with any
> updates discarded on the local system.
>
> Is something like this feasible? If so, can someone provide a pointer
> to a good starting point (or points) in the documentation that might
> clarify how to proceed? Thank you for your time and expertise...
>
> -Brandon :)
>

I'm not 100% sure it is the solution you are looking for, but I've been
using a nifty little tool called Synergy. Basically it lets me have two
computers sitting side-by-side and control them both with the same
keyboard and mouse. As soon as you move your mouse off of one screen, it
appears on the other. It is not a KVM solution per se, but it does sound
like what you're after.

I use it with RDP all the time, but perhaps not the way you're thinking
of (I have RDP sessions on multiple systems active at once on multiple
computers). If it doesn't do exactly what you want, you might be able to
use it as a building block for your own custom code solution as it is
GPLed.

http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/

HTH,

Wayne Tilton
 
Re: TS/RDP for virtual KM solution

I use another approach.

My desk machine has two monitors with its session extended to the both
monitors (also a built-in feature).

Then I simply RDP to a second computer and maximize its session to the
second monitor.

One keyboard and mouse controls both! No additional software required.

"Brandon Ibach" <BrandonIbach@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:FB89F11E-2041-41E9-BF97-59B5E531A79D@microsoft.com...
> I, along with other members of my team, have come to rely on Remote
> Desktop
> in XP Pro both for getting work done while away from the office as well as
> simplifying demos and other presentations within our building.
>
> Since this feature is built in and doesn't require a separate install
> (frowned upon by our IT administrators), we'd also like to make use of it
> as
> a sort of virtual keyboard/mouse switch when using two computers side by
> side, ideally shifting focus by simply moving the mouse cursor off of the
> side of one screen and having it appear on the other, shifting keyboard
> focus
> as well. I've used similar solutions in the past, such as win2vnc, based
> on
> the x2x program for X Windows systems, which provided such functionality
> based on the VNC remote access system.
>
> I'd like to try to build such a solution around TS/RDP, but have had
> difficulty finding relevant information in the MSDN documentation. The
> ActiveX control seems like the easiest route to go, but I've not found
> obvious information about overcoming the challenges of configuring the
> connection so that the remote screen remains visible and so that display
> updates are minimized or eliminated, with any updates discarded on the
> local
> system.
>
> Is something like this feasible? If so, can someone provide a pointer to
> a
> good starting point (or points) in the documentation that might clarify
> how
> to proceed? Thank you for your time and expertise...
>
> -Brandon :)
 
Back
Top