REmote Desktop Solutions

**Kodiak** · December 18th, 2006, 12:00 PM

I have 5 pc's on my home lan, what is an inexpensive program that will allow me to access any pc within my lan. All winxp, one home and 4 pro.

**Stalemate** · December 18th, 2006, 12:04 PM

If you have a router you could redirect requests to specific port numbers to PCs inside your network either using Remote Desktop or even your favorite VNC server/client.

All free too.

**Stalemate** · December 18th, 2006, 12:07 PM

NOTE - unsure if WinXP Home has RDP. I never use it...

**Kodiak** · December 18th, 2006, 12:36 PM

Home doesn't have RD and RD listens on 3389 and I have set that up for one pc but have been unsuccessful using it to multiple pcs inside a network. Microsoft shows a way to change the default 3389 to whatever port you want but when I tried that it knock out my network completely. Is there some instruction somewhere on how to achieve this? I don't care that the home box cannot be reached.

**MobilePCPhysician** · December 18th, 2006, 01:41 PM

You can access all the computers with Remote desktop. One at a time. Just type in the computer name or ip (private) and you will be connected. You need to have Remote Desktop enabled (remote tab in system properties) and all computers need to have logon and password info setup. You can run the remote desktop install off a xp cd for the windows XP home computer.

**Stalemate** · December 18th, 2006, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by Kodiak

Home doesn't have RD and RD listens on 3389 and I have set that up for one pc but have been unsuccessful using it to multiple pcs inside a network. Microsoft shows a way to change the default 3389 to whatever port you want but when I tried that it knock out my network completely. Is there some instruction somewhere on how to achieve this? I don't care that the home box cannot be reached.

I think you're referring to this idea: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306759

Once implemented, you'll then have to keep adding the new port number atthe end of your RDP links (i.e.: homePC2:9999 or 192.168.1.23:9999 where the 9999 is the new port number you chose.

What I was referring to was using your router's redirection capabilities to process requests from external RDP connections.

For example, say you wanted to link up to PC_1 (192.168.1.100) from outside your local network.

Program the redirection on your router so that any requests sent to your router's external address (use whatismyip.com to display it, and/or use a service such as dyndns.org for redirection of dynamic IPs), using port 8857, to be sent to 192.168.1.100.

Continue on as required:

Port 8858 for 192.168.1.101 (PC_2)
Port 8859 for 192.168.1.102 (PC_3)... etc.

Then once you're in need to connect to, say PC_3, you can set your RDP client to hit your home IP (or DNS redirection name) with the port number you need (8859) like so: kodiakhome.dyndns.org:8859, or using the specific external IP of your router and tacking on ":8859" at the end.

Note: I used these port numbers as examples since it's what we use here at work with smaller businesses and/or individuals who use Linksys or D-Link routers.

BTW, I highly recommend the RDP update (version 6) if you're not yet using it. It's a nudge faster.

**Stalemate** · December 18th, 2006, 02:53 PM

I forgot to mention...

On your WinXP Home box, you can still run VNC on it and reach it externally if RDP isn't functional by redirecting (as above) the default VNC port to the IP of your Home box.

**WebHead** · December 18th, 2006, 11:22 PM

If for some reason Remote Desktop is not installed on a particular machine (XP Home or Pro), you can always get it here: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d...dclientdl.mspx

**Stalemate** · December 19th, 2006, 08:27 AM

To complete what Webby was saying in the post above, and to follow up on my initial mention of it, here is a link to version 6 of the RDP client:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

**Kodiak** · December 19th, 2006, 08:45 AM

Originally Posted by MobilePCPhysician

You can access all the computers with Remote desktop. One at a time. Just type in the computer name or ip (private) and you will be connected. You need to have Remote Desktop enabled (remote tab in system properties) and all computers need to have logon and password info setup. You can run the remote desktop install off a xp cd for the windows XP home computer.

Are you referring to inside the network or outside the network? I'm referring to outside.

Thanks for all the info folks. Good stuff here. I'm very familiar with setting one PC up on RD or VNC software but not getting to all. Stalemate, the link there is exactly the one I was referring to and I tried that and it failed to work. What I did was change the listening RD port on the other pc's forwarded them on the routert then tried to access from outside by putting in my ip, not internal but external IP, and both adding the port and not adding the port (myexternalip:42780) and it failed to work and not only did it fail to work it knocked out my internal network from working at all. I could no longer share files or see the other pc's on my internal network. I will do more experimenting with it. What port range would be best to change the other pc's to? I used like 42780 I believe.

**MobilePCPhysician** · December 19th, 2006, 12:02 PM

Leave one machine at 3389, then number up sequentially from there Those ports are free. Again you need user name and passwords on the machines Static ip's are necessary. Open the port corresponding to the machine ip in the router.

This step may not be necessary. I just do it. In the excepion tab of the Windows firewall add port, then add the port number.

**Kodiak** · December 20th, 2006, 09:52 AM

OK I have it all set and will try it today. Thanks again for all the help.

**Kodiak** · December 20th, 2006, 11:13 PM

Well now, this time it works fine and dandy. I had it all set up just like this before but it didn't. Works now and as always thanks folks. Mission accomplished.