Remote Desktop, cool, easy technology,
let people connect to your servers remotely.
Do you know how to set it up? I do.
I'm going to tell you exactly how to do it, coming up now.
Hey, everybody.
My name is Adam Gordon, an Edutainer here at ITProTV,
coming back at you with another fun-filled and exciting how-to,
in this case, how to enable Windows Desktop
for your remote administration needs using Windows Server.
In this episode, I'm going to show you how to do this
across multiple versions of the Windows Server operating system;
whether it's Server 2016, Server 2019,
and or the brand new Server 2022, I got news for you.
The secret Microsoft doesn't often share with you its users;
it's the same across all versions of the operating system.
We go to the same place, we click on the same buttons,
we use the same tools, and ultimately, we get the same outcomes.
I'm going to show you how to do this all
in Server 2019 running as a virtual machine.
But remember, if you're running Server 16,
Server 19, and or Server 2022,
all you have to do is follow along.
Join me here, if you will.
We're running Server 2019.
I'm going to go down and show you two different ways
to do this from the graphical user interface
from within the desktop directly
using both the Server Manager,
there's shortcut there,
we'll take a look at how to do it,
and I'm going to show you how to use
the Windows File Explorer of all things,
to be able to get to the same capability,
and then take a tour of PowerShell
and use a very simple command that people often overlook,
the Server Config command to be able
to set Remote Desktop up as well.
Let's get started.
I'll start with the Server Manager
just because it's the one most people are probably familiar with.
We're going to open the server manager.
I have it open to ready, just minimized on the Taskbar.
And while it normally starts out on the dashboard view,
I'm going to come down; I'm going to go to the local server
and just click there so that we could see
the properties of the machine in question.
And what you'll see right over on the right-hand side
in the first column of the properties area
underneath where it says Windows Defender Firewall
and Remote Management, it says Remote Desktop,
and you'll see it currently says disabled.
Now I have a link right here that I can click,
and I can simply be taken to the System Properties window,
which is what most of you are probably familiar with
if you've been working with Windows for some time
and setting up Remote Access.
And right down below underneath Remote Assistance,
I see Remote Desktop currently set "don't two,"
don't allow remote connections.
We simply toggle that,
selecting allow remote connections to this computer,
and then we select our users, and we're up and running.
Now, I could do it right from here,
and we will do it from there in just a moment,
but I promised you a second way
to essentially get to the same place.
We can go to the File Explorer.
I can use the icon right down here pinned on the Taskbar,
or I can go to the Start Menu, right-click,
and I can choose File Explorer right from there.
I can also use the Windows Key+E shortcut
to open and toggle the File Explorer.
So always three ways at least to do everything in Windows.
I'm going to come to the This PC item right here.
I'm going to right-click on it;
I'm going to choose Properties.
Most people don't realize we can do this.
When I go to Properties,
I'm going to get our Control Panel,
System, and Security System view.
Those of you that have been working
with Windows for some time
are going to be probably more familiar with this view.
And right in here, in the middle
between Device Management and Advanced System Settings,
and go to Remote Settings.
I can actually get to the same place,
and I have same exact area
where I can set Remote Desktop up
that I get to f I go through the Server Manager.
It's really just a matter of where the shortcut points
and how we set it up.
Now, I can set this right from here,
Allow Remote Users connections in,
but notice when I do this that
I have to enable what's called an Exception.
Essentially, I have to turn on a rule in the Windows Firewall
that will allow Remote Desktop connections to be enabled
and therefore accepted into this computer.
I don't have to worry about knowing how to do that.
This solution, enabling it right here, will do this for me.
So the configuration of the Firewall
is going to be done on my behalf, right?
We can do it right from here, as you can see,
and or it'll be done for us automatically.
But if I want to go ahead and enable it
for selected network connections,
meaning, you know, just maybe one or two
as opposed to everything,
I can click through to the Firewall,
and I can go in and customize it pretty much as I want to.
So we like the easy button option here,
where Windows is going to take care of it for us;
all we have to do is click, OK.
All right, so I could do that right from here.
It's just telling me that's going to happen.
Great.
And then, I have to come down here, I have to select users,
so I'm going to click on that button
at the lower right-hand corner.
We'll just zoom in so you could see that really quickly.
And when I did that,
it brings up this box right here about adding the Remote User.
So it says, “Hey, administrators already have access.”
If I clicked OK right now,
I, as the administrator of this machine,
will be able to connect in;
I wouldn't have to do anything.
I don't even have to be on or added to that list
because I'm already on it.
But other users,
like any of our Adam users that I may have created.
Well, they're going to have to be added.
So let's go ahead and let's add one.
I'm going to click Add; I'll get a little browser window here.
I can click and add by selecting
and checking the name of one or more users.
Adam2 is one of the users I have there,
I could add his buddy, Adam3, and I could keep going
because I have a whole bunch of Adam users,
but you get the idea.
And if I add a user for any reason, I feel, you know what?
I really shouldn't have added that user;
just highlight, click Remove, and we're good.
I can also create brand new user accounts
and then add them in at some point later if I choose to.
All right, so we'll go ahead, we'll do that.
We'll click OK, and then click Apply;
we'll click OK.
And now that has been configured
from within the graphical interface.
Remote Desktop is turned on,
and I can check the status of that
by simply clicking through again to see
that it is indeed turned on, and we do have that configured.
I would obviously then connect remotely
and be able to use the resources of this machine as needed.
Now I can also do this, as I mentioned from the command line.
I'm going to do this from PowerShell running as an administrator.
You can do this from the Windows Command Line
or Command Shell as well.
Admin rights same thing, same command works the same way.
I'm going to go into PowerShell;
I'm running it as an administrator,
as you can see right up there.
And I'm going to go ahead,
and I'm going to issue the Sconfig,
short for Server Configuration command.
You don't need to put the data you see
at the end for PowerShell; it's implied;
it knows it's going to be an executable.
I can click there, and sure enough,
Server Configuration fires up.
We have a total of 14 options,
15 if we include the exit option
that are going to be numerically driven.
So this tool is essentially going to be driven by you
putting an input based on a selection of numbers.
And it tells me some information here gives me a bunch of things.
And if I look down the list
and I go to number seven right there, Remote Desktop,
you'll see it as enabled More Secure Clients only,
so it's got security associated with it.
That was the checkbox in the settings that we specified.
But if I want to go in and work with it,
I simply put in the number.
Let's put in number seven, hit Enter.
And you'll see at the bottom here;
it gives me the option
to enable E or disable D, Remote Desktop.
Blank means essentially don't put anything in; it will cancel.
So I can turn it on or turn it off right from here as well.
So if I put in D and hit enter,
it's disabled Remote Desktop,
I just had it turned on if you remember,
and we could see now it is disabled,
and I can re-enable it right from here with no trouble.
And you'll see when I do this;
I get some additional prompts about
how I want to allow clients
in what version of clients do I want,
how secure do I want them to be?
If I want the more secure option,
the checkbox that was enabled automatically
in the graphical interface, I choose number one.
If I want to throw caution to the wind
and allow anybody to connect less securely,
I'll use option number two.
But notice I must make a choice, do option number one.
It's enabling it.
You'll see now it just gives me a little prompt that says,
“Hey, it's enabled with more security.”
Hey, great, boom.
And we're done,
and it shows that it is enabled More Secure Clients
only exactly what we saw as we looked at it when we started.
So I can enable Remote Desktop in a variety of ways,
both from the graphical user interface
as well as from the Command Line/PowerShell.
You can use the Server Configuration tool to do so.
However you choose to enable Remote Desktop,
you now have the tools.
All you need to do is go find
the version of the operating system Server 16,
Server 19, or Server 2022 that you want to operate on,
you know how to do it, and you'll be successful.
I'll continue to come back
and bring you more exciting opportunities to understand
how to optimize your Windows Server admin and usage experience.
But until I do with another episode,
I'll say goodbye for now.
I wish you happy windowing, and I'll see you soon.