You need to (once only):
The office PC needs to be set up for RDP service: set to accept
connections for your login. This setup needs to be done as an
administrator: with your admin login if self-managed, or
ask Paul to do for you.
The "standard" ssh client for Windows is putty, use latest
version from To use putty, with WindowsExplorer (e.g. MyComputer) find
putty.exe, double-click.
Run putty: with WindowsExplorer (e.g. MyComputer) find
putty.exe, double-click. Set options as above, or Load your saved
session settings, and click Open.
Follow the prompts: type your normal enna login name to
login as, then when prompted type the words from your
paper skey sheet for the line number shown, or the authenticator
code, then your normal enna password. You will be logged
in to enna.
The very first time you connect, you will be prompted about the as-yet
unknown authenticity fingerprint: say yes.
Leave that enna window logged in, running; you may minimize/iconize
its window. Keep that session running, do not allow to time out, do not
allow your computer to go to sleep/hibernate e.g. as most laptops do
with the lid closed.
Start the Remote Desktop Connection client: go to
StartMenu and search for that, click it.
In the Remote Desktop Connection client:
When you connect, you may need to wait 30 seconds for the "normal"
(local screen) user to be logged out; or if that other user is you,
then you will see the desktop (open windows etc) as you left it.
When done, you can just disconnect; but you will still be logged on.
Probably you should log out: click the StartMenu and choose LogOff. (Do
not use Alt-Ctrl-Del as that does things on the laptop, not the RDP
connection.)
After disconnecting your RDP session, you may close the putty window
(log out the enna session): type exit at the enna
prompt, or just close the window (click the top-right [X]).
This should not affect Maths Win7 PCs, but would probably affect most
other RDP services, including to MCS Win10 PCs.
Setup
To use
There is no visible effect of having run that command. It works in
the background, clicking and un-clicking the ScrollLock key every 5
minutes, so there is activity and no timeout.
Windows machines may (at some later time?) develop an error, with the
RDP client showing
The remote "laptop" machine could be Linux or Mac: there are RDP
clients for Linux (xfreerdp) and Mac (Microsoft Remote Desktop 10), and
of course they have SSH; but we will not describe how to use such other
machines.
Similar connection could be achieved with VNC. VNC would work for any
office machines not just Windows PCs, and there are many free VNC
software packages available. However that would need extra software on
both the office PC and the laptop, and would not provide file copy.
Paul Szabo
psz@maths.usyd.edu.au
14 Dec 23
Find name of your office PC
Find out the network name of your office PC: usually something like
pXYZ.pc (with XYZ your room number).
Prepare for 2FA on your account
Prepare for 2FA as per the instructions in the
SSH HowTo.
You need Web-OTP or TOTP or skeys; no need for X-windows or other
features that SSH offers.
(No need to follow the "messy"
recommendations in a nutshell.)
Set up RDP service on the office PC
Reminder for Paul: log in as network admin pszwt, not as local admin.
As suggested, check (remove or turn off or set to never) the
sleep or hibernate settings in StartMenu
ControlPanel SystemAndSecurity PowerOptions.
Set up SSH (putty) on the laptop
Up-to-date Windows10 has "native" ssh, and you might not need putty. But
putty may be preferable since its configs can be saved and remembered,
whereas with "native ssh" you would need to use "obscure" options, long
and tedious to type, each time:
ssh -C -L 3390:pXYZ.pc:3389 MATHSNAME@maths.usyd.edu.au
http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html
Run SSH (putty) on the laptop
To test things out while in the School but as if from outside, connect
your laptop to UniSydney wireless.
Connect with RDP client
With putty running, logged in to enna...
and you will get a desktop, just as if you were sitting in front of your
office PC's screen; you can also copy files between the office PC and
the laptop e.g. by simple drag-and-drop. You can minimize/iconize the
RDP window, or make it un-maximized.
RDP session timeout
Many RDP services are set up with a short timeout: the RDP service or
login will close or quit, if left idle for 10 minutes or so. If this
annoys you, then read below on how to avoid (and have relaxing coffee
breaks).
(There may be settings to lengthen or remove RDP session timeout...
but they may be inaccessible.)
Within your RDP session (so with a browser running within the RDP
machine), go to the webpages
www.maths.usyd.edu.au/u/psz/pc/keepalive.bat
www.maths.usyd.edu.au/u/psz/pc/keepalivehelper.js
and save each on your Desktop (on the RDP machine), with their
"original" names (keepalive.bat and keepalivehelper.js).
When logged into RDP, run the keepalive.bat command: double-click
keepalive on your Desktop.
Blurb, comments
RDP means Remote Desktop Protocol and is the name commonly used, though
the official Microsoft name changed to Remote Desktop Connection since
WinXP.
Your computer could no connect to another console session on the
remote computer because you already have a console session in progress.
If so, use 3391 instead of 3390 in both the putty settings (add that, can
leave 3390 in place), and in typing localhost:3391 to the RDP client.
Apple Screen Sharing is based on
VNC
and is recommended for Macs.
Further reading, random references
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Desktop_Protocol
https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/17463/windows-7-connect-to-another-computer-remote-desktop-connection:
http://haacked.com/archive/2010/05/18/remote-desktop-file-copy.aspx/
https://support.microsoft.com/en-ca/help/313292/how-to-gain-access-to-local-files-in-a-remote-desktop-session-to-a-windows-xp-based-or-to-a-windows-server-2003-based-host-computer
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/dn463762
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/pro-tip-remote-desktop-on-mac-what-you-need-to-know/
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa383015(v=vs.85).aspx