Windows 7 / Getting Started

Managing RD Session Host Servers from Windows 7

If you have only one RD Session Host server, you can probably do everything you need to do with the Remote Desktop Services Manager from the console. If you have multiple servers, you can even add them to one instance of the tool so that you can do everything from one place. But if you don't have physical access to an RD Session Host server, you can still get the same functionality to work from a Windows 7 laptop or workstation. The RSAT is a collection of tools used to manage Windows Server 2008 R2 (and Windows Server 2008) servers.

NOTE: For those who have worked with Windows Server 2003, RSAT is equivalent to the Windows 2003 Server Administration Tools Pack (Adminpak.exe). There's also a version of RSAT for Windows Vista SP1 that allows management of Windows Server 2008 terminal servers.

RSAT is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Server 2008 and 32-bit and 64-bit Windows Vista SP1 clients running Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, or Ultimate editions. RSAT for Windows 7 is not compatible with previous versions of Windows.

RSAT contains many more tools than that are discussed in this tutorial, as it encompasses tools to manage other Windows Server 2008 R2 roles. The information in this tutorial concentrates on the following RDS-specific RSAT tools.

  • Remote Desktop Services Manager: Used to manage RD Session Host servers
  • Remote Desktops: Used to connect to remote desktops from one window

Both of these tools get installed on Windows Server 2008 R2 when you install the Remote Desktop Services role. They work more or less the same way when installed on a computer running Windows 7.

Be sure to download the correct version (32-bit or 64-bit) of the RSAT MSU file. Install the tool by double-clicking the Microsoft Update Standalone Package (MSU) file and clicking OK to install the Update For Windows (KB958830).

After you've installed RSAT, you will need to enable it, because the installer does not enable all the tools by default. Open Control Panel and double-click Programs And Features. Then click Turn Windows Features On Or Off. Select the Remote Server Administration Tools check box, expand Role Administration Tools, and then expand this selection and select the check boxes next to Remote Desktop Services Tools. Then click OK.

When you have enabled the tools, you will find that a Remote Desktop Services folder is now visible in Administrative Tools. This folder contains links to the Remote Desktop Services Manager and Remote Desktops tools.

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In this tutorial:

  1. Managing Remote Desktop Session
  2. Introducing RD Session Host Management Tools
  3. Command-Line Tools
  4. Connecting Remotely to Servers for Administrative Purposes
  5. Managing RD Session Host Servers from Windows 7
  6. Organizing Servers and VMs in the Remote Desktop Services Manager
  7. Monitoring and Terminating Processes
  8. Terminating Applications
  9. Monitoring and Ending User Sessions
  10. Closing Orphaned Sessions
  11. Disconnecting Sessions
  12. Providing Help with Remote Control
  13. Enabling Remote Control via Group Policy
  14. Enabling Remote Control via RD Session Host Configuration
  15. Shadowing a User Session
  16. Troubleshooting Session Shadowing
  17. Preparing for Server Maintenance
  18. Sending Messages to Users
  19. Shutting Down and Restarting RD Session Host Servers
  20. Applying RDS Management Tools
  21. Get the Server Names
  22. List Processes on the RD Session Host Servers
  23. Auditing User Logons
  24. Closing Unresponsive Applications