Multiple RDP Consoles - Who Knew ?

I have been working with Windows folks for a long time, and I have not seen this tool used before. As a networking guy maybe I missed it.

I often deploy a number of Windows servers to monitor and manage networks (typically with open source and Ciscoworks). I recently discovered the MMC Snap-in for Remote Desktops which makes my life simpler by letting you switch between many consoles at once on a Windows desktop. This is a quick overview on how to configure this for yourself.

First you need to have the Windows Server Administration Tools installed onto your desktop, and you can download them with the follwing URLs:

Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 2 Administration Tools Pack for x86 editions

Windows Server 2003 Server ADmin SP1

To add the Remote Desktops snap-in
1. Run MMC by doing one of the following:

• Click Start, click Run, type mmc, and then click OK.
• At a command prompt, type mmc, and then press ENTER

2. On the Console menu, click File, and then click Add/Remove Snap-in.

3. In the dialog box that opens, click Add. In the Available Standalone Snap-ins list, click Remote Desktops.

4. Click Add, and then click Close.

5. Click OK to close the Add/Remove Snap-in dialog box

Note
• You can also open the Remote Desktops snap-in from the Administrative Tools folder in Control Panel. To open Remote Desktops, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Remote Desktops.

Now we need to configure a desktop session, a couple of quick screenshots for you to see

and now we have multiple sessions, and the ability to switch between each sessions without exiting and restarting

Please comment if this article was useful. I would like to hear from you.