Using RDP+rdesktop to run remote windows apps on linux desktop
Note: in the following machine-name is the network name of your windows box (either real or virtual).
- Get rdesktop 1.5.0 or later from http://www.rdesktop.org/. I used 1.6 which is in the Ubuntu Karmic repository, so i just did
apt-get install rdesktop - Prepare your windows machine:
- Enable remote desktop Start-Settings-System → Check Remote Desktop
Enable “Welcome screen” and “Fast user switching” in Settings-Useraccounts. If you don't do this, you will not be able to use seamless mode and possible have problems keeping your sessions alive.
- create a short shellscript containing your command line, e.g.:
rdesktop -g 1024×768 -k de-ch -u user -p password machine-name
Notes:
- Performance is very good and can be tuned further using the commandline parameters of rdesktop.
- I use this to run outlook 2003 which runs on a windows XP vmware virtual machine. Startup time and responsiveness is excellent, definitely production quality!
- Other applications, which you have not yet found replacements for, can be run in the same way.
To enable seamless RDP mode (running applications without a desktop, taskbar etc.) you need a small server side component is available as open source from Cendio (http://www.cendio.com/seamlessrdp/):
- Get the server side component, “seamlessrdpshell” from http://www.cendio.com/seamlessrdp/seamlessrdp.zip, or my local copy
- Unpack the files to some directory on the windows machine server, such as
c:\seamlessrdp. - Test seamless mode:
rdesktop -A -s “c:\seamlessrdp\seamlessrdpshell.exe notepad” machine-name. If you get a full screen windows display with no notepad running, remeber to enable “Welcome screen” and “Fast user switching”.
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