Link to home
Start Free TrialLog in
Avatar of Angela_Wilcox
Angela_WilcoxFlag for United States of America

asked on

Resetting RDP sessions when both are locked up

We are working with Windows 2003 virtual Servers.  We RDP into them to do our work.  We do not have Terminal Services Manager on our servers as the intel team believes this to be a security risk.  We have the standard 2 default RDP sessions.  If one session gets hung up because someone was knocked off the VPN - we know how to use a query session - get the session id and do a reset session.  Works great.  But how do we do this is both people get knocked off and both sessions are hung so no one can get on the server through RDP?  I keep reading about console access - but does this mean I hve tobe able to sign onto the server itself?  Which I cannot do.  Sorry of this is a dumb question.  I have scoured the internet looking for a solution.  Our only solution right now is to call the intel team and have them do it - but this is very incovneient and we would like to be able to reset ourselves.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
Avatar of Brum07
Brum07
Flag of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland image

Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
SOLUTION
Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
SOLUTION
Link to home
membership
This solution is only available to members.
To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.
Start Free Trial
Avatar of daviddriv
daviddriv

As you mention, there is actually a third terminal session for the console.  All you need to do is run the following from the run command:

mstsc <servername> /console

That will get you into the console session and you can boot the users as you normally do.
I'm pretty sure if you attempt to connect to the console session remotely when you've already exceeded your maximum connections, you receive the same error.  You would have to connect to the TS Manager and boot the other users as mentioned above.  You may want to look at VNC for remote access.  It works great and its free.  (www.realvnc.com)
Avatar of Angela_Wilcox

ASKER

Thanks for all the responses.  I have awarded a split of points based on the following:
1.  The command line access works like a charm BUT it will boot off the intel person for which I will get in trouble - evidently they hang out on the console.  So  I will reserve that for an emergency if needed.
2.  Using the terminal Services Manager on another computer in the same domain works like a charm.  We are not supposed to have it installed - but they left it on one of our 5 servers and so that is what I will use - tested it and it works great.
3.  The time out is a good idea - followup question on that.  Does it start timing from point you are idle or from when session opens?  So we know how we want to set it...

THANKS for all the help from you EXPERTS!!!
Thanks for all the responses.  I have awarded a split of points based on the following:
1.  The command line access works like a charm BUT it will boot off the intel person for which I will get in trouble - evidently they hang out on the console.  So  I will reserve that for an emergency if needed.
2.  Using the terminal Services Manager on another computer in the same domain works like a charm.  We are not supposed to have it installed - but they left it on one of our 5 servers and so that is what I will use - tested it and it works great.
3.  The time out is a good idea - followup question on that.  Does it start timing from point you are idle or from when session opens?  So we know how we want to set it...

THANKS for all the help from you EXPERTS!!!