Overview

The Remote Desktop feature on Windows allows a graphical connectin to a workstation. Working through a Remote Desktop Connection feels like working in front of a workstation.

Enabling Remote Desktop Connections

Remote Desktop is turned off per default and needs to be turned on by ISG. If you require a Remote Desktop connection, please request it via email to support@. Remote Desktop will be enabled for your main login and on one workstation only.

Drawbacks

Most features such as sound forwarding and USB forwarding work but performance depends on the network connection to the workstation. If you us an ISDN dial-in from phone, expect delays when refreshing screens etc.

Installing software usually does not work via Remote Desktop connection, even if you were connected via a local administrator account.

In order to provide you with a safe computing environment at ETH, the direct connection via rdesktop from outside ETH to computers at ITET will not be possible anymore starting from October 28th 2011.

Only rdesktop connections via VPN will be allowed.

Therfore, in order to connect to a ISG.EE managed Windows 7 workstation or Terminal Server, you will have to connect to ETH via VPN first.

VPN allows you to create a secure connection between your pc at home and ETH.

VPN software can be ordered at IDES (http://ides.ethz.ch) at no cost. The software is pre-configured so you will just need to install it.

In order to install VPN, please follow the instructions for your operating system:

Windows 7 http://computing.ee.ethz.ch/Workstations/Network/VPN/Win7