Windows Server 2008 Server Core : Working with the Remote Desktop Connection Application (part 2)

2. Setting the Display

The display settings you use affect how much screen real estate you have for performing tasks and also affect performance. Using a larger screen size gives you more space to work. However, a larger screen size also requires more network bandwidth to transmit the data. Consequently, you must weigh the need to see as much as possible on the remote server against the performance requirements for your task. Figure 3 shows the display settings.

Figure 3. Define a display size that works best for the task you need to perform.

The Remote Desktop Size slider lets you change the size of the window, with the smallest size being 640 × 480 pixels, which is normally too small to work with a GUI system, but can work just fine with Server Core. If you want to use your entire display to work with Server Core, move the slider all the way to the right. The size will change to Full Screen and the display will take up your entire display area. In fact, it will look like you're working directly at the remote console, rather than using Remote Desktop.

Performance isn't only affected by screen size. Notice that you can also modify the number of colors that Remote Desktop displays. More colors translate into a better display, but also reduce performance because Remote Desktop has to transfer more data for the additional colors. Since Server Core lacks much in the way of a GUI, you'll experience a performance gain by setting the number of colors to 256. In most cases, you won't even notice the difference in appearance, but you will notice the difference in performance.

3. Accessing Local Resources

Remote Desktop makes it possible to map your local hardware to respond to events on the remote machine. Figure 4 shows the settings you can use to map resources as needed. The following list describes each of the resource mapping areas.

Figure 4. Perform automatic resource mapping to make local resources available for use.

Remote Computer Sound

Lets you bring sounds from the remote machine to your local machine. This setting has three options. You can choose to play the remote sound locally, not play the remote sound at all (effectively muting the remote system), or play the sound at the remote location.

Keyboard

Controls the use of control key combinations. For example, when you press Alt+Tab, this setting controls whether you switch between applications on the local machine or the remote machine. This setting only affects Remote Desktop when you have it selected when working in windowed mode. If you press Alt+Tab when Remote Desktop is working in a window and you don't have Remote Desktop selected, then the Alt+Tab combination always affects the local machine, even when you choose the On the Remote Computer option. Normally, any control key combinations only go to the remote machine when you use Remote Desktop in full screen mode.

Local Devices

Determines which local devices you can access from the remote machine. This may sound like a very odd consideration, but when you're working with the remote machine, Remote Desktop shuts off access to local resources such as disk drives, printers, and serial ports. Only your display, keyboard, and mouse are active on the remote machine unless you tell Remote Desktop to perform the required mapping. Check any of these options to make the resources on your local machine available when working at the remote machine.

4. Running a Configuration Program

You may find that you want to run a configuration program on the remote machine when you create the connection. This program can perform any task and you can use both batch and script files, in addition to standard applications. Figure 2.12 shows the Programs tab. The options work very much like a remote profile. When you want to use a remote program, check Start the Following Program on Connection, type the name of the application you want to use (including full path), and tell Remote Desktop which folder you want to use as a starting point.

5. Optimizing Performance

The connection you use to create a Remote Desktop is important. You can't expect the same performance from a dial-up connection that you do from a high-speed internal network. Consequently, Remote Desktop provides a method for telling it what to expect in the way of connection in order to optimize connection performance as shown in Figure 6.

Figure 5. Use a configuration application as needed to automate Remote Desktop tasks.

Figure 6. Use only the resources you actually need to obtain good performance.