I use Remote Desktop fairly frequently so I couldn’t help but be excited when I heard that Remote Desktop within Windows 7 would soon support dual-screen functionality. That’s a reality now with the new Windows 7 beta. Under the “Display” tab of the initial RDC screen (type “remote” in your start menu and it should be the first result), you’ll find a check box labeled “Use all my monitors for the remote session.”
This really will be a miracle tool and, who knows, perhaps the next version of Windows will allow you to specify which monitors to use (if you’re using more than two) for a remote desktop connection.
In addition, RDC within Windows 7 also supports the functionality that was recently announced for Windows Server 2008 R2: Remote Desktop Services [Bink.nu] including support for the new Remote Desktop Gateway service.
What is the Remote Desktop Gateway? Basically, the port used to create a connection between your computer and a remote computer (port 3389) isn’t as secure as you might think. The Remote Desktop Gateway enables you to use port 443 (SSL) for remote desktop connections coming into your facility.
From the Windows 7 help file on the subject:
A Remote Desktop Gateway (RD Gateway) server is a type of gateway that enables authorized users to connect to remote computers on a corporate network from any computer with an Internet connection. RD Gateway uses the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) along with the HTTPS protocol to help create a more secure, encrypted connection.
In earlier versions of Remote Desktop Connection, people couldn’t connect to remote computers across firewalls and network address translators because port 3389—the port used for Remote Desktop connections—is typically blocked to enhance network security. However, an RD Gateway server uses port 443, which transmits data through a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) tunnel.
The Bink.nu article to which I linked a few paragraphs ago has a fantastic overview of the new Remote Desktop Services.
[Update] If you’re in the enterprise environment (or even if you’re not) and you’re interested in tinkering with the new Remote Desktop Services functionality, you can download the new Windows Server 2008 beta (also introduced on Friday) or read more about the R2 beta release on Microsoft’s TechNet site. [/update]
