Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

Jason Conger Blog » Blog Archive » Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

Tue, 28 Nov 2006 17:11:03 GMT

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re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

dennis@7summitsict — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 16:59:14 GMT

Well, this will prevent 2 admins to make the changes on the same time, i use the console session to install software. Some (3rd) party software is still sensitive to install in a terminal server session instead of a console session. Is it still possible to connect to the console to install software in longhorn?

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

Timothy — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 20:50:22 GMT

Using /Console and the 2 terminal sessions, we get a total of 3 interactive sessions that are available to remote desktops in Remote Administration mode. Are we only going to get 2 with Longhorn, or are there going to be a pool of 3 (or more) for remote administration mode in Longhorn?

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

SunilNair — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 22:13:52 GMT

I would like to echo the same remarks made by Dennis. If there are any apps or operations that need to be performed on the console, will be there be an option to connect to the console via RDP?

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

Alex Balcanquall — Sat, 13 Jan 2007 02:37:31 GMT

You will only get 2 admin connections in 'remote administration mode'.

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

mk — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 23:06:18 GMT

> You will only get 2 admin connections in 'remote administration mode'.

Not entirely true -- against Win2k3, you can use two remote connections plus also connect remotely with /console, giving total of three possible simultaneous remote admin connections.

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

gavin@interprom.com — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 00:07:21 GMT

This just doesn't make sense. Is this saying that there is no way to log into a console session as an administrator?

Why is that option being taken away? There are MANY instances that I'd need to work "at a server" remotely, and the console is what I need.

This seems like a real step backward - forcing an administrator to physical be at the server to do administrative work.

Gavin

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

Mahesh Lotlikar — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 22:46:42 GMT

Thanx for the feedback folks!! Let me try and answer your questions. Please feel free to post any further questions if things are still unclear.

Q: "If there are any apps or operations that need to be performed on the console, will be there be an option to connect to the console via RDP?"

A: In Win2K3, applications used to work only in console session (session 0), because they need to talk to services that ran session 0. With the new architecture, only services run in session 0 and applications run in non-zero sessions. Our app compat component has shims that would help such applications work in non-zero session. So, to run those applications, you do not need to be at console session anymore.

Do you have any specific apps or operations in mind?

===============================================

Q: "Is this saying that there is no way to log into a console session as an administrator?"

A: Not really. It's saying that you can not connect to session 0 directly - however, the session 0 is not the "console session" anymore.

The console session is just like any other session as far as ability to perform any kind of operations is concerned. The only difference is that the "console session" does not need the protocol handshake between server and client that goes on in case of "remote session".

If you previously logged on to console session (physically at the machine) and now you want to get back to your session remotely, you can do so without using /console switch. However, the "Restrict user to single session" policy plays role for reconnecting to your "console session". Please refer to "Reconnecting to your session on physical console" section in the original post.

===============================================

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 08:50:58 GMT

What if I'm logged into a machine and TS into it from the console? I do this all the time at work to do things like start builds or scripts in a window I can connect to later.

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

Mahesh Lotlikar — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 23:03:37 GMT

> What if I'm logged into a machine and TS

> into it from the console? I do this all the

> time at work to do things like start builds

> or scripts in a window I can connect to

> later.

You can logon to <Machine-A> locally (at physical console) or remotely, start scripts in a window, then you can log back on to same machine <Machine-A> locally or remotely - you will get back to your session, where you had started the scripts.

Please note that you have to restrict each user to single session (which is set by default) - in case you changed it.

If this does not answer your question, can you please elaborate your scenario by giving machine names as example?

Thanx for your question and feedback!!

- Mahesh

MSTSC /console switch in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista SP1

Nick MacKechnie's Weblog — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:23:05 GMT

Hi All, In Windows Server 2003, the /console option was used for several purposes. With the introduction

MSTSC /console switch in Windows Server 2008 and Windows Vista SP1

Noticias externas — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 03:59:55 GMT

Hi All, In Windows Server 2003, the /console option was used for several purposes. With the introduction

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

Tommo — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 03:49:33 GMT

With Windows 2003, the console session could see popup error messages from services including Windows. Too many popup messages and your server would hang. A registry change modified this behaviour.

Have the appropriate windows services been re-architected to ensure they no longer pop messages up on the console ? (eg delayed write failure, etc.)

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

Joel Sheppard — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 02:08:48 GMT

Specific example of needing access to console on Win 2008:

Install Office 2003

Try to run it so you can Activate it

You get 'This feature is not available. For more information contact your system administrator'

Well I am that person... in order for us to activate Office 2003 (for say Presentation Server) we used to have to be in session0... now on 2008 I can not activate Office 2003, making it unavailable to my end users.... Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Joel

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

Joel Sheppard — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 02:11:07 GMT

How about a case where folks are using Virtual Machines and not physical bare-metal hardware? How do we access the console session (session1)?

Thanks,

Joel

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

Tom — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:14:00 GMT

We currently use connecting to the /console session of win2003 for applications that need to capture audio from a sound card in the server. This only works in the console session, as the normal remote desktop sessions don't have access to the server's audio device (only to the virtual audio device that can play back audio to the remote pc).

How will this be possible with win2008?

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

tphaneuf — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:25:13 GMT

Is very dumb behaviour to eliminate the ability to connect to the console. Many applications, especially older ones that can't be replaced or recoded will only perform specific functions if they are accessed from the console.

I also tend to keep the console session locked by staying logged in on my remote computers. Started doing that by accident, but turned out to be a good idea during a security event where other peoples' remote computers got messed with.

Another useful function is to be able to make a remote computer make noise if it needs attention. When I hear the noise, I can log into the console and see the messages (I have a closet full of servers (literally a closet -- there is sports gear in there, too) in addition to remote servers so I can hear them when they get noisy). I connect to the consoles all the time since putting a keyboard fulltime on all of them would be silly -- and switch boxes are, well, confusing.

As a side note, has something happened with the Windows 2003 in the automatic updates that has also disabled the console ability?

Whoever made the boneheaded decision to disable the console access from terminal services should re-think that decision.

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

mrworm — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:00:54 GMT

It also seems like the /console switch is disabled in (SP3 for Win XP). There is no possibilities to connect to the console anymore. The good point with session 0 was that the End a disconnected session was not applied for seesion 0. Very Bad decission to have this implemented in current versions!!!!!!!!!

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

mrworm — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 11:08:13 GMT

Solution find!!! The /console switch is renamed to /admin. Digged it up from http://blogs.msdn.com/nickmac/archive/2007/11/28/mstsc-console-switch-in-windows-server-2008-and-windows-vista-sp1.aspx

2k3 Terminal Services

cron123 — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:00:45 GMT

How can I restrict TS to 1 session only for 2k3. just like XP. Console or not.

thx

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

termserv — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:14:32 GMT

@cron123:

For Windows Server 2003, set the Restrict each user to one session option to Yes in Terminal Services Configuration. Alternatively, set the Restrict Terminal Services users to a single remote session group policy to Enabled.

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

nl — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 13:46:47 GMT

Well, I understand that console session is not equal to session 0 anymore and that it is not possible to connect to session 0.

Can anyone point out, if there is still a special function of the console session? Is there any difference, anything you can do, that you can't do in any other session?

re: Console Behavior Differences in Longhorn Server Terminal Services

Sergey Kuzin — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:43:34 GMT

The console session has no special function.

The only difference from a remote session is: console session is connected to the local console instead of a remote console and one does not need to be a member of Remote Desktop Users group to log on to it.

On Remote Desktop Server the console session is equal a remote session started with "/admin" switch (i.e. it does not consume a license). If Remote Desktop Server is not installed, the console session is equal to a remote session.

Thx,

Sergey.