Configure SBS Remote Desktop for one session ONLY, BUT not locking new connection attempts

[footswitch]

Hi there. I'm having this issue with a rather fresh-install of SBS 2003 (no Service Packs).
Before fresh-installing, i had this configured just as I wanted. But now, I can't seem to find my way through this.

Please, can anybody tell me: how can I limit AND/OR allow to choose which remote session to login to (since the same user can create two sessions+console session), when using remote desktop to access SBS 2003, BUT in a way that new connection attempts are still allowed (automatically replacing active connection(s))?

Basically I'm trying to configure in my server what would be the Windows XP behavior regarding Remote Desktop Connections.

This means I currently have two problems.

The server is allowing two concurrent connections. I tried to mess around with the Terminal Services Configuration to limit that, but that brought me a "hidden issue" that I didn't have in the past.

Consider the following scenario:
- You remote desktop into your server;
- Connection drops (due to an internet-related problem, for instance), and you eventually have to leave your current location, so you just close down the RDP window, expecting to finish your server mainteinance later;
- EDIT: or you just lock the session in some computer you were using, and suddenly had to leave in a hurry, forgetting to disconnect the remote session;
- When you try to remote desktop again at a later point, the connection is almost immediately refused (my laptop OS is in Portuguese, so I can't really tell what the precise message is, but it's something like:
"This computer couldn't establish a connection to the remote computer.

Try to connect later. If the problem persists, contact the remote computer owner or the network administrator.")


The behavior I'm looking for is something like:
- Server would accept new connections every time, "kicking" the currently active connections in the case of a successful login;
- Users would login to active sessions and not to new ones - this allows to continue the interrupted work.


Thank you in advance for your time and support. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.

Kind regards,
Luis Domingues
(footswitch)

[Lindberg]

If you will try using this as Command Line for Remote Desktop Connection, you will force it to log you in as Console Session without any problems. Did you tried that? If not, give it a try. Also check this: %SystemRoot%\system32\mstsc.exe /console

Apart from this, you can also try installing Windows 2003 admin tools on your XP Pro based running client and remotely connect to terminal services mananger, logging out or resetting orphaned sessions as needed. However you can set limit of admin sessions to one, but I don’t think it will be a good idea.

Hope it helps.

[footswitch]

Thank you both for your kind replies.
Although I'm quite familiar with the /console switch, the server will instantly refuse connection (before even providing the logon screen) if two other connections are already in place.

Can you confirm this behavior? Is there a way to work around that?
(because it happens with me)

Before the fresh install, any new successful connection would automatically kick the previous one, if the user wouldn't stop it ("user xyz is trying to login bla bla bla, do you accept?", and it times out if there isn't a response). That's what I was looking for... I tried to change some settings in the Local Policy, unfortunately to no avail...

Thank you

[MikeY007]

I don’t think you should get any problem in connectivity using the console switch. If you don't want to use these, then the person needs to make sure they LOG Off..

[footswitch]

Sorry, Russ, but the /console switch only connects if the server doesn't have the two connections already "occupied" (active). It obeys to the same rules in terms of "connecting to a destination".

Besides me, there's only one admin.
But if you would like to take a look at this scenario:
- The other admin logs on to the server, from his workstation and, after performing the needed tasks, he leaves the session open in the background, just in case he forgot something and has to come back to it.
- I log on to my own session in the server, from another workstation, and I'm performing some tasks as well. Someone calls me from across the room, I quickly lock my station and go there to be informed that I need to go somewhere out of the office. I immediately follow the order, I just take my laptop and off I go.

Once at the remote site, I figure I need access to some data that I have in my server user desktop... so I try a remote connect with my laptop... and it fails... "the two connections limit!", so I call the other admin and ask him "would you please disconnect your session so I can log-on from here?", but he's not at the office right now! He basically did the same as I did! What now? Out of ideas... Well I'm certainly not going to ask someone from the office to force a power down in my workstation...

Well and I don't know how often this can happen, but it sure makes me feel useless when I don't have a solution for simple stuff like this... :/



For now, here's what I call a middle solution:

Edit, for instance, the Default Domain Controllers Policy:
- Computer Configuration
- Administrative Templates
- Windows Components
- Terminal Services

Set "Restrict Terminal Services users to a single remote session" to "Enabled".
This will reduce the possibility of reaching the two concurrent active connections limit (whenever you're able to connect with an already logged-on user, the current remote session for that user is "redirected" to the new connection - but the same user will still have the option of logging on to a different session: the console).

Also, in the "Sessions" sub-folder, there's the option "Sets a time limit for active but idle Terminal Services sessions", which has an advantage and a disadvantage:
- Although this option disconnects the session after a given time limit, but doesn't log it off, preserving unsaved work - which is a good thing;
- This will break our connections from time to time, and we'll have to reconnect (if I would configure this setting, I'd leave it with a 15 to 20min time limit, otherwise it wouldn't be useful enough).



If you have any other ideas, please let me know.
Thanks for your support, guys :)

P.S.: I'm also going to take a look at the admin tools (never really felt the need for it) - will they allow remote control of the server over the internet? who knows they'll allow the other admin to perform his tasks, making it unnecessary to use TS at all... Thanks for the advice so far

[T.J.]

Well the best solution for this problem is to use the terminal manager tools to connect to an orphaned session or simply log it off log to free up a slot for your use. In remote cases though you'd need to vpn or 'local' access to run the TSM mmc. If you want you can easily change the default timeout configuration so that abandon sessions are logged off after a specified time of inactivity.

[footswitch]

Yes, kj, I might stick to that.

Steps provided in my previous post.

By the way: the admin tools are great for local network usage, thanks for pointing that out!

Thanks guys for all your ideas and support :)