Remote Desktop Connection

No list of free remote connection tools would be completewithout Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Connection. Built into everyversion of Windows starting with Windows XP, Remote Desktopprovides excellent remote access benefits, including remote printersupport. Its one downside is that it requires an open port on thefirewall in order to access the remote host.

Microsoft has also made available a downloadable version ofRemote Desktop for versions of Windows all the way back to Windows95 and NT 4.0. Host PCs must be Windows 2000 (via TerminalServices), Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, or theProfessional or Enterprise versions of Windows XP, Vista, andWindows 7. There is no host version available for Windows Homeeditions or early Windows operating systems.

Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2 lets Mac usersconnect to Windows-based PCs so that they can get to files,applications, and other network resources. This too is a freedownload, and like its Windows cousin, it allows users to printfrom the remote host back to the client’s printers.

Remote Desktop is one of the best remote access utilitiesavailable, not because it is built into Windows, but because of allthe extras it includes. First and foremost is its ability to printremotely. Other than https://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,73407/description.html (whenusing the Remote Desktop client), no other free remote access toolallows printing from the host to the remote client.

Other features include the ability to pass audio from host toremote, redirect USB/serial ports, connect to smart cards on theclient, map drives between host and remote, and share a clipboard.This list covers just about everything a remote worker couldneed.

Like other remote access tools that require port forwarding,Remote Desktop is difficult to scale to multiple hosts. In smalloffices running Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 or 2008,remote users have more flexibility. For example, via the Remote WebWorkplace portal, users can log into Small Business Server viaInternet Explorer, choose their PC from a list of computers on thenetwork, and take it over using Remote Desktop’s ActiveX control.This negates the per-PC/per-port requirement normally required forRemote Desktop Connection.

Note: This link takes you to the vendor’s site,where you can download the latest version of the software.

–Keith Schultz, Infoworld