Day 6 - RDP Manager
This is a configurable menu that sits in the systray and opens remote desktop windows to other machines. It's configurable up to n levels deep using the supplied example XML file example. The XML file must reside in the same directory, and the name must not change. You should be able to figure out the schema, and for details on the options just google "RDP File Format".
The real WOW factor is that it will remember a password that you give it. This means immediate remote desktop connection without entering a password everytime!
This feature is only good on a domain, and the user/password information is stored at the root level, thus you must use the same user/password for each server. WHY? Because it's what's useful to me, and surely many others. If you need more, modify the source. It's very simple source code.
If you dont enter a password or if the password is incorrect, have no fear, it'll prompt you like normal.
Download the app here
Download the source here
It will prompt for your password upon launch. This is the password you'd like it to use when connecting to the servers listed in the file. The username it uses is contained in the file, along with the domain.
I wish I had time to make it save the password hash, and have a configure form, but alas... I'm a little short on time.
** Special thanks to CrewDawg and the source that he found for calling Encrypt
posted by Unknown @ 12:27 AM
24 comments
24 Comments:
Thank you for this! Perfect for managing our render farm :)
Any way you can add screenshots to your daily routine? A lot of us may not have a use for the applications, but would love to "see" what it is your developed.
I dont' really feel like installing every app just to see it.
Thanks!
I have a challenge for you. Make a windows program that runs in the tray(or service) that uses ssh to connect to a remote unix server and downloads the specified file(s) at a variable interval. There is no program like this. Can be used to do backups on a remote system and should be semi easy to make. I think this would be perfect for one of your days.
Make a batch image resizer!!!
I'd like to second the suggestion for screenshots. I can't install any of these as I don not have a Windows OS. I am impressed with what you are doing.
Sweet sweet RDP goodness!
I applaud this app! 6 days in and I already have something insanely useful! Thank you sir.
~Ben
nice app, as well as the others have been. this is a great idea that i think has great scope for expansion. i like the idea of it being able to call putty and connect to servers via ssh for non-windows servers!
ah well, something to think about. keep up the good work!
In the Windows Server 2003 SP1 Administration Tools Pack there is a similar tool that uses the MMC console, call Remote Desktops. Hopefully this is better.
could you do a program that does somethnig like this:
http://www.intelliadmin.com/blog/remotereboot.exe
more info here(scroll down):
http://www.intelliadmin.com/blog/default.htm
i'm more interested in the source of such thing.
thanks alot and keep on the cool work
Excelent app
cool app, .. unfortunately I already had something similar that remembers passwords, .. but I believe it stores them as text in the registry, .. anyhow in MyDocuments folder I have a folder called Remote, and in it I had preconfigured and saved several Server and Remote Stations' .RDP files with screen size settings, and usernames and passwords etc.
then in Windows XP you can right click the taskbar and add a folder, I added the "Remote" folder and so when you click on it it shows all the RDP files in it, .. you can even nest folders, ... so this is already capable using the built-in WindowsXP stuff.
but cool app nonetheless.
Genius!
This app made me want to go back to code C# :)
I altered the program a little, so people isn't propmted for a password but can save an encrypted password into the xml-file. Gonna modify it even further to make it check a network drive for the xml-file and load it up if found, after that load the local file and add entries that were not in the public list.
Thanks for the codebase, programming is fun!
RE:
"have a challenge for you. Make a windows program that runs in the tray(or service) that uses ssh to connect to a remote unix server and downloads the specified file(s) at a variable interval. There is no program like this. Can be used to do backups on a remote system and should be semi easy to make. I think this would be perfect for one of your days."
There is already something that can do this. It's called rsnapshot.
http://www.rsnapshot.org
http://blog.tuzig.com/yoav/rsnapshot-server-on-windows
Here is another app that does something similar, you just drag and drop .rdp or .vnc files into the main window and connect.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/rdpman
Anonymous @ 10:38 AM
Microsoft actually has a very nice, very simple powertoy for XP that will do that. After installing, right-click and select "Resize Pictures", works on single and multiple pictures.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
There is a bug in line 165:
sw.WriteLine("disable full window drage:i:{0}", disableWindowDrag);
It has to be "drag", not "drage"
Regards
Cool! There are a few similar apps:
RoyalTS:
http://www.code4ward.net/cs2/files/9/rts1/entry12.aspx
VRD:
http://dotnetpulse.blogspot.com/2006/09/visionapp-remote-desktop-vrd-14.html
iShadow Desktop:
http://www.ishadow.com/Downloads/EvaluationiShadowDesktop/tabid/88/Default.aspx
Great app! Since my programming skills are very limited, is there a way to just use a password all the time, rather than inputting a password when the application launches?
Wow! This is an excellent app for what I was looking to do. Not a programmer, so I can't build my own tool, so great kudos and applause for this wonderful app.
Vision App has a free bee tool that is very nice also.
Hi there,
I was inspired by your RDP connection manager, particularily the use of DPAPI. I've never really used it before, but found your example to be very intuitive.
I do have a quick question though, and would be extremly grateful if you get a chance to look over it.
Basically I don't have a clue with C#, but am pretty good with VB. I have downloaded the DPAPI wrapper for VB and have implemted it in my project. However, if I encrypt the same string in my app and then in your app, they out put differently. The first half of the encrypted string is the same, but the second half is different.
I was wandering if you modified the DPAPI wrapper for your app, or if maybe there is something I'm not doing write.
As mentioned, it does encrypt and output, so I've got that right so far. PS i'm using the UserKey for enc.
Thanks ever so much for your time.
Tom
You may also want to try my RDP manager called mRemote:
http://mremote.sourceforge.net/
I have updated RDPManager extensively, adding the ability to store password hashes (each machine can have a different username/password pair), a manual selection, and the ability to specify configuration file(s) on the command line (it will merge if there are multiple configuration files). You can find it at:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/rdpmanager/
I took the liberty to add the ability to have a Username and Password attribute for Connection, it defaults to use the global value.
I hope you don't mind if I add a link here?
Oh, I had to update the source to visual studio 2k8. That's all I can get ahold of at the moment.
Binary: http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/172202/AnAppADay.RDPManager.WinApp-modified.rar
Source: http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/172202/RDP%20Manager-Modified.rar
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