Shared Remote Desktop client embedded in a Windows application

[Elp]

[Followup to microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.csharp]

Hi,

I have developped a Windows applcation (in C#) that allows, among other
things, users to view and control the desktop of a remote Windows XP Pro
machine. I have actually simply embedded the Remote Desktop ActiveX control
in my C# app and this works fine.

However i have now a new requirement for my app: multiple users have to be
able to view and control the same remote desktop simultaneously using my
application. Big problem: Remote Desktop doesn't allow to share a remote
desktop among several users :-( When the second users starts my app, the
first one is kicked out.
I am therefore now looking for alternative ways to provide this remote
desktop feature in my C# application. Here is what i came up with:

1) Hack XP Remote Desktop to allow multiple viewers. From the results of my
search on the Web, this seems to be impossible. Or at least, nobody has
attempted that before.
2) Get rid of XP Remote Desktop and use VNC instead (i have found VNC viewer
ActiveX controls on the Web). Problem here is that there may be a license
problem if my app someday goes commercial. VNC is also generally much slower
than XP Remote Desktop.
3) Use a third party Remote Desktop tool. Problem: third party companies
generally charge way too much for their tools and often don't provide any
way to embed their client component in a Windows application.
4) Create my own Remote desktop tool. This would be a huge work to have
something fast and secure enough. I don't really have time to do that.

I would appreciate if you could comment these solutions or point me to
alternative ones. I am realy stuck here and i don't know how i am going to
solve this problem.

Thanks

[Matt Billock]

This may be an obscure idea, but would it be possible to create a "server"
style remote desktop connection , and then have your clients interfacing with
that? For instance, when a client first opens a connection, the command gets
sent to the intermediary app, which opens the connection and then sends
images back to the client. Then, when a second client attempts to open the
same remote desktop, it passes its call to the intermediary, which then
aligns itself to accept data from both applications, and handles the code to
interperet the competing actions itself.

I must admit that I am not too familiar with the remote desktop control, so
I could just be pointlessly dreaming here. Out of the options you presented,
the third option, while potentially non-viable due to support issues and the
cost that you mentioned, may prove the quickest method of solving the
problem. Aside from that, I'd reccommend using VNC while you develop/hack a
remote desktop control. That way, if nothing else you have a backup that
works.

HTH,

Matt Billock
"Elp" wrote:

[Followup to microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.csharp]

Hi,

I have developped a Windows applcation (in C#) that allows, among other
things, users to view and control the desktop of a remote Windows XP Pro
machine. I have actually simply embedded the Remote Desktop ActiveX control
in my C# app and this works fine.

However i have now a new requirement for my app: multiple users have to be
able to view and control the same remote desktop simultaneously using my
application. Big problem: Remote Desktop doesn't allow to share a remote
desktop among several users :-( When the second users starts my app, the
first one is kicked out.
I am therefore now looking for alternative ways to provide this remote
desktop feature in my C# application. Here is what i came up with:

1) Hack XP Remote Desktop to allow multiple viewers. From the results of my
search on the Web, this seems to be impossible. Or at least, nobody has
attempted that before.
2) Get rid of XP Remote Desktop and use VNC instead (i have found VNC viewer
ActiveX controls on the Web). Problem here is that there may be a license
problem if my app someday goes commercial. VNC is also generally much slower
than XP Remote Desktop.
3) Use a third party Remote Desktop tool. Problem: third party companies
generally charge way too much for their tools and often don't provide any
way to embed their client component in a Windows application.
4) Create my own Remote desktop tool. This would be a huge work to have
something fast and secure enough. I don't really have time to do that.

I would appreciate if you could comment these solutions or point me to
alternative ones. I am realy stuck here and i don't know how i am going to
solve this problem.

Thanks

[Jeffrey Randow (MVP)]

There's no way that I know of that you could accomplish this with
Remote Desktop... Especially due to the fact that multiple people
would be able to control the session...

VNC or one of the derivatives would be problematic as it is GPL and
not LGPL...

There are other remote control solutions that are more
"license-friendly", but these venture more into hacker territory
(meaning they are used more as backdoor programs than legitimate
programs).
---
Jeffrey Randow (Windows Networking MVP)
je**************@remotenetworktechnology.com

Please post all responses to the newsgroups for the benefit
of all USENET users. Messages sent via email may or may not
be answered depending on time availability....

Remote Networking Technology Support Site -
http://www.remotenetworktechnology.com
Windows Network Technology Community -
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserv...g/default.mspx
Windows Home Networking Community -
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e.../wireless.mspx

On Thu, 14 Oct 2004 17:07:37 +0100, "Elp"
<ro********@REMOVEME.hotmail.com> wrote:

[Followup to microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.csharp]

Hi,

I have developped a Windows applcation (in C#) that allows, among other
things, users to view and control the desktop of a remote Windows XP Pro
machine. I have actually simply embedded the Remote Desktop ActiveX control
in my C# app and this works fine.

However i have now a new requirement for my app: multiple users have to be
able to view and control the same remote desktop simultaneously using my
application. Big problem: Remote Desktop doesn't allow to share a remote
desktop among several users :-( When the second users starts my app, the
first one is kicked out.
I am therefore now looking for alternative ways to provide this remote
desktop feature in my C# application. Here is what i came up with:

1) Hack XP Remote Desktop to allow multiple viewers. From the results of my
search on the Web, this seems to be impossible. Or at least, nobody has
attempted that before.
2) Get rid of XP Remote Desktop and use VNC instead (i have found VNC viewer
ActiveX controls on the Web). Problem here is that there may be a license
problem if my app someday goes commercial. VNC is also generally much slower
than XP Remote Desktop.
3) Use a third party Remote Desktop tool. Problem: third party companies
generally charge way too much for their tools and often don't provide any
way to embed their client component in a Windows application.
4) Create my own Remote desktop tool. This would be a huge work to have
something fast and secure enough. I don't really have time to do that.

I would appreciate if you could comment these solutions or point me to
alternative ones. I am realy stuck here and i don't know how i am going to
solve this problem.

Thanks

[Patrick Rouse [MVP]]

Citrix MetaFrame ICA allows many-to-one, one-to-many and cross-server
shadowing. I don't believe anyone has these features working with RDP.
Tarantella has tweaked RDP as much as anyone, but from their product
features, I don't see this listed, but maybe the documentation states
otherwise:

http://www.tarantella.com/products/tse/features.html
Patrick Rouse
Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
http://www.workthin.com

"Matt Billock" wrote:

This may be an obscure idea, but would it be possible to create a "server"
style remote desktop connection , and then have your clients interfacing with
that? For instance, when a client first opens a connection, the command gets
sent to the intermediary app, which opens the connection and then sends
images back to the client. Then, when a second client attempts to open the
same remote desktop, it passes its call to the intermediary, which then
aligns itself to accept data from both applications, and handles the code to
interperet the competing actions itself.

I must admit that I am not too familiar with the remote desktop control, so
I could just be pointlessly dreaming here. Out of the options you presented,
the third option, while potentially non-viable due to support issues and the
cost that you mentioned, may prove the quickest method of solving the
problem. Aside from that, I'd reccommend using VNC while you develop/hack a
remote desktop control. That way, if nothing else you have a backup that
works.

HTH,

Matt Billock
"Elp" wrote:

[Followup to microsoft.public.dotnet.languages.csharp]

Hi,

I have developped a Windows applcation (in C#) that allows, among other
things, users to view and control the desktop of a remote Windows XP Pro
machine. I have actually simply embedded the Remote Desktop ActiveX control
in my C# app and this works fine.

However i have now a new requirement for my app: multiple users have to be
able to view and control the same remote desktop simultaneously using my
application. Big problem: Remote Desktop doesn't allow to share a remote
desktop among several users :-( When the second users starts my app, the
first one is kicked out.
I am therefore now looking for alternative ways to provide this remote
desktop feature in my C# application. Here is what i came up with:

1) Hack XP Remote Desktop to allow multiple viewers. From the results of my
search on the Web, this seems to be impossible. Or at least, nobody has
attempted that before.
2) Get rid of XP Remote Desktop and use VNC instead (i have found VNC viewer
ActiveX controls on the Web). Problem here is that there may be a license
problem if my app someday goes commercial. VNC is also generally much slower
than XP Remote Desktop.
3) Use a third party Remote Desktop tool. Problem: third party companies
generally charge way too much for their tools and often don't provide any
way to embed their client component in a Windows application.
4) Create my own Remote desktop tool. This would be a huge work to have
something fast and secure enough. I don't really have time to do that.

I would appreciate if you could comment these solutions or point me to
alternative ones. I am realy stuck here and i don't know how i am going to
solve this problem.

Thanks