Re: Taking over console

Jochen Mehlhorn wrote:
> I'm using Windows 2003 Server and the remote desktop feature. What i
> want to do is take over the console session of that machine.
> I achieved this using the /console command line switch in the remote
> desktop client. Yet after a reboot of the 2003 machine, when
> nobody's logged in yet, i cannot connect to the machine using a
> non-administrator account (i get an error message). Entering
> administrator credentials works, but i dont want to log in as that
> user. It looks like i can only take over the console if somebody's
> already logged in. Can i tweak some policies to work around this
> "feature"?
>
> Is there a good solution to this besides maybe enabling auto-login
> on the server?

Shenan Stanley Wrote:
> Why do you need to log into the Console Session when no one is using
> it? Are you trying to prevent another administrator from logging in
> locally and changing something at the same time you are? In other
> words, why must you be on the console session?
>
> The /console command is just a way to share the console session with
> whomever might be logged into it. It was not intended to allow you
> to directly log into the console session if one was not active - as
> you have discovered. If you REALLY must have that ability - use
> UltraVNC or something - where you are truly remote controlling the
> machine.

Jochen Mehlhorn wrote:
> Well it's basically a single-user machine. And it should not be
> differentiated between sitting in front of it or using remote desktop.
> Therefore logging in as any user should be possible.
>
> You're right about VNC, it would work the way i need it, but since
> i'm using remote desktop for other machines as well i would like to
> stay with it if possible.
> In my opinion, remote desktop's performance outruns the others as
> well.
> You said it was not intended to log in into console sessions, but
> since i can log in as any user with administrator privileges I'm
> guessing that there's a security policy controlling that somewhere.

I still don't see the point of needing a CONSOLE session - very few things
require a CONSOLE session.

And to put is simply - the /console switch I am pretty sure requires a
console session to already be up to work.

I would think leaving things alone (unless - again - there is some special
reason you NEED to log into a CONSOLE session for something - some
application, etc..) and using Remote Desktop Administration mode as it was
intended is your most secure bet.

--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html


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