Received the Microsoft Community Contributor Award 2011 !

I was pleasantly surprised to receive the e-mail below from Microsoft yesterday. For my contribution to the online Microsoft Community, I have received the Microsoft Community Contributor Award (MCC) 2011!

Thanks, Microsoft! This is a great motivation to continue contributing in the online and offline community!

More details on the award: https://www.microsoftcommunitycontributor.com/overview.aspx

New KB: Session disconnects even when disconnection is cancelled in a VDI environment

A new KB has been published today that addresses the issue where you click the 'X' on the Connection Bar of a VDI environment and then click 'Cancel', the session disconnects regardless.

Article ID: 2572647 - Last Review: June 27, 2011 - Revision: 1.0
Session disconnects even when disconnection is cancelled in a VDI environment
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2572647/en-us?sd=rss&spid=14134

Training kit: Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator updated to 2nd Edition, now contains RDS and RemoteFX!

The second edition of the Training Kit (Exam 70-647): Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator (2^nd Edition) is available. Amongst other updates in this 2^nd Edition, chapter 7, originally about Terminal Services, has now been updated to Remote Desktop Services! Including RemoteFX!

A glance of the index see below

Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/MCITP-Self-Paced-Training-Exam-70-647/dp/0735656657/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1308829811&sr=1-2

Nice video (low level) by Microsoft that explains Microsoft's Desktop Virtualization.

Nice video by Microsoft that explains Microsoft's Desktop Virtualization. Great content to share with people who haven't heard of terms like VDI, RDS and MED-V.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/enterprise/solutions/virtualization/default.aspx

Two new hotfixes regarding RDS 2008 (R2) KB2522762 and KB2538047

Microsoft has released two new hotfixes yesterday and today regarding Remote Desktop Services in Win Server 2008 R2. Details see below.

Article ID: 2522762 - Last Review: June 16, 2011 - Revision: 1.0
RemoteApp application does not work correctly from RD Web Access in Windows 7 or in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2522762/en-us?sd=rss&spid=14134

Article ID: 2538047 - Last Review: June 15, 2011 - Revision: 1.0
Audio capture redirection feature does not work after a second remote desktop connection is created in Windows Server 2008 R2
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2538047/en-us?sd=rss&spid=14134

Aggregate of common issues seen with Terminal Services or Remote Desktop Services

Are you running into issues on a Terminal Services or Remote Desktop Services environment? Microsoft Support provides a great aggregate of common issues seen with TS or RDS. The advise: do not proactively install the following patches unless needed. If you feel you are experiencing an issue listed below, install just the hotfix for that specific issue.

Below is the set of updates that are currently available. I will update the list when new patches arrive

Device Redirection:

. 973062 (http://support.microsoft.com/?id=973062) The audio redirection feature does not work when you use Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2.0 to make a terminal server session to a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 x64 Edition or Windows Vista x64 Edition

· 954744 (http://support.microsoft.com/?id=954744) Some pages are printed in the incorrect orientation when you use Terminal Services Easy Print to print a document that contains both portrait-oriented pages and landscape-oriented pages
Note: The latest Servicemodelreg.exe is in 969544 and the latest Tswpfwrp.exe is in 980294

· 946411 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;946411) When you print an XPS file on a Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Service Pack 3-based computer, the characters in the XPS file print incorrectly

· 979163 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;979163) Many pages are printed when you try to print an Excel worksheet by using a redirected printer if the Terminal Services Easy Print feature is used

· 958596 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;958596) Users cannot use a smart card to log on to a Terminal Services session on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008

· 972600 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;972600) After you disconnect from a remote desktop session to a destination computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008, the default printer is changed when you log on the destination computer from the console

Authentication:
· 953760 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;953760) When you enable SSO for a terminal server from a Windows XP SP3-based client computer, you are still prompted for user credentials when you log on to the terminal server

· 951608 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;951608) Description of the Credential Security Support Provider (CredSSP) in Windows XP Service Pack 3

· 952234 (http://support.microsoft.com/?id=952234) When you establish a Terminal Services session that requires smart card authentication to log on to a Windows Server 2008-based terminal server, the Terminal Services session stops responding

· 975943 (http://support.microsoft.com/?id=975943) Error code when an application uses the CredSSP if the authenticated user account is a member of many security groups on a computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008: "0x80090329"

· 972595 (http://support.microsoft.com/?id=972595) You cannot log on or the system stops responding when the Stored User Names and Passwords feature is enabled on a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 or Windows Vista

· 954910 (http://support.microsoft.com/?id=954910) Error message when you use smart card authentication to log on to a Windows Server 2008-based terminal server from a client computer that is running Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008: "0xC000040C"
Note: This is an optional, and the latest is in 970402

· 978918 (http://support.microsoft.com/?id=978918) Error code when an application uses the CredSSP in Windows Server 2008 R2: "0x80090329"

Core:
. 969851 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;969851) Instead of the specified startup program, the whole desktop is started on a remote desktop connection when you change the "Terminal Services Profile" setting for the user account

· 982303 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;982303) Terminal Services performance counters report an incorrect number of sessions when a heavy load situation occurs in Windows Server 2008 R2 or in Windows Server 2008

· 941641 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;941641) Remote Desktop Connection 6.0 prompts you for credentials before you establish a remote desktop connection

· 956438 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;956438) A Windows Server 2003-based or Windows Server 2008-based terminal server stops accepting new connections, and existing connections stop responding

· 970089 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;970089) A hotfix is available that addresses occasional crashes of Vmwp.exe processes on a Windows Server 2008-based Hyper-V host computer

· 979530 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;979530) A Windows Server 2008 R2-based Remote Desktop server denies some connection requests randomly under heavy logon or logoff conditions

· 951422 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;951422) The WTSQuerySessionInformation function returns ambiguous IPv6 address data on a computer that is running Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 or Windows Server 2008 R2

RemoteApp:
. 981156 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;981156) RemoteApp applications are displayed as black windows when you restart the applications in a Remote desktop connection in Windows Server 2008 R2

· 970689 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;970689) A Windows Server 2008-based terminal server denies connection requests with the error message "The remote procedure call failed and did not execute" randomly under a heavy logon/logoff condition

· 983533 (http://support.microsoft.com/?id=983533) The pop-up windows are hidden and the TS RemoteApp application stops responding in Windows Vista, in Windows 7, in Windows Server 2008, and in Windows Server 2008 R2

· 979425 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;979425) A combo box item in a RemoteApp application is updated incorrectly when you connect by using Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) 7.0

RD Gateway:
. 967933 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;967933) Error message when a remote user tries to connect to a resource on a Windows Server 2008-based computer through TS Gateway by using the FQDN of the resource: "Remote Desktop Disconnected"

· 974195 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;974195) You cannot connect to a terminal server that is running Windows Server 2008 through the TS Gateway by using its FQDN if it is in a disjointed namespace and if the TCP port 445 is disabled between the terminal server and the TS Gateway


RD Web:
· 951607 (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;951607) You cannot connect to a remote computer or start a remote application when you use Terminal Services Web Access or Remote Web Workspace on a Windows XP SP3-based or Windows Small Business Server 2003 SP1-based computer

Session broker:
· 977541 (http://support.microsoft.com/?id=977541) You are not redirected to the previously-disconnected terminal server session through the TS Session Broker service in a Windows Server 2008-based farm in TS Session Broker

· 955365 (http://support.microsoft.com/?id=955365) The Windows Server 2008 Terminal Services Session Broker service incorrectly balances the load among terminal servers after it runs for a while

· 977541 (http://support.microsoft.com/?id=977541) You are not redirected to the previously-disconnected terminal server session through the TS Session Broker service in a Windows Server 2008-based farm in TS Session Broker

What new features or improvements would you like to see in the next future release of Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Services platform?

With the latest release of the Remote Desktop Services platform (based on Windows Server 2008 R2) being around for some time now, I thought it would be interesting to brainstorm about what new features or improvements you would like to see in the next future release. Feel free to add your comments and ideas or new features you might like to see. I’ve started this discussion on multiple places (LinkedIn, Twitter etc.). I will try to collect all comments and ideas and merge them into a blog post on my blog at http://microsoftplatform.blogspot.com

I personally believe the following features will be very much appreciated:

1.       Being able to have a full Single Sign On when using the Remote Desktop option in RD WebAccess.As you might now, since Windows Server 2008 R2, RemoteApps that you launch using RD WebAccess have support for a full Single Sign On (SSO). Unfortunately, this does not work for the Remote Desktop option that is in the second tab of the RD WebAccess page. Related to this is the fact that you get the “unknown publisher” warning every time you launch the Remote Desktop from RD WebAccess. For more details on why this happens see one of my recent blog posts here: http://microsoftplatform.blogspot.com/2011/05/rd-webaccess-and-unknown-publisher.html

2.       Support for “Change Password at next logon” on the RD Gateway

When a user’s password is expired or it is manually set to “Change Password at next logon” that user is not able to logon to a RD Session Host server using a .rdp configuration that uses the RD Gateway. Why? The RD Gateway currently cannot handle this. Of course a user will get a “password will in expire in x days prompt”, but users are users, some of them will ignore it, wait as long as possible to change their password or do not even notice it at all. Educating your users to notice this reminder should be done of course, but the RD gateway being able to act on expired passwords would definitely help in my opinion.

3.       Two Factor authentication support on RD Gateway in addition on the RD WebAccess

If you want to secure your Remote Apps using a two factor authentication (2FA) solutions (like i.e. hardware tokens) you can configure this using ISA (or TMG), RD WebAccess and RD Gateway (the last one is optional, but is of course recommended when you publish Remote Apps over the internet). While setting this up, you have to keep the following in mind though: After selecting an application to launch from RD WebAccess, mstsc.exe will be launched under the hood on the client using specific .rdp settings that it receives from RD WebAccess. If your user has knowledge of the address of your RD Gateway server and the address of your RDS farm (or RDSH server) he will be able to actually launch mstsc.exe on his client and by-pass the 2FA! There is a way to deny a direct mstsc.exe session and only allow sessions that where initiated at the RD WebAccess though (see here http://microsoftplatform.blogspot.com/2011/05/force-use-of-rd-webaccess-block-direct.html). However, I think being able to authenticate with 2FA against the RD Gateway itself would be a nice feature. That way you would also be able to use 2FA using just the Remote Desktop Client (RDC). This would however, probably also require a change on the RDC itself.

These are just three things I’ve come across myself, I’m sure there are more! I’m looking forward to your thoughts and ideas on this!

Thanks!
Freek Berson
http://microsoftplatform.blogspot.com

New RDS group on Linked-In

Today a started a new group on LinkedIn: Remote Desktop Services.

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Welcome-new-RDS-group-on-3937792.S.56279658?qid=34e52fe1-706d-4808-97cf-9d2b0057ebd9&goback=.gmp_3937792

In this group I would like to discuss, share knowledge and ideas, share links to interesting articles and blogs about all Microsofts RDS Components. RD Session Host, RD Gateway, RD WebAccess, RD Licensing, RD Easprint, corresponding Group Policies, related folder redirection and roaming profile settings etc.

Feel free to ask questions, start discussions, add content, share knowledge and invite other people!