ReCaS Bari

How to create a Windows VM and access it through RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol)

In this guide, the procedure to create a Windows Virtual Machine on Cloud@ReCaS and to access it through a RDP connection is shown.

• Create a VM with Windows on Cloud@ReCaS
• RDP connection
• Access the VM from Windows
• Access the VM from Mac OS X
• Access the VM from Ubuntu

Create a VM with Windows on Cloud@ReCaS

• Create a proper Security Group
  Following this guide, create a security group in which port TCP 13389 is open.
• Instantiate the VM
  Log in to the ReCaS web dashboard with your username and password, and, from the upper menu, select the tenant in which you want to create a virtual machine (VM).
  

  In the left panel, click Project (1), then Instances (2) and then the Launch Instance button (3) in the upper right part of the page.

  

  In the new window, configure the VM:

  • in the Details tab, in Instance Name type a name for the VM; in Availability Zone select "nova"; in Count set 1 (or higher values if you want to create more VMs);

    

  • in the Source tab, select "Image" in Select Boot Source (1); from the Available menu, add the image for your VM (2);

    

  • in the Flavor tab, select the flavor you need for the VM from the Available menu (in the example in the figure, tha flavor "small" is added);

    

  • in the Networks tab, select the network (public or private) for the VM. Please use public_net only if really necessary, e.g. if your VM will host a public webserver; private_net, instead, guarantees higher security for the VM. To access a VM with private IP, you need to start a VPN connection.
    

    

  • in the Security Groups tab, select from the Available menu the security groups you need for your VM (remember to add the Security Group you created at this step to open 13389 port, TCP protocol, as shown in the figure);

    

  • in the Configuration tab, in Customization Script copy the following script, which configures the RDP connection on port 13389

    	rem cmd
    
    	ECHO > "%TMP%\myregfile.reg" Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
    
    	ECHO >> "%TMP%\myregfile.reg" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp]
    	ECHO >> "%TMP%\myregfile.reg" "PortNumber"=dword:0000344d
    	ECHO >> "%TMP%\myregfile.reg" [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server]
    	ECHO >> "%TMP%\myregfile.reg" "fDenyTSConnections"=dword:0
    
    	regedit.exe /s %TMP%\myregfile.reg
    
    	netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name=myrule dir=in action=allow protocol=TCP localport=13389
    
    	net stop UmRdpService
    	net stop TermService
    	net start UmRdpService
    	net start TermService
    	

  • the Key Pair tab can be ignored, the tabs Network Ports and Metadata are for advanced settings, which are outside the purposes of this guide.

  Once the desired configuration has be chosen, click the Launch instance button to create the VM.

• Start the VM
  Once the VM is running, open the dashboard console by clicking on the VM name and selecting Console. For a better view of the Console, click Click here to show only console.
  In the Console, click CtrlAltDel and change password for Administrator user.

RDP connection

On your computer, from which you need to access the Windows VM, install the software for the RDP connection.
This step depends on which OS is installed on your computer. Next sections will show which software can be used for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux computers, and how to configure it for connecting to the Windows VM.

• Access the VM from Windows
  On your computer, open the program Remote Desktop Connection (the italian name of the software is Desktop remoto). Then, click Show Options and configure the connection:
  1. type the IP address of your VM (in this example 10.10.10.2) followed by the indication of the port 13389, i.e. IP-address:13389;
  2. type your username;
  3. Connect.

  

  More information can be found at this link.

• Access the VM from Mac OS X
  On your computer, download the software Microsoft Remote Desktop from the Apple Store and run it. Then, click new and configure the connection:
  1. choose a name;
  2. type the IP address of your VM (in this example 10.10.10.2) followed by the indication of the port 13389, i.e. IP-address:13389;
  3. type your username;
  4. type your password.

  

  After editing, close the window and select the connection from the menu.

• Access the VM from Ubuntu
  In this guide the software vinagre is considered; other options are similarly possible, like rdesktop or Remmina, and work in the same way.
  To install vinagre, type on your terminal (debian-based platforms):

  sudo apt-get install vinagre
  

  Then, run it on terminal typing

  vinagre

  or search Remote Desktop Viewer among applications.
  Once vinagre is ready, click Connect and set the parameters as follows:
  1. choose RDP protocol;
  2. type the IP address of your VM (in this example 10.10.10.2) followed by the indication of the port 13389, i.e. IP-address:13389;
  3. type your username.