Support FAQ

Can I use Remote Desktop (RDP) to access serially connect computers?

The SDT features in all Opengear console servers enables remote users to use RDP (or VNC or HTTP or any other appropriate in-band network protocol) to connect to Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2003 computers and to Windows 2000 Terminal Servers that are network connected or serially connected to the console server. RDP will give the user remote access to all of the applications, files, and network resources, with full graphical interface just as though they were in front of the computer screen at work.

To establish an RDP connection you must

establish a PPP connection between the serially attached host and the console server
set up SDT SSH tunneling on the serial port on the console server gateway
configure SDTConnector to use the appropriate network protocol to access the host

Step 1 - PPP connection

The online tutorial http://www.yolinux.com/TUTORIALS/LinuxTutorialPPP.html presents a selection of methods for establishing a PPP connection for Linux.

To establish the PPP connection between a Windows host port and the console server:

Use the Windows New Connection Wizard to Set up an advanced connection
Select Accept Incoming Connections on the Advanced Connection Options screen and select the Connection Device (i.e. the serial COM port on the Windows computer that you cabled through to the console server)
On the Incoming VPN Connection Options screen select Do not allow virtual private connections
Specify which Users will be allowed to use this connection (these same Users must also be given Remote Desktop access privileges)
On the Network Connection screen select TCP/IP and Properties
On the Incoming TCP/IP Properties screen, check both the "Allow callers to access... " and "Always allow directly connected devices such as palmtop..." boxes and specify TCP/IP addresses to be:
- From: 169.134.13.1
- To: 169.134.13.2
Lastly ensure the COM port baud rate settings in Windows match what you set in the console server

Step 2 - SSH port forward

Next step is to set up SDT port forwarding on the console server Serial Port that is connected to the Windows computer COM port:

On the Management Console select the Serial & Network: Serial Port menu option and on the SDT Settings menu select SDT Mode and enter a Username and User Password
Ensure the console server Common Settings (Baud Rate, Flow Control) are the same as were set up on the Windows computer COM port
SSH port forwarding (of RDP, VNC, HTTP etc) over serial ports is enabled on a Port basis. You can now select which Users can have access to these ports

Step 3 - SDT Connect

Lastly you need to configure SDT connector to access the gateway and to use the appropriate network protocol to access the serially attached host devices. This can be autoconfigured (as detailed in faq285) or configured manually as outlined below:

Set up the console server as a Gateway in your SDTConnector client (with username/ password etc as detailed in faq266)
Select this Gateway and click the Host icon to create a host. Alternatively, select File -> New Host
In the Host address you need to put portxx where xx = the port you are connecting to. Example for port 3 you would have a Host Address of: port03
Select the RDP Service check box (or other desired connection protocol)