====== Using RDP+rdesktop to run remote windows apps on linux desktop ======
Note: in the following machine-name is the network name of your windows box (either real or virtual).

  - Get rdesktop 1.5.0 or later from http://www.rdesktop.org/. I used 1.6 which is in the Ubuntu Karmic repository, so i just did\\ ''apt-get install rdesktop''
  - Prepare your windows machine: 
    * Enable remote desktop Start-Settings-System -> Check Remote Desktop
    * :!: Enable "Welcome screen"  and "Fast user switching" in Settings-Useraccounts. If you don't do this, you will not be able to use seamless mode and possible have problems keeping your sessions alive.
  - create a short shellscript containing your command line, e.g.:\\ ''rdesktop -g 1024x768 -k de-ch -u user -p password machine-name''

Notes: 
  * Performance is very good and can be tuned further using the commandline parameters of rdesktop. 
  * I use this to run outlook 2003 which runs on a windows XP vmware virtual machine. Startup time and responsiveness is excellent, definitely production quality!
  * Other applications, which you have not yet found replacements for, can be run in the same way.

To enable seamless RDP mode (running applications without a desktop, taskbar etc.) you need a small server side component is available as open source from Cendio (http://www.cendio.com/seamlessrdp/):
  - Get the server side component, "seamlessrdpshell" from http://www.cendio.com/seamlessrdp/seamlessrdp.zip, or my {{:blog:seamlessrdp.zip|local copy}} 
  - Unpack the files to some directory on the windows machine server, such as ''c:\seamlessrdp''.
  - Test seamless mode: ''rdesktop -A -s "c:\seamlessrdp\seamlessrdpshell.exe notepad" machine-name''. If you get a full screen windows display with no notepad running, remeber to enable "Welcome screen" and "Fast user switching".

{{tag>linux windows rdp windows-linux-migration}}

~~LINKBACK~~
~~DISCUSSION~~