Adito guide: Get RDP everywhere with Adito!

Adito is based on Java and basicly the Adito-client works “everywhere”.
This can be very handy when you are on a internet-cafe or just borrowing a computer.

This guide will show you step by step on how to setup Remote Desktop (RDP) to your Adito server.

If you are not familiar with RDP, it can be simply explained; it shows your desktop, wherever you are on the internet.

Before you can begin, please read this guide on how to enable RDP for Windows 7/XP.
Adito have also VNC support (and others), so both Linux and Mac can use the same guide, only by using VNC application instead.

Step 1 – Install Adito as server
Please see this install guide using the windows installer
If you prefer the SVN version, please download it from here

Please note that you have to port forward 443 (or any other port you selected) to this computer on your router, so the rest of the world can see your Adito server.
Find your router here if you don’t know how…
Use a dns-service like no-ip.com to give your Adito server a remember-able-name 😉

Step 2 – Installing RDP extension
The Adito client can publish software to download and execute.
Typical portable software is prefered, since clients does not always have registry write access.

First, download the RDP extension. It uses the RDPsso.exe command from Microsoft and is based on the old less secure RDP.
But you are connecting through a SSL encrypted tunnel, so it is considered “safe”.

If you are not in managementconsole press the changebutton now

Press “Extensions” in the “Configuration” tab

Then press the “Upload Extension”.

Press the Browse-button and select the adito-application-advancednativerdpwin32.zip file, press “Upload”

You should now have the Microsoft RDP client installed

Step 3 – Create an Application
Select “Application” under the Tunnels tab

Press the “Create Application shortcut”

Call it “Adito server” and add a short description

Press next and select the RDP application.

Press next and enter 127.0.0.1 as host, change other options if you like.
Default RDP port is 3389 and is usally left alone

(Note: You aren’t restricted to local-ips or -hosts here, you can also use internet hosts. Some people use the Adito server as the only entrypoint on their firewall)

Press next and publish it to Everyone group.

Press next and look over the summary, then press Finish.

You have now published an app called “Adito server” to the group “Everyone”.
That means that every user that you have, will gain access to this app.
You can create as many applications as you need, just repeat the wizard 🙂

Step 4 – Testing the RDP
Connect to your Adito server and run the client.

Rightclick on the icon in systray and select “Adito server”.

The client will now open a temporary port, download the RDP application and connect.

If all succeded you’ll be presented with a login screen.

Next time you’re at an Internet-cafe or the library, try running the client. It will probably work 🙂

Tip: If you don’t have access to the Agent systray-icon;
Just run applications through Resource -> Applications by pressing the application you want

Errorhandling checklist
1. Check that you enabled RDP?
2. Check that the Windows firewall doesn’t block port 3389
3. Can others in the same network connect to RDP on the server, without using Adito? (local to local)
4. When using Windows Vista/7 you might have decrease the encryption to let old clients connect (* as described in the guide above)
5. Some corporative firewalls block self-signed HTTPS-certificates. If you can’t get through to your Adito loginscreen and get an error regarding certificate; buy a cheap cert from namecheap.com
More info regarding, please read the comments in the Installer page!

Hack tip
An extension in Adito is basicly just a zip-file with a xml-config and the application.
If you want to create your own, just download extensions from adito.werner.no and check out the config.

I have made the Firefox portable for instance available for users.
That way you can use your favorite browser without installing it (not published cause of huge download-size and special configs)

Remember that the app needs to be registry independent, since not all clients have reg-write access.

Simple extension
This sample is from the WinUtil


<bundle version="1.0.0" name="WinUtil" id="WinUtil" license="Freeware" type="executable" requiredHostVersion="0.9.0" order="99999">

</extension>
</bundle>


All I needed todo was to create a filelist included and what todo when the program was downloaded.
There are several options on how to create extensions, please read the wiki for more options and functions!

If you create portable packages, please let me know and I’ll host them @ adito.werner.no after testing it

Tags: aditodesktoprdpremotewindows