Virtual Machine Remote Control client

Virtual Machine Remote Control client

For remote management of virtual machines, Virtual Server 2005 provides a Virtual Machine Remote Control (VMRC) client. This is a stand-alone client application that communicates with the VMRC server component of the Virtual Server service (Vssrvc.exe).

Rather than using the HTTP protocol to communicate with the VMRC server, the VMRC client uses the VMRC protocol, developed by Microsoft for communication between VMRC clients and the VMRC server. For more information about the VMRC interfaces, see the Virtual Server 2005 Programmer's Guide.

You can start a VMRC session by starting the VMRC client application. Once a session is started, the client opens from which you can access a virtual machine. You can also use VMRC by opening the Virtual Server Administration Website and selecting the Remote Control option for a virtual machine. The first time you do this, Virtual Server attempts to download the ActiveX control for the VMRC client to your computer.

From a single VMRC session you can access a single virtual machine. VMRC does not provide access to global Virtual Server administration features. For configuring and managing Virtual Server, you must use the Administration Website or the COM interfaces.

Important

Virtual Server is not a replacement for Windows Terminal Services. VMRC does not operate in the same manner as Terminal Services or Remote Desktop because multiple users can use VMRC to connect to the same virtual machine, and each user can access the guest operating system without the knowledge of the other users. This is by design for training and lab scenarios where one user wants to demonstrate a task to other users who are connected to the same remote session. If you want exclusive access to a virtual machine, then you should connect to it by using Terminal Services or Remote Desktop rather than VMRC.

The VMRC client can run on the Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP Professional operating systems. It also requires Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or later.

For more information about VMRC, see Using the VMRC client to access virtual machines. For more information about the components of Virtual Server, see Virtual Server Components.

Note

From within the Administration Website, you can configure a secure VMRC connection by enabling Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) security on the VMRC connection. For instructions, see Configure Virtual Machine Remote Control. If you are using VMRC behind a firewall, you must open several ports. For more information, see Configuring Virtual Machine Remote Control. We do not recommend running the VMRC client over a Terminal Services or Remote Desktop connection. If you do, you will experience poor performance.