Remote desktop VPS: what it is, how to set up and connect

With the advent of virtual dedicated server VPS, users have new opportunities. But not everyone has an idea what remote desktop can be useful and in what cases it is invaluable. If we take specific examples, why do you need a VPS? There are many options here.

For example, in a company, in production, there is often a need for accounting data to be stored not on the accountant's computer. For a number of reasons, there may be difficulties with access to information and work with it. This cannot be allowed(renting a remote desktop).

Another example - to be able to use the full working environment, while being anywhere in the world, having a smartphone with Internet access. In general, there are many options, from collaborative work in 1C to posting in social networks from different accounts. In this article we will tell you in what cases you need a VPS server on Windows.

Remote desktop VPS for website owners and developers

A commercial website or online store should not be idle without work, in fact, the business owner should have round-the-clock access to it. In the case of using traditional hosting can not be sure that the site or online store will function smoothly and access to it will be round the clock.

VPS gives the opportunity to fully control the stability of the functioning of the site. Specialists strongly recommend moving the site to a virtual server, if its daily attendance has reached 5 and more thousand unique users per day. What are the advantages of such a solution?

First of all, it is a complete autonomy. You do not have to share space with other users, the VPS user is assigned a permanent IP address, and this is a significant plus to security and promotion of the site in search networks. It is also impossible not to mention the higher performance, that is, your resource will not just be available around the clock, but will be loaded significantly faster.

Unlike hosting VPS/VDS provides full autonomy. You can adjust the necessary parameters to your needs without any restrictions: choose a suitable CMS, OS, install any programs and place any number of sites.

Secure data transfer

VPS/VDS will ensure the protection of information that is transferred in case of an insecure connection. The peculiarity of VPS/VDS technology is that it encrypts the data flow between the network users' device and remote VPS. That is, a secure information tunnel is formed, preventing attempts to steal information. If such attempts are made, the connection will be automatically broken.

Remote desktop VPS/VDS not only provides security of transmitted data, but also creates comfortable conditions for work - the ability to connect to the computer from any mobile device - laptop, smartphone, tablet. New opportunities are opening up for business owners. Nothing will prevent you from delegating certain powers to an assistant or outsourcing specialist to get timely information, work assignments and other important data.

What other tasks can be accomplished?

The advantages of a virtual server have been appreciated by traders from all over the world. Remote desktop VPS/VDS provides access to trading systems in 24/7 mode, which allows 100% automation of stock exchange transactions and work with analytics.

But most of all, however, this technology is needed to solve various corporate tasks. For example, the use of 1C program through a virtual server is extremely useful through a separate virtual server is very efficient. You will only need access to the Internet to solve corporate tasks.

VPS/VDS technology is extremely useful in the organization of IP-telephony. Its main advantage is that through VPN you can open any number of numbers and protect the information received through telephone communication. This is an obvious plus against the background of conventional services. For fans of games there is an opportunity to open your own server and not to spend on the purchase of expensive equipment. Especially justified is the decision to use VPS/VDS when running computer games with high requirements for processor power and communication speed.

How to connect to a remote desktop

To connect to a VDS with Windows, the RDP protocol is used. There is a built-in application for its execution only on Windows. On other operating systems you will need to install third-party applications to connect via RDP.

Connecting via RDP with Windows

To connect via RDP with Windows the first thing you should do is to open the empty menu and find a program called "Remote Desktop Connection" in the system. Alternatively, you can use the Run utility. Just press the keyboard shortcut Win+R then enter mstsc in the field and click OK.

A program window will open, where you should enter the IP address of the server to which you need to connect, in our case it is the IP address of PQ.Hosting. How to find out the "IP address", we told you in this article. Now enter it in the appropriate field. Then click connect.

During the first connection you will usually see an information window with a warning about an invalid certificate. The reason is that the connection is encrypted by the certificate issued by the server. This does not mean that there are security issues. The RDP connection is encrypted, so you can safely skip the warning. Just check the "Do not prompt for any more connections to this computer" box.

If you are tasked with transferring multiple files, the easiest way to do it is to use the clipboard. You need to copy the file to your PC, then connect to the remote desktop and paste the file. If you need to move a lot of files, it is more convenient to connect a disk.

On a local Windows PC, do the following:

1. Connect to the remote desktop using the built-in utility.
2. Click the Local Resources tab. Select disks or other sources.
3. After selecting local sources, you can access them from the remote desktop on a Windows Server VDS.

Connecting via RDP with Linux

Linux system does not have an official protocol for connecting via RDP. But it is possible to solve this problem. You need to establish a connection using the Remmina client. For example, let's look at the installation process on Ubuntu.

Open a terminal and run the following commands:

Initialization:

sudo apt-add-repository ppa:remmina-ppa-team/remmina-next 

Update Initialization:

Remmina sudo apt-get update 

RDP plugin initialization:

sudo apt-get install remmina remmina-plugin-rdp libfreerdp-plugins-standard

Once the client is installed, it will immediately appear in the list. The next thing left to do is to find it and launch it. To add a connection, you need to click on the plus sign in the client. After that, it will remain to enter the already known IP address. Do not forget to select RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) in the Protocol line.

At the very end click Save to save the new connection. It will appear in the list. You can use it by double clicking the left mouse button. As with Windows, you will also see a warning about an untrusted security certificate. No need to worry - there is no threat. Just ignore this message and click OK.

Connecting via RDP from a mobile device

The process of connecting from a smartphone on Android, iOS is identical. For this purpose, users use an application from Microsoft Corporation called Remote Desktop. It can be downloaded from the App Store and Play Market mobile app store. Detailed instructions for setting up the program can be found here. Connection on both mobile systems is configured in the same way. If the configuration is done correctly, after a successful connection, you will see a remote desktop hosted on a VDS with Windows Server.

How to connect from macOS

Another popular but less common system is macOS. Remote Desktop is also used to connect to a remote desktop. It can be downloaded from the company store and installed in two clicks.

The further order of actions will be as follows:

1. Launch the utility and click New
2. In Connection name specify any name for connection.
3. In the PC name line write the IP address of the server to which you will connect.
4. In the Credentials section specify login and password to connect to VDS.

After saving the settings, a new connection will appear in the list of connections. Select it and click Start.

Again, there are no security problems with the connection. Therefore, you should ignore the system notification.

Windows Server system requirements

Minimum requirements: 2 GB RAM, 20 GB on the hard disk. For Win Server 2003 one core is enough, for Win Server 2016 or 2019 you need two cores. It is better to add a little more space, two OS will be cramped, for example, already S2012 will not be able to update. Many users install Win on a VPS with 500 MB of RAM.

Connection instructions on the example of PQ.Hosting

Go to the billing page and pass authorization (login and password or authorization through a social network account). The main billing screen will open, where in the left column of the menu select a virtual or dedicated server VPS/VDS.

Now you need to make an order. We follow a simple instruction.

You can choose a country with a data center, and if there are no special preferences, choose the one in which you live or closer to which you are most located.

All that remains is to select the appropriate configuration and click the "Order" button. On the next screen, you can select the appropriate operating system, as well as pre-installed software. In the end we click "To Cart". After which the formalities remain - pay for the service.

That's it. At this stage, you have created your own virtual server. Remote desktop will be ready immediately after the server is launched (it takes minutes). When ready, the server IP address and root password will appear, which you can immediately use to connect via RDP. Once the server is up and running and connected to the remote desktop, you can get to work. Probably the first thing you'll want to do is transfer files. The easiest way to do this is directly through the clipboard by copying a specific file on your desktop from your computer and pasting it onto the remote desktop.

What can we conclude?

It is very convenient to set up backups on VPS. You can set up a backup (it's very easy to do), even every day. Whatever happens, you can always restore the data. This is very convenient, and also efficient. Accounting is better to keep within the company, the accountant himself can easily make a mistake, and using the backup, you can easily roll back to the version before.

You will be able to create your own game server. Obviously, it has to be hosted somewhere. In this case, VPS is the optimal solution. And if you trade on the stock exchange, and there is a need to install a server with bots that will buy and sell assets with minimal delay, it is worth ordering a virtual server service in a country that is closer to the exchange.