When you install the Remote Desktop ActiveX control component of Remote Desktop Web Connection, a sample Web
page (Default.htm) is copied to the directory where Remote Desktop Web Connection is installed. This page can be
run as-is or customized to fit the needs of a user or an organization.
The sample Web page must be installed on a Web server running Windows 2000 Server or later and
Internet Information Server 4.0 or later. Also, the browser on the client computer should be Internet Explorer
version 4.0 or later. For more information, see
Requirements for Remote
Desktop Web Connection.
Default.htm is a default logon Web page that collects connection information from the user. The logon page
contains one required field into which the user enters the name of the Remote Desktop Session Host (RD Session Host) server or remote computer to
connect to. The logon page also includes optional fields for screen size and user logon information, including
user name and domain.
After collecting the user data, Default.htm passes it to the Remote Desktop ActiveX control (Msrdp.ocx) to
initiate a remote desktop session. The steps involved in initiating the session are the following:
- If necessary, Internet Explorer downloads the .cab file containing the COM component and installs it on the
user's computer.
- The user enters the fully qualified domain name or IP address of the remote computer in the appropriate
field.
- The user can optionally specify a screen size for the connection. If the user does not specify a screen
size, the session opens in full-screen mode if the user is in a trusted
URL security zone. Otherwise, the session opens in windowed
mode.
- The user can optionally supply automatic logon information (user name, domain) for the remote
session.
- When the user clicks the Connect button, Default.htm passes the
user-supplied data as parameters to the Remote Desktop ActiveX control.
- The remote desktop opens in the browser window or in full-screen mode, as specified by the user.
When Default.htm opens for the first time using Internet Explorer, a dialog box appears giving the user the
option to download the Remote Desktop ActiveX control (Msrdp.ocx). The dialog box appears under the following
conditions:
- The computer that accessed the Web page does not have a full installation of the Remote Desktop Web
Connection client (or the Remote Desktop Services Advanced Client) with Web support.
- The installed version of the .cab file on the client computer is older than the version on the Default.htm
Web page.
The size of the remote desktop session that appears in the browser window is the size specified in the
Default.htm Web page. To change the screen size, the user must disconnect from the session, return to the
Default.htm Web page and edit the connection information. If no screen size was specified, the session opens in
the browser window in the default full-screen mode. At this resolution the remote desktop expands to match the
full dimensions of the user's screen and the Internet Explorer browser toolbars and window frames do not display.
As with the full Remote Desktop Connection client, the user can toggle between full-screen and windowed mode by
pressing the full-screen mode shortcut
key combination (CTRL + ALT + BREAK).
For security reasons, some options that are available in the Remote Desktop Services Connection Manager are
restricted in the Remote Desktop ActiveX control to certain Internet Explorer URL security zones. Refer to
Providing for RDP Client Security
for more information about these options and about specifying a program to run upon connection.
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Build date: 10/19/2009