Remote debugging directly through the debugger is usually the best and easiest method of performing remote debugging.

This technique involves running two debuggers at different locations. The debugger that is actually doing the debugging is called the debugging server. The debugger that is controlling the session from a distance is called the debugging client.

The two computers do not have to be running the same version of Windows; they can be running any version of Windows. The actual debuggers used need not be the same; a WinDbg debugging client can connect to a CDB debugging server, and so on.

However, it is best that the debugger binaries on the two computers both be from the same release of the Debugging Tools for Windows package, or at least both from recent releases.

To set up this remote session, the debugging server is set up first, and then the debugging client is activated. Any number of debugging clients can connect to a debugging server. A single debugger can turn itself into several debugging servers at the same time, to facilitate different kinds of connections.

However, no single debugger can be a debugging client and a debugging server simultaneously. If you need to chain together three debuggers, see Other Methods of Remote Debugging.

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