Marcus Hamaker is The Sleepy Geek

I use Remote Desktop Connection on my Windows all the time. I also use screen sharing between OS X machines and then do a combination of them to get from one to the other. It’s an amazing thing to be able to connect remotely to a machine, see the desktop and be able to manipulate it as if you were there. Here is a Top 5 list of why you need to get into the habit of using some sort of remote connection software.

1. You have a software licenced that is installed on your desktop at home.
   I have this with a software I use to keep track of a bowling league that I help run. This software can not be installed on more than one computer and the stats are very important. So it goes on my desktop, the information is backed up to an external drive and then sent to the cloud. Some times I need to update it while away from home.
2. You are the geek of the family and everyone wants some help.
   I take on that role in my family and it’s nice to be able to help right away when they are having a problem. Simple offer help within Windows or perhaps a GoToAssist setup and you’re off to the races. You can fix a lot of bugs by doing this and save yourself a lot of heartache trying to explain how to do it without the visual prompts.
3. You have more than one PC but no room for monitors.
   I have run into this situation myself. I had 3 computers on a desk at home at one point but didn’t have the room for 3 monitors. I had a switch bix if I needed to see the boot screen or something wasn’t running 100% but for the most part connecting remotely was easier.
4. You want to control your media server.
   If you have a system build to serve your media in some fashion then this is a really cool way to control it. I use RDP to connect to my media center computer and play music while I am in other rooms. It would be nice to have a house remote but that’s a very expensive alternative. If you have a laptop and the media center already, this is free!
5. You are a system admin.
   90% sure you don’t need to be told about this! Chances are that you use RDP in Windows all the time, but remember that there are ways to connect to other OSs. OS X for instance is a VNC service so if you want to connect from Windows simply get yourself a VNC client and you’re good to go.

Some people might not see the need for this, after all the majority of people don’t have more than one computer. For those of us who do; remember that there is this alternative :)

Geek on!

For ages I have been searching the internet for a clear guide to remote desktop for OS X. I know that in reality Apple doesn’t call it by this name but for the world switching from Windows to OS X, this is what it’s called. With that out of the way, I’ll call it screen sharing for OS X and remote desktop for Windows just so that it’s not confusing.

From what I have read it looks like screen sharing has been available in OS X since version 10.5. So if you are running an older version, please upgrade to follow this tutorial.

You must enable screen sharing on the host computer (the one you will be connecting to). To do this, access your System Preferences and then click on Sharing. A window will appear with all your sharing options. Check the box beside the Screen Sharing. Click on the Computer Settings button to see the pop-up box and set your options accordingly. I currently left both check boxes blank as I am connecting only from inside my network to my own machine. Click OK and then click on Show All to get back to the main System Preferences box.

Your computer is now setup to share it’s screen.

The next step is to make a connection to your shared computer or host computer. This can be done in a number of ways, but I would like to share with you the best way in my books. If you are coming from the Windows world and are used to running a program to connect to a remote machine then follow this.

The program you are looking for is already on your computer but it is hidden away in a System folder. Open up your hard disk in the finder and then go to System, then Library and then CoreServices. In that folder you will find the icon for Screen Sharing. Drag that icon down to your dock and now you have it available all the time.

Open up the program to find a very simple window that will auto search for hosts via Bonjour or will let you specify a host by name or IP. Either double click on one in the list or enter one manually (I like to leave the check in Add to My Computers so it is there automatically next time) then press the connect button.

This is about as difficult as it gets. Only one thing could screw that up for you and that is trying to do it from outside the network. At that point you need to configure port forwards and all that fun stuff. Here is the info:

TCP: 5900 – 5902, (3389 for connecting to Windows machines)

UDP: 4500 (for Back to My Mac users)

I love to be able to access my machines from where ever I am. The terminal and SSH are extremely powerful, but I didn’t start using OS X because of the fun I can have with the terminal :)

Geek on!!!

I have been using OSX a lot lately but I still do have Windows machines at my house. The most important of those to me is the Windows Media Center computer that controls my entire home entertainment system. I have an XBox 360 that we use to watch TV on in the bedroom so I am pretty locked in with Windows there.

There is often a reason I need to connect to the Media Center machine and of course I connect to other Windows machines as well at home. Well from Windows this is very easy because the remote desktop (RDP) client is built into Windows, but what if you are running OSX like I am? Well in that case you need “Remote Desktop Connection Client for Mac 2” from Microsoft. They have taken the time write a client for OSX which works very well.

Remote Desktop from OSX

Just like with the built in Windows version you enter the computer name and press connect. It’s that simple! Of course you have the option to choose specific options such as screen resolution, saved user credentials, etc. but they aren’t nessesary to make the connection. This is a tool that you need only if you need it. I just wanted to share with you that it exhists and if you do in fact need to make that connection this is the best way.