Perhaps one of the most-used features in the Windows Server platform is the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Just about every administrator relies on it to perform configuration changes, add software, and make other related changes to the system. By default, new remote connections created with the Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) application are created as additional user logons. This usually meets the needs, as up to two remote connections are allowed to be active at a time.
However, a somewhat common requirement in some situations is to actually log on to the "console" session. This type of connection allows you to connect to the system remotely utilizing a session that runs in "Ring 0". It’s necessary to troubleshoot potential issues with installing applications, and some particularly picky applications that don’t behave as expected. Effectively, this is the same thing as logging on to the computer at the physical console. The bottom line is that it’s like "being there". In "current" versions of the RDC application, you can use the /console switch to connect to the the console session using RDP.
This behavior is actually deprecated (i.e., retired from future use) in Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008. The Terminal Services Team Blog describes the changes (and the reasons for them) in an in-depth posting titled Changes to Remote Administration in Windows Server 2008. Without getting too deep into the details, the following portion of the article describes the new /admin switch:
Behavior of the /admin switch
You can start the RDC 6.1 client (mstsc.exe) with the /admin switch to remotely administer a Windows Server 2008-based server (with or without Terminal Server installed). However, if you are connecting to remotely administer a Windows Server 2008-based server that does not have the Terminal Server role service installed, you do not have to specify the /admin switch. (In this case, the same connection behavior occurs with or without the /admin switch.) At any point in time, there can be two active remote administration sessions. To start a remote administration session, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the server to which you are connecting.
Overall, for most routine administration, this won’t make a huge difference. But, eliminating (or at least reducing) the need to connect to the console session is a big step forward.
