RHEL7 Remote Desktop viewer cannot connect to Windows systems using RDP.

Solution Unverified - Updated -

Environment

  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0
  • vinagre-3.8.2-4.el7.x86_64

Issue

  • Cannot connect to any Windows system via RDP using the Remote Desktop Viewer available in RHEL 7. The Viewer screen flickers and goes back to initial window.

Resolution

  • There is a known issue with RDP plugins for vinagre, which has been addressed by ERRATA RHBA-2015-0448

Workaround:-

  • Use xfreerdp inplace of vinagre for rdp connections. xfreerdp is a X11 Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) client which is part of the FreeRDP project.

  • To use xfreerdp client in RHEL7 install following packages:

    # yum install freerdp.x86_64 freerdp-libs.x86_64 freerdp-plugins.x86_64

  • To connect to any windows system use:

    # /usr/bin/xfreerdp -0 -u <username> -p <password> <server>:<rdp port>

Example

# /usr/bin/xfreerdp -0 -u <username> -p <password> <server>:3389

Note: -0 option is used to attach to the admin console of server.

Root Cause

  • Vinagre is a remote desktop viewer for the GNOME desktop. It supports many protocols using a plugins system.

Diagnostic Steps

Background Check

  • Any specific error message on screen while establishing the connection ?
  • Reproducer steps ?
  • What all options are selected on windows and RHEL systems ?

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