Tutorial: Windows remote desktop, instead of painful emulation
After seeing too many people interested on emulating windows under PS3, which is a bit stupid under my point of view for several reasons which I'm not going to describe here, i decided to post a mini guide about how to remote control a windows computer.
Supposing that everyone wanting to emulate windows already has windows box running in his/her LAN, just connecting to the running box may be much more reliable than trying to emulate it. Otherwise just stick to linux and forget windows. I must say that i don't use windows usually, i work with computers using different UNIX flavors, but i also like to do some ham radio at my spare time, and this forces me to use windows to control my ICOM PCR-1000 communications receiver so i use rdesktop to control my radio equipment from UNIX boxes, which may apply for windows usage from PS3.
Lets start with the topic instead of continuing with non interesting comments...
First of all you should password protect your user account to be able to connect trough terminal server, im not going to explain how to change your password.
Next, you should add you user to the "remote desktop users" group. (Click over the steps links to view images)
Right click over "My PC" ---> Administration
Go to Users and groups ---> Users ---> Right click your user ---> properties
At the new window, go to "Member of" Tab, and press Add
A new window will appear again, then press Advanced button
Once there, press "Search now" button, select "remote desktop users" and press Accept button
Then press Accept and Accept again to finally add your user to the group
Enable "Terminal server services" to start automatically
Go to services folder. Right click over "Terminal server services" ---> Properties
Set "Init type" to Automatic, and click Accept
Install rdesktop on your PS3 Linux
Code:
On gentoo just run as root:
# emerge rdesktop
Debian or Ubuntu
# apt-get install rdesktop
For rmp based systems, you may have to search for a ppc rdesktop binary and install it
# rpm -i rdesktop-file.rpm
Now run rdesktop and connect to your windows box
Code:
Connect using 16bit color, 800x600 resolution and sound forwarding
$ rdesktop -a 16 -g 800x600 -r sound:local 192.168.1.101
If you dont want window borders use -D
$ rdesktop -D -a 16 -g 800x600 -r sound:local 192.168.1.101
You can even run it at full screen (replace resolution with the one you are using)
$ rdesktop -D -a 16 -g 1280x720 -r sound:local 192.168.1.101
Login to your windows box, with the enabled user
At last enjoy your crappy windows desktop from your HD TV at full speed including sound
Below i attach some screens here and here about PS3 remote control of my radio windows box listening for airband and receiving noaa 18 satellite weather picture.
...At last enjoy your crappy windows desktop from your HD TV at full speed including sound
...
Woah now. I use Remote Desktop over the Internet every single day, but even over LAN "full speed" is hardly how I'd describe it. Won't be no Media Center launchin' goin' on!
Both emulation and remote desktop sucks...It's better to use ur pc. Until $ony gives support of the RSX under linux and wine gets recoded for ppc there isn't any major thing we can do.
The ppc linux application are very little compared with windows applications. Hopefully we will run photoshop under ps3 someday!
quick question, do i need to set up a VPN tunnel on my router?
If your PS3 and the windows box are on the same LAN, no changes are required into your router.
If you want to connect to a windows box over the internet, then the router holding the windows, must be configured to forward 3389 tcp port to that box.
And yes, YDL can also use rdesktop, just search for a PPC binary of rdesktop, or compile it from source code.
Originally Posted by ST0RM53
The ppc linux application are very little compared with windows applications. Hopefully we will run photoshop under ps3 someday!
You can compile any existing open source application for PS3 PPC, that includes BSD, Linux, Solaris, HP-UX, and many other applications from UNIX based oses, that makes a huge number of software for your PS3.
About photoshop, don't even expect to see it natively released for linux, or expect a good perfomance emulating it, just use it trough remote desktop, or take a look to "the gimp" it will do most of what photoshop does, with some limitations. Also if you have a "windows 2000 or 2003 server" box, you can use rdesktop to launch just the desired application inside your linux desktop, instead of remote control of the hole windows desktop.
Last edited by turulo; 06-17-2007 at 01:40 PMReason: Automerged Doublepost
If your PS3 and the windows box are on the same LAN, no changes are required into your router.
If you want to connect to a windows box over the internet, then the router holding the windows, must be configured to forward 3389 tcp port to that box.
so what are u saying? i should connect a an ethernet cable to the ps3 from the router and another ethernet cable connecting the pc to the router and another connecting the router to my modem? i have done this and all i get (when entering the required info in the terminal) is: "ERROR: connect: Connection refused" what do i do?
I assume that you are connecting from the PS3 to the windows box which is located on the same local area network.
ERROR: connect: Connection refused.
That error can mean three things:
1.- Terminal server service isn't enabled, Check the third step at the tutorial, and make sure that the "Status" from the "Terminal server" service is marked as active. (On the screenshot from a spanish windows xp, it says "Estado del servicio: iniciado", on english it must be something like "Service status: running")
2.- Your windows firewall is currently blocking the incoming connections, so you must allow "remote desktop" or "terminal server" incoming connections at your firewall which use the 3389 tcp port. This can be managed at the windows control panel --> security center, or in advanced configuration of the network adapter. For the tests you can disable the whole firewall, and enable it later allowing just "remote desktop" connections.
3.- You are trying to connect to the wrong IP address.
Tutorial: Windows remote desktop, instead of painful emulation 
Originally Posted by turulo 
Won't be no Media Center launchin' goin' on!
