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Windows Server 2008 is, as the name suggests, a server operating system. In the real world this means that systems running Windows Server 2008 will most likely be located in large rack systems in a server room. As such, it is highly unlikely that system administrators are going to want to have to physically visit each of these servers to perform routine administrative tasks such as system configuration and monitoring. A far preferable scenario involves these administrators remotely logging into the servers from their own desktop systems to perform administrative tasks. Fortunately Windows Server 2008 provides precisely this functionality though Remote Desktop and the remote administration features of the Machine Management Console (MMC). In this chapter we will look at the steps necessary to remotely administer Windows Server 2008 systems using Remote Desktop.
== What is Remote Desktop? ==
Remote Desktop allows the graphical interface of a remote Windows system to be displayed on a local system. In addition, keyboard and mouse events on the local system are transmitted to the remote system enabling the local user to perform tasks on the remote system as if they were physically sitting at the remote system. This remote control can be established in a number of ways, including over wide area networks (WAN), local area networks (LAN) or over the internet.
In the case of Windows Server 2008, this service is provided by ''Terminal Services'' running on the remote systems and ''Remote Desktop Connection'' (RDC) clients location on the local system.
