Using NetMeeting 3.0 Remote Desktop Sharing with Small Business Server

Remote Desktop Sharing is a new feature in Microsoft NetMeeting 3.0 that lets you work in the Small Business Server (SBS) console and gain access to the entire server from another location. You can view the SBS console in a window or in full screen, which allows you to view and control the SBS computer as if you were actually sitting in front of the computer.

Remote Desktop Sharing is a different component than the program sharing and collaboration feature in NetMeeting 2.1 and 3.0. To use Remote Desktop Sharing, you start it in NetMeeting and then exit the NetMeeting program. Remote Desktop Sharing does not work if NetMeeting is running on the computer.

After you set up Remote Desktop Sharing and exit NetMeeting, you can gain access to the unattended SBS computer at any time from any location.

How to Install Remote Desktop Sharing on Your SBS Computer

NOTE: These steps apply only to Windows NT. When you install Remote Desktop Sharing on a computer running Microsoft Windows 95 or Microsoft Windows 98, you are presented with slightly different options.

1. Install NetMeeting 3.0. You can download NetMeeting 3.0 from the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://www.microsoft.com/netmeeting (http://www.microsoft.com/netmeeting)
2. After Setup completes, click Tools, and then click Enable Sharing.
3. After the necessary files are copied, restart the server. Remote Desktop Sharing is not available (and there is no menu option for Remote Desktop Sharing) until sharing is enabled and the server is restarted.
4. Start NetMeeting 3.0, and configure Remote Desktop Sharing by clicking Remote Desktop Sharing on the Tools menu.
5. Enable a password-protected screen saver to prevent the remote session from being interrupted by someone trying to gain access to the SBS computer directly. When the Display properties dialog box appears, you are prompted to choose a screen saver and type a password. When you are finished, click OK.
   
   NOTE: To prevent performance issues, do not use an OpenGL screen saver.
6. Click Finish.
7. From the Call menu, click Exit and Activate Remote Desktop Sharing. In a few seconds, the Remote Desktop Sharing icon (a green and red NetMeeting icon) appears in the system tray.

How to Gain Access to the SBS Computer from a Remote Computer

1. Install NetMeeting 3.0. You can download NetMeeting 3.0 from the following Microsoft Web site:
   http://www.microsoft.com/netmeeting (http://www.microsoft.com/netmeeting)
2. On the Call menu, click New Call.
3. In the To box, type the SBS computer name or Internet Protocol (IP) address.
4. In the Using box, click Network.
5. Click to select the Require Security check box, and then click the Call button.
6. When you are prompted to do so, type your user name, password, and SBS domain name.
   
   NOTE: You must use an account that has Administrator rights to gain access to the SBS computer.
7. After a connection is established, the SBS desktop appears in a window. You can click Full Screen on the View menu to increase the viewable area on your monitor. Click the Restore button to reduce the full screen to a smaller window.
8. To exit the remote session, click Hang-up on the Call menu in the NetMeeting program window on your computer.

If you are upgrading from NetMeeting 2.1, most of your settings are retained. You may still need to enable sharing in NetMeeting before the Remote Desktop Sharing service is available.

You can make remote connections to the SBS computer from a client computer on the internal network. You can also make connections from another location using Remote Access Service (RAS) or Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) to establish a connection to the internal network.

For information about using NetMeeting 2.1 for remote administration in SBS 4.5, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information about remote administration in SBS 4.0 (without using Remote Desktop Sharing in NetMeeting 3.0), please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: