How can I tell if someone is logged in via RemoteDesktop?

[lozina]

We have multiple users who potentially log into one Windows XP sp2 box and we have a problem where we sometimes kick eachother off because we don't know how to tell if someone is currently active on it.

Is there any way?

 

[armstrda]

here are the details of the scenarios:

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=280828

 

[her209]

Are users logging in with different accounts? Do the account(s) have administrative rights?

 

[lozina]

We all use the same user/account. Is that the problem?

edit:
we all log in the same user because we share the same apps that are running. so it would be a problem if we split it into different profiles because then we'd have a separate instance of the same apps for each profile. that would not be good.

 

[armstrda]

Yep, same user there's no way to block the kick off using the default RDP client. If you were to use something like VNC then you might have some other options.

 

[lozina]

If there is no way for RemoteDesktop to block, is there at least some method to determine if someone is currently logged in to the machine via RemoteDesktop? Be it a utility, a command line call or even some way I can code using C# ?

 

[armstrda]

If you're never logging the user off (which is sounds like you're not since there are shared apps that always run) then that user will always show as logged in. You could try a phone call/txt/im to the other person and see if he/she is logged in?

 

[imported_snikt]

I guess you could try something as simple as a net send message asking them to call you.

net send

 

[Crusty]

You could have a login script that fires off an email to the list of employees that share that login and then again when they log out. It won't prevent them from cross-logging but it will leave a easy to follow paper trail for who is currently using it.

 

[her209]

Or have the logon script create a "lock" file on a shared network drive when someone logs in. When the user logs off, then the logoff script deletes the file.

 

[lozina]

That logon script is a great idea. I have never dealt with this though... when I tried creating a test script and setting it to a particular user though under their Profile tab in user administration I tried using a local file "C:\test.vbs" and it tells me it must be a relative path - relative to what? I cannot use local scripts?

edit: ok nevermind I found the relative path it is talking about but I still want to know if I can use a local file to the machine, I dont want this on the global domain controller

 

[her209]

Originally posted by: lozina
That logon script is a great idea. I have never dealt with this though... when I tried creating a test script and setting it to a particular user though under their Profile tab in user administration I tried using a local file "C:\test.vbs" and it tells me it must be a relative path - relative to what? I cannot use local scripts?

edit: ok nevermind I found the relative path it is talking about but I still want to know if I can use a local file to the machine, I dont want this on the global domain controller

Well, I wouldn't apply the Logon Script at the Domain level. On the local computer, type gpedit.msc at the Start > Run prompt. As for the relative path, if you put the file on the local computer, e.g. C:\test.vbs, you can point to it using the UNC path such as \\computername\C$\test.vbs. Or you could put the file in a shared folder on the local machine and point to it \\computername\sharedfolder\test.vbs.