Weird Remote Desktop problem

lukin

I came across a weird problem in work today. A building where a number of pc's log into a server by remote desktop to use a VBA/Access program on it but are logged out of it after a certain length of time.
The server is Windows Server 2003. The program is an MDE, (created from an Access program) which has forms, reports, queries, back-end VBA code etc.
The remote desktop connection is set to automatically open this program on the server on connection.
As you know, you can right-click on the remote desktop connection and select "edit";then go to the "Programs" tab and check the box beside "Start the following program on connection". You can then enter the path to a program that will start automatically on connection;it is something like "C:\Documents and Settings\martin\folder\program.mde".
The RDC starts the program fine, it goes to a log in screen first as there is a form set to be the first form to appear on opening the program.
From there you can go to other forms and reports, as anyone familiar with VBA/Access will tell you.
However after a certain length of time it does one of two things:

1. Exits the program completely (leaving just a blank screen)
2. Goes back to the log in form

It doesn't disconnect the remote session, just does one of the above. It's obviously some sort of timeout problem but the timeout that ends the remote session after a certain length of time is set to "never", I checked that myself on the server in wherever it is (I can't remember).
But there is nothing that says "close down the program the user is using in the remote session after x amount of minutes".
Can anyone help?

Jonathan

Could you use remoteapp?


Basically remote desktop for a single application only.

lukin

jmccrohan wrote: »

Could you use remoteapp?


Basically remote desktop for a single application only.

Haven't heard of it. How does it differ from RDC?

Jonathan

Best way of explaining it tbh..

lukin

It's not up to me to tell them to change the way they connect to the server so I don't think I'll be able to that.
I'd rather just sort it so that the program is not logging itself out like that. Surely there must be some setting on the server that is causing this?

RangeR

Is the RDP server set to timeout? This may override the RDP client timeout settings...

syngindub

Could be a GPO setting that is causing the program to logout after a specific time.

Capt'n Midnight

leave terminal services manager open so you can see what the idle times are like and if any one has disconnected when they complain of dropouts

also double check there are no cnnections issues on the network

lukin

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

leave terminal services manager open so you can see what the idle times are like and if any one has disconnected when they complain of dropouts

also double check there are no cnnections issues on the network

It definitely isn't that. They connect by first of all connecting over terminal services and then connecting over remote desktop.
The program exits but the connection to both TS and Remote Desktop remains open. They don't have b'band so the whole thing is done over ISDN.
Maybe that's why, but it only happens on some PC's (5 PC's can be connected to the server at one time but they all use separate copies of the program (they all have their own mde file in each of their "My Documents" folder).

Bluefrog

Is it possible that it's not an issue with your remote connection but actually a problem with the application? Have you done some user testing on a local copy? Have you checked what activities users are carrying out at the time the dropout occurs?

I was just on here checking for feedback on my own thread - how the hell did I end up in here?