Connecting to the Virtual Machine (RDP)

Introduction

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a protocol developed by Microsoft that enables a remote connection to a Windows host. Remote Desktop uses a client/server model, whereby the initiating computer runs Remote Desktop client software to connect to the remote computer, which must run Remote Desktop server software. Remote Desktop server software is built into the Windows operating system. Windows also ships with a Remote Desktop client. Many free Remote Desktop clients exist for Linux and macOS, including those from Microsoft and Apple. The following instructions will detail how to connect using both:

• Remote Desktop on Microsoft Windows - installed by default
• Remote Desktop for macOS - official Microsoft version available in the App Store

Instructions will be similar for other Remote Desktop clients with different operating systems. Once your VM is in a running state, you can connect to it using a Remote Desktop client.

Instructions

1. Click on the search bar, enter virtual machines and click Virtual machines under Services:

2. Select the running ca-lab-vm VM from the list:

Note: If the VM is not listed, wait a minute for the VM to populate and refresh the page.

3. From the Overview blade, click on the Connect > RDP command:

Note: The Overview blade displays helpful graphical information for your VM: CPU usage, disk input/output, and network traffic. Scroll up and down to view this information.

4. In the RDP tab that appears, click Download RDP File:

This generates and downloads a Remote Desktop file (.rdp extension) that serves as a shortcut to connect to your machine. The .rdp file is used by the Remote Desktop client to connect to the running VM.

Note: You can safely ignore the Port prerequisite not met message. The port is open and can be seen by clicking the Networking tab under Settings.

Note: You may also run into a permissions error when attempting to access the RDP file. This just means that your provisioning resources for this lab, including the permissions that manage your user, aren't done deploying. Refresh the page every minute or so until you're able to continue.

The following instructions are divided based on your operating system, either Windows or macOS. If using macOS, ensure you have an RDP Client/Manager to open the .rdp file.

Instructions for Windows

5.a. Open the downloaded .rdp file to connect to your VM.

You will see the following warning:

5.b. Click Connect.

You know where the .rdp file came from, so you can ignore the warning.

5.c. Enter the credentials for the VM:

• User name: student
• Password: 1Cloud_Academy_Labs!

Warning: If you receive a connection error instead of the credentials prompt, wait a minute and try again until the VM is ready to accept the connection. Additionally, if Mircosoft detects another account you may have to click more choices > use another account.

5.d. Click Ok.

You will be prompted with a warning about the certificate not being from a trusted certifying authority: 

5.e. Click Yes to bypass the warning.

This warning is expected and you can safely ignore it.

5.f. Proceed to instruction 6.

Instructions for macOS

5.a. Open the downloaded .rdp file to connect to your VM.

You will see Negotiating Credentials…

Warning: If you receive a connection error, wait a minute and try again until the VM is ready to accept the connection.

5.b. When presented with the Verify Certificate dialog, click Continue:

Although the certificate cannot be verified, it is safe to continue.

5.c. Enter the login credentials configured for the VM:

• User name: student
• Password: 1Cloud_Academy_Labs!

5.d. Click OK when ready. You will see "Connecting RDP..."

The following instructions are for all operating systems

6. Observe several Windows startup notifications in the Remote Desktop window.

After a few minutes, you will be able to interact with the Windows VM.

Important! The CPU and memory specifications for the VM in this lab are modest. For example, only two CPU cores. Therefore, connecting via RDP, which triggers several Windows initialization processes, causes an unresponsive user interface. In some instances, your screen may go black for 20 seconds, then transition to blue as the "Please wait for the Local Session Manager" Windows message is displayed. The entire Windows startup process typically takes a couple of minutes. After Windows is up and running, it is like any other Windows host. It is just a Windows host running in Azure.

Tip: See Troubleshoot Remote Desktop connections to a Windows-based Azure Virtual Machine if you experience lasting problems connecting to the VM.

7. Click No on the blue Network message that displays on the right side of the screen and close Server Manager by clicking the x in the top right corner of the window.

You will see the Windows Desktop:

Summary

In this lab step, you used a Remote Desktop client to connect to an Azure VM running Windows.