RDC and Terminal Server - timeout disconnect 2

[esmithbda]

We have a client that has a Win2K server running TS and we are using the Windows Remote Desktop client to access their server and do work for them.

We can connect just fine. But after about 5 minutes of inactivity (if the RDC session is minimized and something else is done on the machine), the connection drops out.
We are on a *very* slow network (128K frame relay shared by 16 active computers).

We initially were using the ActiveX web interface to it, then moved to using the XP Pro version, and then moved to using the Win2K3 version (is newer and has a few new features). We used one feature that says that it will "Reconnect if connection is dropped."
Still have the problem.

I have seen mention that it is likely due to a router somewhere along the way that sees no activity on the line and cuts the connection to conserve resources - and then apparently if "KeepAlives" are activated on the server, that will send a heartbeat out to us and the router will see that the connection is still alive and not kill it.
Supposedly the server admin has activated these (he hasn't gotten back to me today and he keeps recommending I try things that are only issues if you can't login at all).

I have also read that the KeepAlive setting in the registry doesn't always fix it - this is what I'm worried about.

I have done all I can on this side (even adjusted timeouts on our firewall in case that was the issue - no help), and I'm not sure what else to try.

Has anyone else had this issue - if so, did you resolve it? How?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Serbtastic]

Go into Start - Settings - Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Terminal Services Configuration.
Right click on RDP-Tcp connection, and click properties tab. Click the Sessions tab, and see what the session time limits are.

 

[esmithbda]

I would gladly do that, but we connect to this machine, we don't administer it. We are in Bermuda and the machine is in the UK.

The administrator there has told me that he can connect from his office and his home and leave the connection on (idle) all night - so I don't think it is a timeout issue in the actual TS settings - aside from the fact that it isn't clear to me if he has made the KeepAlive change in the registry.

I am going to test it tonight from my home and see if that will not disconnect when idle - if so, then it means it is something about our net connection at work. I would immediately think our firewall - but I have changed every single session timeout setting in there to be very long (8 hours) and we are still having the problems.

 

[Serbtastic]

Post your results.

 

[gforceservices]

Making a VPN Connection first and then connecting to the server by the local computer name or IP address, is one way to correct this issue.

I have gotten mixed results with my clients for about 9 months now on this issue with the procedure of changing the session tab control set to NEVER in the Terminal Server Configuration (posted by Serbtastic (Vendor) above).

For Example:

One client I made this change at about 9 months ago, it really had no affect and were still getting disconnected until I had them make a VPN connection first which stopped this problem for them (Windows 2000 member server - SP4 - Application mode).

Another client I just now made the change, it seemed to work but I am still verifying this. The only difference is that it is a member server running Windows 2000 server, SP4 and Remote Admin mode (small client with 2 remote users).


I will post again, once I get more info on latest client working or not. Again, where it has been critical not to have the problem with disconnecting due to minimizing for more than 5 minutes on the remote user end, the VPN connect has fixed this for my clients.

 

[esmithbda]

We were just about to go the VPN route when I finally brought in a consultant that setup our Sonicwall firewall.

It turns out a page that I thought only applied to the administration login of the firewall (labeled "admin user&quot had a field called "timeout" on it (as do 3 other pages in the online config tool).
I had changed all of the other timeouts, but not wanting to change the admin settings since they were "working", I had left that field unchanged.

Increasing that timeout to as high as it would go (60 mins I think) then fixed that problem.

We have since had problems with our connection being so slow, and their server being slow, but those are other issues.

On a related issue, I am now trying to get a VPN setup with this firewall and an XP Pro laptop and it isn't working and is frustratingly hard to test (need to be outside of our network in order to test it, but need to be here to change settings on the firewall... fortunately, I can leave the settings here "as is" for the most part and then test it from home until it is working, then hand the laptop off to the user).