Remote desktop¶
RDP and VNC sessions open either inside Termalith, in a tab, or in the client installed on your computer. Switch with Settings → Show RDP and VNC sessions inside Termalith.
Inside Termalith (experimental)¶
With the setting on, RDP and VNC desktops open in a tab on every system:
- The remote desktop follows the tab's size. Servers that can resize a running session do it in place; with others (including Windows Server) Termalith logs in again at the new size a moment after you stop resizing, and Windows returns you to the same session. Meanwhile the desktop is scaled to the tab. On Retina and other high-density screens the desktop is requested in device pixels, so text stays sharp.
- The pointer takes the remote computer's shapes (RDP), so the resize arrows on a window's edge and the text beam show where they apply. Drags keep going when the pointer leaves the tab.
- Keyboard input uses the remote computer's layout. Ctrl+Alt+Del is on the tab's toolbar.
- Copied text goes both ways: text copied on the remote computer lands on your clipboard, and your clipboard is offered to the remote computer when the desktop gets focus. For VNC, text is limited to Latin-1, as the protocol defines.
- The password can be saved in the system keychain after a successful login.
- VNC logins: no password, or a VNC password. Servers that offer only their own account login cannot be used inside Termalith yet: in RealVNC Server set Options → Security → Authentication to VNC password; on a Mac turn on System Settings → General → Sharing → Screen Sharing → ⓘ → VNC viewers may control screen with password.
- Not supported yet: files on the clipboard, sound and drive sharing; VNC desktops are scaled, not resized.
In your own client¶
| System | RDP | VNC |
|---|---|---|
| macOS | Windows App / Microsoft Remote Desktop | Screen Sharing (built in) |
| Windows | Remote Desktop Connection (built in) | TigerVNC or RealVNC Viewer |
| Linux | FreeRDP (xfreerdp) |
TigerVNC (vncviewer) |
The session dialog shows which client will be used. If none is installed, the session opens inside Termalith instead, with a notice. Passwords are never passed on a command line; the client asks for them (FreeRDP on Linux receives it on standard input).
Through an SSH server¶
Choose Tunnel through (SSH session) in the session dialog to reach a desktop behind a bastion or firewall. Termalith opens the SSH connection and forwards the desktop through it. Use this for VNC, which is not encrypted on its own.
Server certificates¶
RDP servers identify themselves with a certificate. When Termalith connects (inside a tab, and for FreeRDP on Linux), it reads the certificate first and shows its fingerprint in the same dialog as an unknown SSH host key. After you accept it, only that certificate is accepted. If the server later presents a different one (Windows renews its self-signed certificate from time to time), you see both fingerprints and decide again. Servers that offer only legacy RDP security without TLS are refused. On macOS and Windows, the Microsoft clients check certificates themselves.