Definition of Remote Desktop

The possibility of working with our computer from wherever we want, and without having to carry the physical machine always on the back, it has been a dream long cherished by users, both professionals and households.

But while there comes a time when we can't shrink our laptop any further, or build a device small enough and versatile enough to be used as a substitute for the computer, the possibility of accessing our work environment from wherever we are is born We are, it is what is called remote or virtual desktop, and that allows us to have our work environment from any prepared device for it.

This includes both programs and user data (files), as well as custom settings, including elements such as the wallpaper, the icons, or the option settings of the programs.

This is very comfortable for us, because we can go on a trip, for example, to the other side of the world, without any computer in the suitcase, and connect to our desk from a company computer, hotel, or of a friend.

The connection can occur both through public networks and Internet, or through private data networks. In the case of connecting through the Internet, which is the least secure option, we will usually have the help of a VPN, a network virtual private - for its acronym in English, which encodes the information, making work safer, in addition to other tools of safety for connection and communications.

The main problem with using remote desktops is that we cannot access them if we do not have a network connection.

Thus, if we travel in airplane, we can hardly connect to our remote desktop to work, so it is a technology that is either discarded for people who have to travel a lot in this medium from transport, or it is combined with others that allow working while offline, that is, disconnected.

In some aircraft of some airlines, there is already the possibility of enjoying an Internet connection via Wi-Fi, but at prohibitive prices, which make it quite difficult to get economic performance out of our job.

In other means of transport, such as trains and buses, what happens is that many times we find ourselves traveling through areas with very little coverage or, directly, without coverage (at least of data, as in tunnels), which leads to the interruption of the connection and to make this form impractical of work.

Although it seems to us that this technology is something very recent, the truth is that from the beginning of computer networks we can work remotely,

although, yes, limited to the command line. When we refer to remote desktop, we will always be talking about an environment graphic Username (GUI).

We have a number of ways to create a remotely accessible desktop environment, the first being

the installation of a program for this purpose in an end-user computer, being able to find a large number of programs and solutions -some of them, free- to carry out such necessary.

The oldest and most well-known is perhaps VNC, although modernly other programs have surpassed it.

Some of these solutions depend on a platform or manufacturer of software determined, while others are cross-platform.

The second way to mount a remotely accessible desktop is to prepare it from the ground up with what is called a "desktop server", which is nothing more than an operating system or software that works very close to the operating system, and that is specifically prepared to work with remote desktops

Most of the operating systems that can work or are exclusively designed to be installed and run on servers, allow such a possibility.

Then we have companies like VMware, specialized in offering programs that facilitate this functionality.

The big difference between the first and the second casuistry is that, in the first case, the desktop must be running on the local machine, and what the access program does remote is to facilitate access to it through the network, while in the second, the desktop does not have to be open, but works directly remotely through the Program client.

The client program is always necessary to be able to access our remote desktop.

On the other side a computer is always necessary (either a desktop or a server) that provides us with the desktop and resources with which to function.

And, normally, the client is very simple, thus allowing its installation in any computer and, for some time, also on mobile devices such as touch tablets or smartphones.

Photos: Fotolia - Idey / Deagreez

Remote Desktop Themes