Developing A Custom VMConnect Application

Some folks have asked creating there own VMConnect application – it’s actually really easy.  Here’s a very basic example of how to create your own VMConnect application.  You would likely want to add some error handling, change the window sizing, maybe a WMI call to retrieve the name of the VM vs the ID but with Hyper-V’s WMI API you can do all of that and more after all now it’s your VMConnect application.

Steps To Create Basic Application

1. Create a new C# Windows Forms project In Visual Studio
2. Add a COM reference to mstscax.dll (Microsoft Terminal Service Active Client 1.0 Type Library)
3. Add a new RDP Client Control to the form
   1. From the form designer right click in the toolbox and select Choose Toolbox Item
   2. Select COM Components and find and check “Microsoft RDP Client Control – version 9
   3. From All Windows Forms (generally at the bottom) find the “Microsoft RDP Client Control – version 9” option and drag it to the form
4. Add a text box for the VM ID and a connect button to the form
5. For the connect button’s click event specify the following basic code

 private void ConnectButton_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    //specify the server the VM is running on
    axMsRdpClient8NotSafeForScripting1.Server = "localhost";

    //enable relative mouse mode and smart sizing
    axMsRdpClient8NotSafeForScripting1.AdvancedSettings7.RelativeMouseMode = true;
    axMsRdpClient8NotSafeForScripting1.AdvancedSettings7.SmartSizing = true;

    //specify the authentication service - this is required and set the authentication level
    axMsRdpClient8NotSafeForScripting1.AdvancedSettings7.AuthenticationServiceClass = 
        "Microsoft Virtual Console Service";
    axMsRdpClient8NotSafeForScripting1.AdvancedSettings6.AuthenticationLevel = 0;

    //retrieve the activeX control and enable CredSSP and disable NegotiateSecurity
    MSTSCLib.IMsRdpClientNonScriptable3 Ocx = 
        (MSTSCLib.IMsRdpClientNonScriptable3)axMsRdpClient8NotSafeForScripting1.GetOcx();
    Ocx.EnableCredSspSupport = true;
    Ocx.NegotiateSecurityLayer = false;

    //retrieve the activeX control and disable CredentialsDelegation
    MSTSCLib.IMsRdpExtendedSettings rdpExtendedSettings = 
        (MSTSCLib.IMsRdpExtendedSettings)axMsRdpClient8NotSafeForScripting1.GetOcx();
    object True = true;
    rdpExtendedSettings.set_Property("DisableCredentialsDelegation", ref True);

    //set the RDPPort and set the PCB string to the VM's ID
    axMsRdpClient8NotSafeForScripting1.AdvancedSettings2.RDPPort = 2179;
    axMsRdpClient8NotSafeForScripting1.AdvancedSettings7.PCB = vmIDTextBox.Text;

    //connect to the VM
    axMsRdpClient8NotSafeForScripting1.Connect();
}

Step 1 - Create a new C# Windows Forms project In Visual Studio

Step 2 - Add a COM reference to mstscax.dll (Microsoft Terminal Service Active Client 1.0 Type Library)

Step 3.1 - Add a new RDP Client Control to the form, From the form designer right click in the toolbox and select Choose Toolbox Item

Step 3.2 - Add a new RDP Client Control to the form, Select COM Components and find and check “Microsoft RDP Client Control – version 9

Step 3.2 - Add a new RDP Client Control to the form, From All Windows Forms (generally at the bottom) find the “Microsoft RDP Client Control – version 9” option and drag it to the form

Step 4 - Add a text box for the VM ID and a connect button to the form

Step 5 - For the connect button’s click event specify the following basic code

Your new solution in action!

 

-taylorb

Program Manager, Hyper-V