We received several feature requests regarding .rdp file handling in Royal TS/X. It seems that web based portals such as Amazon EC2 or Windows Azure are not only more frequently used, the desire for a better and tighter integration into Royal TS/X is also building up. A lot of good suggestions reached our inbox and thanks to the great feedback we got from our Royal TS/X users, we did something to improve the workflow with .rdp files.

In the latest Windows build (2.2.6.61216) the Royal TS installer (.msi file) asks you during install if you wish that Royal TS handles .rdp files by default. Even if you answer this question with no, you can always associate the Royal TS application (RTS2App.exe) with .rdp files by right-clicking and using the “Open with…” functionality in Windows Explorer.

“But I’m working on a Mac!”, you might say… Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered too and there’s a dedicated section in this blog post for OS X users labeled “What about OS X?”.

What happens when Royal TS handles .rdp files?

Royal TS will import the .rdp file as an Ad Hoc connection and immediately connects to it. If Royal TS isn’t running, it will be started first. By default, Ad Hoc connections are cleaned up as soon as they are disconnected. To keep your connection, you can just drag the connection from the Ad Hoc folder to one of your documents.

We published a short video which demonstrates the new feature in three different scenarios:

• The RDP file is opened through the Windows Azure portal used within Royal TS’ Web Page connection.
• The RDP file is opened through the Windows Azure portal used in an external browser.
• The RDP file is opened through Windows Explorer.

The first use case demonstrates perfect integration of the workflow as it shows how you can navigate and use the Windows Azure portal from within Royal TS, quickly connect to your instances without leaving Royal TS or using any other tools. Of course, this also works with other web based portals which provides .rdp file access (such as Amazon’s EC2).

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What happens when I open .rdp files using Royal TS?

We also slightly changed the behavior of the File –> Open command, in case you directly open an .rdp file. It’s now behaving the same way as opening an .rdp file through a portal: import as an Ad Hoc connection and connect immediately.

What about importing RDP files?

Importing .rdp files using the Data ribbon tab didn’t change at all. The import wizard asks you for one or more .rdp files and imports the connections to the selected folder.

What about OS X?

Royal TSX also allows opening .rdp files since Version 1.2.5. Either use Finder’s “Open With” menu or simply drag the file to Royal TSX’ Dock icon and an Ad Hoc Connection will be created instantly. You can then either disconnect from the host when you’re done and let Royal TSX clean up the Ad Hoc connection or drag the connection to one of your documents to keep it.

More Screencasts

In case you missed our screencast gallery, I encourage you to check it out. We have some interesting short clips showing various features and use cases of Royal TS (such as our powerful bulk-edit feature).

cheers, Stefan & Felix