I am using Essentials R2. I have searched quite a bit without success on this; I cannot connect (as the admin) to the Essential Server in a remote desktop session when using Remote Web Access. In the Essentials Dashboard, i do not see the option to give any user, let alone the admin, rights to RDP to it. I can connect to the Dashboard of the server in remote web access, but no option for true RDP, which is what i need. Is this possible? Does this sound like the default settings? Also just so everyone knows, yes i could set up a port forward RDP, but I would prefer not to, as the firewall in use is not a very smart firewall and does not allow locking down the port forward from all internet traffic.

Also, slightly related, I have some computers joined to the domain/server using the connector (http://servername/connect), and some joined manually to the domain. The computers using the connector are showing up as computers that can be connected to remotely, but the other computers do not. In SBS 2011 and 2008, you could just move the computers in ADUC to the correct Computer OU, and they would show up in the list after that, but they are already in the correct location. PLEASE tell me you do not have to unjoin and rejoin computers with the connector to make them show up in the Dashboard for Essential server 2012 R2!! Any input on this? Thanks!

Kyle

In case anyone has interest in this: I contacted Microsoft support, and they answered these questions

1. Server remote desktop from Remote Web Access: In the Windows Server Essentials Dashboard, go the HOME section, and click on Quick Status. Highlight Anywhere Access in the list of items, and click "Click to Configure Anywhere Access". Click Customize under Web Site Settings. Go to the Server Connection Properties, and change from Dashboard (Default) to Open Remote Desktop. That did it. Admittedly i probably should have figured this one out on my own, but it took the MS tech an hour to figure it out, so i dont feel too bad.

2. Computers that were manually joined to the domain don't show up as computers in the Dashboard, and hence cannot be accessed from Remote Web Access: The Microsoft tech confirmed that the only way to fix this is to unjoin the computers from the domain, and run the Connector wizard (http://servername/connect) to join the machines. This led me to another general question: In a migration scenario from SBS 2008/2011, would then all computers need to be unjoined and re-"connected"? He said no, the computers will show up properly in the Dashboard in the migration situation. Which led me to point out to him that that would imply to me that there is a way to fix this on the server without going through the whole process of unjoining and reconnecting. If the migration can do it, why can't I? He didn't answer this any different so i didn't push it. But anyway, thats the official Microsoft word. If anyone knows of a way to do this without unjoin and reconnect of each workstation, i would love to know!

Kyle

• Marked as answer by KyleHansen14 Tuesday, July 08, 2014 8:11 PM

You can also use a powershell command to get them in the dashboard but they just don't do the client backup.

If you want client backup - do the connect.

The migration is looking for certain AD attributes.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn391004.aspx

Thanks Kyle for posting your findings to your question #1 above about how to change Anywhere Access website behavior from remotely accessing only the server's dashboard app to using full RDP/terminal services directly into server (without launching dashboard).  I just setup my first Server 2012 R2 Essentials system and had same question and also couldn't find how to enable RDP into server directly from web page similar to other client computers until I found this thread.  I agree that setting location isn't very obvious.   But I also admit that I do find behavior when running remote apps (like Dashboard) in individual local windows a pretty neat feature.  So I might experiment with that more.