sometimes all you need to do is connect to a virtual machine, which can be found on your own PC or in a Hyper-V install on a different PC or server in your environment. When you want to just work with a single virtual machine that’s already created and configured, you can use Hyper-V Virtual Machine Connection (VMC) instead of Hyper-V Manager.
As you can see in Figure 14-12, VMC looks an awful lot like the desktop version of the Remote Desktop Connection utility from Windows 7 (which can be found in Windows 8 as well).
To connect to a virtual machine, you’ll need to select the server first. This can be a bit tiresome; if you don’t see the server name in the top drop-down list (named Server), choose the option called Browse for more, then click Advanced and then Find Now to search the local network for Hyper-V servers.
Figure 14-11: Virtual machines are often run in a window so you can access the host machine simultaneously.
Figure 14-12: Virtual Machine Connection
Then, select the virtual machine you wish to use from the Virtual Machine drop-down list and click OK to connect. When you do, VMC will resemble the Virtual Machine Connection window shown back in Figure 14-11. This gives you the opportunity to interactively access the virtual OS and its virtual apps and resources in a window on your host PC.
If it’s configured correctly, you can also connect to a virtual machine using Remote Desktop Connection (RDC). By configured correctly, we mean that it’s attached to the same network and includes remote desktop host functionality (see later in the chapter) that is enabled. You’ll also need the VM’s host name or IP address and the proper sign-in credentials.
VHD Shell Integration
Windows 8 now offers direct shell integration with VHD files, letting you seamlessly “mount” them as if they were physical disks and then browse through them using File Explorer. To do so, all you need to do is locate the VHD file in question in the filesystem—remember, you can create them with Hyper-V manager—and then double- click it in File Explorer. (Or, right-click and choose Mount.)
When you do, the VHD is mounted and made accessible as the next available drive letter, much as is the case when you insert a USB drive or memory stick. This can be seen in Figure 14-13.
Figure 14-13: Mounting a VHD as if it were a physical disk
OK, fine. But why do this? Working in virtual environments can sometimes be a lot slower than doing so with physical PCs and disks. By bridging the gap—accessing a virtual disk from your host, physical PC—you can perform actions like bulk file copies more quickly than if you do so from within a virtual OS. When you’re done, simply right-click the disk in Explorer and choose Eject to unmount it.
We describe Windows 8’s VHD shell integration further in Chapter 4.
Remote Desktop and Remote Desktop Host
All versions of Windows 8, including Windows RT, include the desktop-based Remote Desktop Connection software and have access to the free Metro-style Remote Desktop app from Windows Store, allowing you connect to remote computers using Microsoft’s RDC technology and access them through a window, much as you access virtual machines in a window using Hyper-V Manager or Hyper-V Virtual Machine Connection.
As a Metro-style app, Remote Desktop offers a full-screen experience and lets you configure multiple remote connections, though you can only access one at a time. The Remote Desktop interface can be seen in Figure 14-14.
Remote Desktop Connection is a bit more useful. It runs on the desktop, but you can run multiple instances of this application at a time and thus connect to multiple remote computers as well. Remote Desktop Connection can be seen in Figure 14-15.
Figure 14-14: The Metro-style Remote Desktop app
Figure 14-15: Connect to multiple remote machines simultaneously with RDC.
With Windows 8 Pro, you can also host remote connections, a feature that is generally available only on server operating systems like Windows Server 2012. That way, you or another user (with the proper credentials) could use Remote Desktop or Remote Desktop Connection to access your PC across the home network or, with a VPN solution (or Windows Server’s DirectAccess feature), across the Internet. This feature is called Remote Desktop Host.
To enable RDH, you need to access the System Properties window. But the easiest way to find this interface is to use Start Search: Type remote, select the Settings filter in the Search pane, and then choose the option called Allow remote access to your computer. The System Properties window, with the Remote tab preselected, will appear as shown in Figure 14-16.
By default, remote desktop connections are not allowed for security reasons. To enable this type of connection, choose one of the following options instead:
• Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop (less secure): While it’s possible you may want to choose this option, only do so if you’ll be connecting to your PC from a very old PC running Windows XP or Vista, a non-Windows PC running some other OS, or a mobile device like an iPad.
• Allow connections only from computers running Remote Desktop with Network Level Authentication (more secure): If you will be connecting to your PC from a PC running Windows 7 or Windows 8 (or Windows Server 2008 R2 or 2012), this is the way to go. These OSes support Network Level Authentication (NLA), and this will provide you with a more secure connection in which you’re authenticated against the remote PC
There’s an additional layer of complexity that occurs if you wish to access a home computer that is sitting behind a router of some kind from outside your home, perhaps from work. To do this, you will need additional software, such as a Virtual Private Network (VPN), or you will need to configure your router to allow such a connection. Since the latter is complex and router-specific, we recommend the former. LogMeIn Hamachi (logmein.com) is a great option for this, and it’s free for noncommercial use.
Figure 14-16: You configure RDH from this, ahem, remote location.
Optionally, you can further lock down the RDH by specifying which users can access the PC. That is, when you use Remote Desktop or RDC to connect to your PC, you will be prompted to supply a username and password. By default, the currently signed-in user is automatically OK’d at the time you enable RDH. But if you want to
