A Service-Centric Approach to Resolving Connectivity Hurdles / "Your Remote Desktop Services session has ended"

When the company owner contacted me, distressed over an inability to connect remotely to the server and confronted by the cryptic message, "Your Remote Desktop Services session has ended, possibly for one of the following reasons: The administrator has ended the session. An error occurred while establishing the connection. A network problem occurred. The solutions we have presented below can help you resolve the issue" a puzzle beckoned to be unraveled.

 The error message itself presented a spectrum of potential culprits, from administrative actions to network glitches. Familiar troubleshooting suggestions, ranging from disabling the WDDM driver to tinkering with network properties, littered the digital landscape. Tempting as these solutions were, a prudent pause proved invaluable.

Rather than hastily diving into the trove of suggested fixes, I opted to test the waters firsthand. Attempting to log in from my own computer unveiled a disheartening truth: the issue persisted. This revelation was crucial; it safeguarded against a blind pursuit of generic solutions that might have been mismatched to the problem at hand. The predicament was not exclusive to the owner's system but was a systemic hiccup affecting multiple users.

As time elapsed, the chorus of users reporting the same connectivity conundrum grew. Despite a diligent quest for assistance on the vast expanse of the internet, a satisfactory solution remained elusive. It was only when I delved into the system's underpinnings that the needle in the haystack emerged: services.

The heart of the matter, it turned out, was nestled in the intricate web of services that underpin Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) functionality. A hiccup or malfunction in these crucial background services proved to be the elusive foe causing our remote connection woes.

The takeaway from this saga is clear: when wrestling with RDP connectivity issues, don't overlook the often-overlooked – services. These silent workers in the background wield considerable influence over the seamless functioning of remote connections. Verifying the status of services integral to RDP, such as "Remote Desktop Services" and "Remote Desktop Configuration," is a prudent first step.

In sharing this experience, I hope to spare others the labyrinthine journey I undertook. So, if the enigmatic "Your Remote Desktop Services session has ended" message casts its shadow over your connectivity aspirations, heed the call to inspect your services. It might just be the beacon guiding you out of the connectivity maze and towards a smoother remote desktop experience for all.

 

When dealing with Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) issues, it's essential to ensure that the relevant services are functioning properly. Here are some critical RDP-related services that you should check:

1. Remote Desktop Services (RDS):

   • This service is fundamental for RDP functionality. Ensure that both the "Remote Desktop Services" and "Remote Desktop Services UserMode Port Redirector" services are running.

2. Remote Desktop Configuration:

   • The "Remote Desktop Configuration" service is responsible for configuring various aspects of the Remote Desktop Services. Confirm that this service is set to "Automatic" and is currently running.

3. Remote Desktop Services UserMode Port Redirector:

   • This service, often abbreviated as UmRdpService, allows a user to control a remote desktop session. Verify that it's set to start automatically and is running.

4. Remote Desktop Services UserMode Port Redirector Helper:

   • This service supports the Remote Desktop Services UserMode Port Redirector. Ensure that it's set to start automatically and is running.

5. Remote Procedure Call (RPC):

   • RDP relies on the RPC service. Confirm that the "Remote Procedure Call (RPC)" service is running, as it plays a crucial role in facilitating communication between applications on different computers.

To check and manage these services:

• Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type services.msc, and press Enter.
• Look for the services mentioned above and ensure their status is set to "Running" and their startup type is configured as "Automatic."

By confirming the status and configuration of these services, you address a foundational aspect of RDP functionality. If any of these services are not running, attempt to start them manually. If issues persist, further investigation or consultation with IT support may be necessary to pinpoint and resolve the root cause of the RDP problem.

Add email alias via Atribute Editor in Active Directory

 In my case, in a mixed environment, I can't add an alias via Exchange online, and we don't have an exchange on promises.

AD Sync pushes the attributes from AD to 365 so... if you no longer have an on-prem Exchange server, that's fine... use Active Directory's attribute editor like you did before Exchange started allowing these aliases added directly in the EAC. Jump into your domain controller, open ADUC and open the user. Click the Attribute Editor and add your aliases there. 

Email address type update failed

Error:

Error executing request. An Azure Active Directory call was made to keep object in sync between Azure Active Directory and Exchange Online. However, it failed. Detailed error message: Unable to update the specified properties for on-premises mastered Directory Sync objects or objects currently undergoing migration. DualWrite (Graph) RequestId: 9ee1a32f-ae47-4171-ad6b-ed0a1956a05e The issue may be transient and please retry a couple of minutes later. If issue persists, please see exception members for more information.

To add an alias email we have to navigate to the attribute editor, if you can't see this tab, its probably because Advanced Fitures is not enabled.  You can do this by clicking on the View menu button, and in the drop-down, click on Advanced Features, which will put a tick next to it. Once enabled, you will see more folders in Active Directory appear.

Double-click on proxyAddresses and add in the address. You need to add SMTP: before the address,no spaces, for example, smtp:user@mycompany.com  

Forcing a sync or simply wait  

You can wait for autoreplication or force an Azure AD Sync. On the server where you have Azure AD connect installed, open up an elevated PowerShell window and type in the command below to force a sync:

Start-ADSyncSyncCycle -PolicyType Delta




Reconciling the DHCP Database

When inconsistencies in the DHCP database are detected, reconciliation of data across all scopes can resolve the problem. Lease information is stored in the database in two forms: detailed and summary. During reconciliation, these details are compared for contradiction. If found, the DHCP server either reverts the addresses  in question to the original owners or creates temporary reservations for them, valid for the assigned lease time. 

Access the DHCP console and select the relevant server from the console tree to perform reconciliation. 

On the 'Action' menu, click 'Reconcile All Scopes', then 'Verify'. 

Any inconsistencies are reported and can be fixed by clicking 'Reconcile'. 

If the database is found to be consistent, click OK.

To perform this process for an individual scope, click the applicable scope in the console tree, and from 'Actions', click 'Reconcile', and then 'Verify'. Any inconsistencies detected can be corrected by selecting the discrepancies and clicking 'Reconcile'.

"Hard match" for ADConnect

 

 

 

 

 

"Hard match" for ADConnect

 

 

On user properties  go down and find On-premises immutable ID (in this case is

QOqq1+9+7ESYAJc+xpRKAA==) of account that will be deleted.

 

Then collect Object ID from user that will stay

 

Pause synchronization by opening  Azure AD connect application

Delete 2 times user duplicate ( with no files attached)

Verify msds consistansy is not empty

 

 

If it empty  use object Duig to paste it to ms ds

 

 

 

Make sure user deleted twice ( from deleted users as well)

In case its not installed ( not Active directory teamstransport case)

install-module azuread

install-module msonline

 

 

 

Run only if session ended  ( computer restarted)

connect-azuread

 

connect-msolservice

 

 Set-AzureADUser -objectID XXXXXXX -ImmutableId XXXXXXX

Object ID its “good user” , and Immutebleld ID its from deleted user, replace and run sync

 

 

 

Set-AzureADUser -objectID 6215c50a-242a-4723-89aa-xxxxxxxxxxxx -ImmutableId LBWfMzBWxxxxxxxxxfaWSILpw==

 

 

Start-ADSyncSyncCycle Delta

Run Synchronization Service Manage  to monitor synchronization

Change number of monitors at Remote Desktop session

The connection settings are saved to a hidden RDP file in the Documents folder by default. So, you can also open this file with a text editor and directly edit the values there to set up the multi monitor remote connection. Here are the steps to do so:

1. Navigate to the Documents folder and make sure Show hidden items is enabled.
   
2. Open the RDP file with a text editor, add the following line, and then save the file:
   use multimon:i:1
   
3. If the display order is incorrect, execute the mstsc /l command in CMD to view all the monitors on your system. They’ll be listed as 0, 1, 2, and so on.
   
4. Next, you can adjust the values for the selectedmonitors line to rearrange the monitors in the correct order.
5. For instance, if you have 3 monitors listed as selectedmonitors:s:0,1,2, you could edit it to selectedmonitors:s:1,2,0 to change the display order, or selectedmonitors:s:0,2 to use 2 of 3 monitors.
6. Remember to save the settings once you figure out the correct order.