Thank you for your response. I read the knowledge base article you cited and
followed its instructions for opening a console session on the Windows 2003
Server. On my client laptop computer, I entered in the command prompt, mstsc
-v:servername /F –console. I connected OK but when I ran the set command on
the server, the session name was the same, namely SESSIONNAME=RDP-Tcp#13 and
not SESSIONNAME=Console, as I believe it should be. Do you know what may be
the problem?

"Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:

> The advantages of connecting to the console session are:
> * some applications are not TS aware and display warnings and
> errors only in the console session. You wouldn't see those when you
> connected with a normal session.
> * when Terminal Services is installed, all connections need a TS
> CAL, except the console session. But this doesn't apply to you,
> since you only use Remote Desktop for Administration, so you have 3
> license-free sessions (2 normal + the console).
>
> Check this as well:
> 278845 - How to Connect to and Shadow the Console Session with
> Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=278845
>
> _________________________________________________________
> Vera Noest
> MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___
>
> =?Utf-8?B?cmNpcjg4?= <rcir88 DeleteThis @discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on
> 28 mar 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:
>
> > I have Windows 2003 Server, Standard Edition and frequently
> > remote desktop into it to perform various tasks. I understand
> > that if I wish to install certain programs and do some other
> > tasks, I should be connected remotely in console mode. If I
> > open the command prompt and enter “set”, I see that
> > “SESSIONNAME=RDP-Tcp#13”. If I want to change to a console
> > session as opposed to a virtual session, I’ve seen on the
> > internet that I enter “mstsc /console” in the command
> > prompt. How do I switch back to the virtual session and what
> > are the advantages and disadvantages to connecting in either
> > mode.
>

There is no problem. You're looking at the wrong variable.
Use "query session" instead, you'll see that you have session ID 0
and that the console session has the status "Connected".

Here's an example, with 1 normal session (user abc123) and one
console session (user vera):

C:\Documents and Settings\vera>query session
SESSIONNAME USERNAME ID STATE TYPE DEVICE
>rdp-tcp#4 vera 0 Active rdpwd
rdp-tcp 65536 Listen rdpwd
rdp-tcp#2 abc123 1 Active rdpwd
console 4 Conn wdcon
_________________________________________________________
Vera Noest
MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___

=?Utf-8?B?cmNpcjg4?= <rcir88.RemoveThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on
29 mar 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:

> Thank you for your response. I read the knowledge base article
> you cited and followed its instructions for opening a console
> session on the Windows 2003 Server. On my client laptop
> computer, I entered in the command prompt, mstsc -v:servername
> /F –console. I connected OK but when I ran the set command on
> the server, the session name was the same, namely
> SESSIONNAME=RDP-Tcp#13 and not SESSIONNAME=Console, as I believe
> it should be. Do you know what may be the problem?
>
> "Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:
>
>> The advantages of connecting to the console session are:
>> * some applications are not TS aware and display warnings and
>> errors only in the console session. You wouldn't see those when
>> you connected with a normal session.
>> * when Terminal Services is installed, all connections need a
>> TS CAL, except the console session. But this doesn't apply to
>> you, since you only use Remote Desktop for Administration, so
>> you have 3 license-free sessions (2 normal + the console).
>>
>> Check this as well:
>> 278845 - How to Connect to and Shadow the Console Session with
>> Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services
>> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=278845
>>
>> _________________________________________________________
>> Vera Noest
>> MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
>> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
>> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___
>>
>> =?Utf-8?B?cmNpcjg4?= <rcir88.RemoveThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
>> on 28 mar 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:
>>
>> > I have Windows 2003 Server, Standard Edition and frequently
>> > remote desktop into it to perform various tasks. I
>> > understand that if I wish to install certain programs and do
>> > some other tasks, I should be connected remotely in console
>> > mode. If I open the command prompt and enter
>> > “set”, I see that
>> > “SESSIONNAME=RDP-Tcp#13”. If I want to change to
>> > a console session as opposed to a virtual session,
>> > I’ve seen on the internet that I enter “mstsc
>> > /console” in the command prompt. How do I switch back
>> > to the virtual session and what are the advantages and
>> > disadvantages to connecting in either mode.

Thank you.

"Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:

> There is no problem. You're looking at the wrong variable.
> Use "query session" instead, you'll see that you have session ID 0
> and that the console session has the status "Connected".
>
> Here's an example, with 1 normal session (user abc123) and one
> console session (user vera):
>
> C:\Documents and Settings\vera>query session
> SESSIONNAME USERNAME ID STATE TYPE DEVICE
> >rdp-tcp#4 vera 0 Active rdpwd
> rdp-tcp 65536 Listen rdpwd
> rdp-tcp#2 abc123 1 Active rdpwd
> console 4 Conn wdcon
> _________________________________________________________
> Vera Noest
> MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___
>
> =?Utf-8?B?cmNpcjg4?= <rcir88.RemoveThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote on
> 29 mar 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:
>
> > Thank you for your response. I read the knowledge base article
> > you cited and followed its instructions for opening a console
> > session on the Windows 2003 Server. On my client laptop
> > computer, I entered in the command prompt, mstsc -v:servername
> > /F –console. I connected OK but when I ran the set command on
> > the server, the session name was the same, namely
> > SESSIONNAME=RDP-Tcp#13 and not SESSIONNAME=Console, as I believe
> > it should be. Do you know what may be the problem?
> >
> > "Vera Noest [MVP]" wrote:
> >
> >> The advantages of connecting to the console session are:
> >> * some applications are not TS aware and display warnings and
> >> errors only in the console session. You wouldn't see those when
> >> you connected with a normal session.
> >> * when Terminal Services is installed, all connections need a
> >> TS CAL, except the console session. But this doesn't apply to
> >> you, since you only use Remote Desktop for Administration, so
> >> you have 3 license-free sessions (2 normal + the console).
> >>
> >> Check this as well:
> >> 278845 - How to Connect to and Shadow the Console Session with
> >> Windows Server 2003 Terminal Services
> >> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=278845
> >>
> >> _________________________________________________________
> >> Vera Noest
> >> MCSE, CCEA, Microsoft MVP - Terminal Server
> >> TS troubleshooting: http://ts.veranoest.net
> >> ___ please respond in newsgroup, NOT by private email ___
> >>
> >> =?Utf-8?B?cmNpcjg4?= <rcir88.RemoveThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote
> >> on 28 mar 2008 in microsoft.public.windows.terminal_services:
> >>
> >> > I have Windows 2003 Server, Standard Edition and frequently
> >> > remote desktop into it to perform various tasks. I
> >> > understand that if I wish to install certain programs and do
> >> > some other tasks, I should be connected remotely in console
> >> > mode. If I open the command prompt and enter
> >> > “set”, I see that
> >> > “SESSIONNAME=RDP-Tcp#13”. If I want to change to
> >> > a console session as opposed to a virtual session,
> >> > I’ve seen on the internet that I enter “mstsc
> >> > /console” in the command prompt. How do I switch back
> >> > to the virtual session and what are the advantages and
> >> > disadvantages to connecting in either mode.
>