How to allow concurrent access to a single VM

Dion Van Overdijk 0

when a user logs into a single VM I can login the same VM but as part of that process it stops the original user gets disconnected.

1 answer

Daniel Alejandro Rivera Dominguez 415 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-02-23T14:17:04.3166667+00:00

Hello Dion, Welcome to the Q&A forums. It could be beneficial to know more details of your situation like OS and such.

The general answer is that only one local login is allowed, and one through RDP. Any additional login results in disconnecting the older active session. Things get complicated when you add other types of connections, such as file-sharing connections or Administrator accounts.

If you use RDP, the limit of all concurrent "connections" is typically 20, but for full user login it's only 1, as described above.

In theory you could both be Administrators, allowing for both of you to connect to the VM, or just one user and one Admin. If you need multiple concurrent user sessions in the same VM, you will need a Windows Server OS and use Remote Desktop Services to create a remote desktop session pool. It does require some prior reading to understand how to deploy it, but all documentation is publicly available.
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Dion Van Overdijk 0 Reputation points

2024-02-23T15:28:21.5433333+00:00

We have access to Microsoft Azure and as part of this VM's have been created by our department that are based on MS Windows 7 and others Windows 10. The "sell" for this use initially was to cover for teaching from home during lockdown and we had hoped that we could help students remotely with issues. The students (and I) all have the same username and password but each students (me too) are assigned their own VM from the pool. I can start and stop all VM's at specified time or the students can start it individually. When a students logs into a VM they do their work and if they come across an issue they would call me (though email). When I then go to my management page and click on their VM and start a login they will be kicked out. If they subsequently try to get back in again I will get kicked out. Is there a solution and if so what is it?

Daniel Alejandro Rivera Dominguez 415 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-02-23T15:49:18.88+00:00

Hello, yes I understand your scenario. Each user session has a limit of one user login. This is by design. The issue happens because you are connecting with a non-Administrator user profile. Administrator accounts can login and connect to an active session without kicking the previous user.

In any case, there are multiple workarounds for this, for example you can connect via screenshare if you only need to supervise, or use other software to do a remote control of the machine.

The most direct solution is to just use a domain admin account if you can. But even using the Teams screen sharing can work in place of using a full login.

Dion Van Overdijk 0 Reputation points

2024-02-24T11:21:04.58+00:00

Thanks Daniel My College is unlikely going to give me an administrator account so I will have to use the suggested work arounds, much obliged for your help. My students and I are setting up our own server with VM's so I will see if I can make the administrator access work on that. Dion

Daniel Alejandro Rivera Dominguez 415 Reputation points Microsoft Vendor

2024-02-26T08:19:06.3466667+00:00

Hello Dion, glad I managed to help. If you have the chance, please select "Accept Answer" so your question is tagged as resolved and people with the same problem can find and maybe resolve a similar issue.
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