Remote Desktop Connection - Connecting by entering a URL vs IP Address

Question

Hi everyone,

We use a Remote Desktop Connection to connect to a central server, as our staff work from home. I have a quick question - right now, my team has to enter an IP address in to RDC to connect. Is there a way that they can enter something such as: Remote.domainname.ca rather then 000.000.000.000? If so, can anyone give the steps (in a 'guide for dummy' version) on how to set that up? Does our VPS vendor need to make any adjustments, etc.

It would make it much easier for our staff to type in something easy, rather than a bunch of numbers.

(Just for the record - we are a 'small' charity working with an IT company that has donated their services, so - we don't formally have an IT department, and rely on mostly in-kind support when it comes to tech things - so if this is a bit of a process, I'll likely have to reach out to a few contacts in the IT sector, to assist us - so please don't respond with 'contact IT' :))

Answer 1

Hello,

It is available to use a domain name instead of an IP address or computer name when connecting via Remote Desktop Connection. This can be achieved by setting up a Domain Name System (DNS) record that points to the IP address of your server.

You need to register a domain name with a registrar of your choice. Then, create a DNS record (like an A record or CNAME record) that points your domain (e.g., remote.domainname.ca) to the IP address of your server. Once the DNS changes have propagated, your team should be able to connect to the server using the domain name.

Here is a reference: https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/319/2237/how-can-i-set-up-an-a-address-record-for-my-domain( Please note that the website is not the official website of Microsoft, pay attention to screening information when browsing )

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I hope this helps.

Regards