Unable to log into Dev environment via LCS

Question

Hello,

We manage our own environments. Our Dev Machines are scheduled to go offline at 7:00PM.

To log back, one needs to STOP and START the Instance.

I did that several times, but I still get the same error (please see below).

I also tried RPD and was not able to get into the Dev Machine.

Please let me know what I need to do.

I had access to my Dev environment last week.

Answer 1

Hello Usman Syal,

Greetings! Thanks for raising this question in the Q&A forum.

The issue you are facing is most likely happening because when the Dev VM is auto-shut down on a schedule, simply doing a Stop and Start from LCS is sometimes not enough. The VM may appear "Running" in LCS but the Remote Desktop (RDP) service or the network-level authentication inside the VM may not have fully recovered. Also, if the VM was stopped directly from the Azure Portal instead of through LCS, LCS may not reflect the correct status, which can cause further confusion.

Here are the steps you can follow to get back into your Dev environment:

1. Verify the VM status in Azure Portal directly. Go to https://portal.azure.com, navigate to "Virtual Machines," and find your Dev VM. Check if the status shows "Running." If it shows "Stopped (deallocated)," start it from here rather than through LCS, then wait 2 to 3 minutes for the VM to fully boot up.
2. Re-download the RDP file from LCS. Once the VM is confirmed running, log in to https://lcs.dynamics.com, open your project, go to your Dev environment, and click on the VM name to download a fresh RDP file. Do not reuse an old RDP file as it may have stale connection details.
3. Use the correct credentials. When connecting via RDP, make sure you are using the credentials shown under "Environment Details" in LCS (usually the local admin username and password listed there). Avoid using your Microsoft/organizational account unless your setup specifically requires it.
4. Check Network Security Group (NSG) rules. In the Azure Portal, go to your VM's Networking settings and confirm that inbound port 3389 (RDP) is allowed. If it is blocked or missing, add an inbound rule to allow TCP port 3389 from your IP address.
5. Try connecting via Azure Bastion if RDP keeps failing. In the Azure Portal, select your VM and click "Connect," then choose "Bastion" if it is available in your subscription. This allows you to connect directly through the browser without needing RDP port access.
6. Reset the RDP configuration if the above steps do not work. In the Azure Portal, go to your VM, click on "Help" in the left panel, and select "Reset password" or "Reset remote access." Choose "Reset configuration only" to restart the RDP listener service inside the VM without changing any credentials.
7. Check the Windows license status. In some LCS-managed Dev VMs, the Windows Server license can expire after a period of inactivity. If you can connect via Azure Bastion, open a Command Prompt as Administrator and run slmgr /rearm followed by a restart. This refreshes the Windows activation state.
8. Raise a support ticket if none of the above resolves the issue. Go to https://portal.azure.com, click "Help + Support," and create a new support request for your VM. Include your Subscription ID, VM name, Resource Group, and the exact error message you are seeing. The Azure Support team can investigate the VM's boot diagnostics and serial console logs to identify the root cause.

For additional reference, please check this Microsoft documentation on RDP troubleshooting: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/azure/virtual-machines/windows/troubleshoot-rdp-connection

If this answer helps you kindly accept the answer which will help others who have similar questions.

Best Regards,

Jerald Felix.