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Connecting to a bach(elor) server from MacOS
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
The best way to open a graphics-based RDP session from MacOS is to use Microsoft Remote Desktop (download here).
For security reasons you first have to open an ssh connection to the bachelor server of choice. Open a terminal or xterm and start an ssh session with the option -L to allow the xrdp protocol communication to pass through SSH, for example:
ssh -L 12345:localhost:3389 -l <username> bach1.strw.leidenuniv.nl
Accept the key (only asked when connecting to a new server) and enter your password. What happens is that the internet protocol (IP) port on which RDP communication takes place (3389) is connected from the bachelor server through ssh to IP port 12345 of your own computer (can effectively be any number >= 10000). Note that we don't need to include the -X option with ssh, as we do not require any X-windows communication.
Now start Microsoft Remote Desktop.
Click on the + in the upper left part of the window and select Add PC (see left image; click to enlarge).
At the top, after PC name:, enter localhost:12345 (or whatever number you used when starting the ssh session).
Under Display for the Resolution: select anything else than Default for this display (for example, 1920×1080). Note that a different display size leads to a different session being started.
Also under Display you can select or deselect the Start session in full screen, depending on your preference.
When done, press Add at the bottom right.
Double-click on the new PC.
Enter your credentials and press Continue.
Press Continue when it complains about about the certificate.
