Step-by-step help for your hosting

• Use sconfig to manage Windows Server quickly

  sconfig is a numbered text menu for the core settings of Windows Server. Learn each option and why it is handy inside the browser console when Remote Desktop is not available.

  BeginnerWindows server5 min read

• Create and edit.rdp files: the settings that matter

  An.rdp file is a plain text list of Remote Desktop settings. Learn the lines that matter, from the address with port 3389 to screen mode, redirection and reconnect.

  IntermediateWindows server5 min read

• Create system users for apps and services

  Run each app on your Linux VPS under its own system account with no password and no shell, so a bug or breach in one app cannot take over the whole server.

  IntermediateLinux server4 min read

• Share local drives with your server over Remote Desktop

  Make your PC's drives or a single folder appear inside your Remote Desktop session through drive redirection and \\tsclient, with notes on speed and security.

  BeginnerWindows server5 min read

• Remote Desktop mstsc command-line options explained

  Learn the mstsc switches that matter, from /v with port 3389 to /admin, /f, /w, /h, /multimon, /public and /edit, and turn them into one-click shortcuts.

  IntermediateWindows server5 min read

• Close unused ports and disable unneeded services on Linux

  Fewer running services means fewer things to patch and attack. List what listens on your VPS, disable what you do not use, bind private services to localhost and firewall the rest.

  BeginnerLinux server5 min read

• NAT, masquerade and port forwarding with nftables

  Use nftables to masquerade VPN clients out through your VPS and forward ports to a backend with DNAT. Includes IP forwarding, forward chain rules and a complete VPN gateway ruleset.

  AdvancedLinux server5 min read

• Common server ports and what uses them

  A practical list of the ports you meet on a VPS, from SSH and web to mail, databases and Remote Desktop, with the protocol and whether each should be public or private.

  Beginner5 min read

• Edit the sudoers file safely with visudo

  Change who can use sudo without breaking it. Learn the sudoers syntax, use visudo and drop-in files in /etc/sudoers.d, and grant full or limited admin rights.

  IntermediateLinux server5 min read

• Create an SFTP-only user limited to one folder

  Give someone file access over SFTP without a shell, locked inside one folder. Configure internal-sftp with a Match block, set the chroot ownership right and test with WinSCP.

  AdvancedLinux server5 min read

• Lock, unlock or disable a Linux user account

  Stop a Linux user from logging in without deleting them. Lock the password, expire the account, set a nologin shell, check the status and unlock it again later.

  BeginnerLinux server5 min read

• View and rotate Docker container logs

  Read, follow and filter Docker container logs, then set log rotation with max-size and max-file so container logs never fill your VPS disk again.

  BeginnerLinux server4 min read

• What is RDP? Remote Desktop explained for beginners

  A beginner's guide to the Remote Desktop Protocol: what you see when you connect, which app to use on each device, and which port Remote Desktop listens on.

  BeginnerWindows server4 min read

• Use Remote Desktop from Windows 10 or 11 Home

  Windows 10 and 11 Home can connect to a remote server with Remote Desktop. Here is how to connect to IP:3389 and why Home cannot accept incoming RDP.

  BeginnerWindows server5 min read

• Redirect USB devices, webcams and smart cards over RDP

  Learn what USB, webcam and smart card redirection can and cannot do over Remote Desktop to a VPS, how to turn each one on, and why some devices will never work remotely.

  AdvancedWindows server5 min read

• Speed up Remote Desktop on a slow or mobile connection

  Make RDP usable on weak Wi-Fi, hotel networks or a phone hotspot by tuning connection speed, colour depth, visual effects, caching and resolution, then measuring the result.

  IntermediateWindows server4 min read

• Print from your remote server to a local printer over Remote Desktop

  Turn on RDP printer redirection so documents on your Windows server print on the printer next to you, and fix a printer that does not show up in the session.

  IntermediateWindows server5 min read

• Tunnel Remote Desktop port 3389 through SSH

  Carry Remote Desktop inside an encrypted SSH connection to your Windows VPS, connect mstsc to localhost, and only then tighten public access to port 3389.

  AdvancedWindows server5 min read

• Keyboard shortcuts inside a Remote Desktop session

  The Remote Desktop shortcuts that replace Windows keys inside a session, such as Ctrl+Alt+End and Alt+Page Up, plus the setting that decides where key combinations go.

  BeginnerWindows server5 min read

• Switch between full screen and window in Remote Desktop

  Toggle Remote Desktop between full screen and a window with Ctrl+Alt+Break, pin or hide the connection bar, and move quickly between local and remote apps.

  BeginnerWindows server5 min read

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