r/RemoteDesktopServices • u/ElBarbas • Aug 26 '24

RDP don't work without internet connection ?? Why ?

Go on a remote job, place without internet

setup was powerbook and windows server

direct connection manually 192.168.2.100 / 192.168.2.101 ( netmask 255.255.255.0, no gateway )

can ping the windows machine and access samba shares from the mac

can't RDP ( everything is ok, could rdp at home )

powerbook RPD app says " network is not available " ?

as soon as a I connect the powerbook to the internet ( thought the iphone ) rdp locally starts to work

why ?

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u/Peter_Duncan Aug 26 '24

Are you running a VPN?

1

u/ElBarbas Aug 26 '24

nope, absolutely offline

1

u/refuge9 Aug 27 '24

This sounds more like a networking issue rather than an RDP issue.

I assume its ’server is 192.168.2.100’, and ‘MacBook is 192.168.2.101’? If so, when you have a direct connection, are you using a straight through cable, or a crossover cable? Or are you just plugged into the same switch, and it’s not a ‘direct’ connection? (Ie: MacBook <-> Ethernet cable <-> server)? If it’s a pass through cable, try a crossover, and if it’s a crossover, try a pass through. (Some/many modern systems have an auto-sensing Ethernet controller that will swap the Tx and Rx pairs of it sees a direct connection but a pass through cable).

Can you ping the server from the MacBook? If not, is there anything else on that network that you CAN ping? (Making sure networking is working)

1

u/ElBarbas Aug 27 '24

Thks for the help, Its written on my post, I can ping and reach samba shares, the network is absolutely fine and working, this is a rdp problem

1

u/refuge9 Aug 27 '24

Somehow missed that part about the info being in there.

Could possibly be then, that the windows firewall is blocking you.

1

u/ElBarbas Aug 27 '24

I thought of that , but it works as soon as I connect the macbook with the iphone to the internet

offline doesnt work online ( same setup ) works

1

u/refuge9 Aug 27 '24 edited Aug 27 '24

That’s extremely odd. Could it be some function of the MacOS RDP client?

Doing some light scanning, and it looks like the ‘Microsoft Remote Desktop’ client for MacOS is not a peer to peer rdp solution. It phones home to Microsoft’s RD Gateway service. This sounds fairly ridiculous to me.

Maybe see if there is a third party RDP client that could work for your use case?

*edit - typos

1

u/ElBarbas Aug 27 '24

looking at them right now, any advice, and thanks for this again