• Remote Desktop Connection For Mac To Windows
• Remote Desktop Connections For Mac
• Microsoft Remote Connection For Mac

Mac users work in their native Unix environment are familiar with using the terminal to SSH into their Linux-based servers. When using a Mac to log into a Windows environment, or vice versa, the task is performed differently. Window machines use a different protocol, one aptly named RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol). For our tutorial, we’ll explore how to use your Mac to connect to a Windows server. Let’s get started!

On your Mac, choose Apple menu System Preferences, click Sharing, then select Remote Login. Open the Remote Login pane of Sharing preferences for me. Select the Remote Login checkbox. Selecting Remote Login also enables the secure FTP (sftp) service. Apr 10, 2020 If the connection is successful, you can then begin controlling your remote Mac using Mac terminal commands. Once you’re done, type exit to disconnect. The Best Tools for Remote Connections on macOS. Thanks to these options, you can connect to another Mac remotely using another Mac or any other device with a VNC or SSH client installed. Mac users are able to use screen sharing tools that are built solely for MacBooks and iMacs to set up remote connections, yet the limitation with this is that both devices must be on the same local network for the screen sharing to work. While port forwarding can be set up to get around this, it requires considerable technical know-how to set up.

Pre-flight

• Mac OS X El Capitan – Version 10.11.16 and above
• Windows VPS Server 2016 and it’s IP address

Step 1: Open Finder >> Applications >> App Store. We’ll be going to the App Store to download Microsoft Remote Desktop.

Step 2. Use the search bar to locate Microsoft’s Remote Desktop. Select Get >> Install App. After installed, click on the Microsoft Remote Desktop icon in your Applications folder.

Remote Desktop Connection For Mac To Windows

Step 3: Launch the app by finding it in your Applications folder.

Step 4: For our connection select + New and fill out the information in the highlighted boxes for the Windows server.Connection Name: A nickname to identify this connection

PC Name: Window’s server IP address

User Name: Administrator

It seems counter-intuitive but close the edit window to save the settings. Immediately, you’ll see the server show up in our My Desktops list.

Step 5: Click on the server name to connect to your Windows environment. If all the information was correctly entered you’ll see the Window’s environment with the familiar Windows desktop background.

Would you like to know more about how to connect your Mac to Windows? Open a ticket with us at support@liquidweb.com, give us a call at 800-580-4985 or open a chat with us to speak to one of our Level 3 Windows Support Admins today!

This guide describes how to use Pair to Mac to connect Visual Studio 2019to a Mac build host. The same instructions apply to Visual Studio 2017.

Overview

Building native iOS applications requires access to Apple's build tools,which only run on a Mac. Because of this, Visual Studio 2019 must connect toa network-accessible Mac to build Xamarin.iOS applications.

Visual Studio 2019's Pair to Mac feature discovers, connects to,authenticates with, and remembers Mac build hosts so that Windows-basediOS developers can work productively.

Pair to Mac enables the following development workflow:

• Developers can write Xamarin.iOS code in Visual Studio 2019.

• Visual Studio 2019 opens a network connection to a Mac build host anduses the build tools on that machine to compile and sign the iOS app.

• There is no need to run a separate application on the Mac – VisualStudio 2019 invokes Mac builds securely over SSH.

• Visual Studio 2019 is notified of changes as soon as they happen. Forexample, when an iOS device is plugged in to the Mac or becomes availableon the network, the iOS Toolbar updates instantly.

• Multiple instances of Visual Studio 2019 can connect to the Macsimultaneously.

• It's possible to use the Windows command-line to build iOS applications.

Note

Before following the instructions in this guide, complete the following steps:

• On a Windows machine, install Visual Studio 2019
• On a Mac, install Xcode and Visual Studio for Mac
  • You must manually open Xcode after installing so that it can add any additional components.

If you would prefer not to install Visual Studio for Mac, Visual Studio 2019can automatically configure the Mac build host with Xamarin.iOS and Mono.You must still install and run Xcode.For more information, see Automatic Mac provisioning.

Enable remote login on the Mac

To set up the Mac build host, first enable remote login:

1. On the Mac, open System Preferences and go to the Sharing pane.

2. Check Remote Login in the Service list.

   Make sure that it is configured to allow access for All users, orthat your Mac username or group is included in the list of allowedusers.

3. If prompted, configure the macOS firewall.

   If you have set the macOS firewall to block incoming connections, youmay need to allow mono-sgen to receive incoming connections. An alertappears to prompt you if this is the case.

4. If it is on the same network as the Windows machine, the Mac shouldnow be discoverable by Visual Studio 2019. If the Mac is still notdiscoverable, try manually adding a Mac or takea look at the troubleshooting guide.

Connect to the Mac from Visual Studio 2019

Now that remote login is enabled, connect Visual Studio 2019 to the Mac.

1. In Visual Studio 2019, open an existing iOS project or create a new oneby choosing File > New > Project and then selecting an iOS projecttemplate.

2. Open the Pair to Mac dialog.

   • Use the Pair to Mac button iOS toolbar:

   • Or, select Tools > iOS > Pair to Mac.

   • The Pair to Mac dialog displays a list of all previously-connectedand currently-available Mac build hosts:

3. Select a Mac in the list. Click Connect.

4. Enter your username and password.

   • The first time you connect to any particular Mac, you areprompted to enter your username and password for that machine:

     Tip

     When logging in, use your system username rather than full name.

   • Pair to Mac uses these credentials to create a new SSH connectionto the Mac. If it succeeds, a key is added to the authorized_keysfile on the Mac. Subsequent connections to the same Mac will loginautomatically.

5. Pair to Mac automatically configures the Mac.

   Starting with Visual Studio 2019 version15.6,Visual Studio 2019 installs or updates Mono and Xamarin.iOS on aconnected Mac build host as needed (note that Xcode must still beinstalled manually). See Automatic Macprovisioning for more details.

6. Look for the connection status icon.

   • When Visual Studio 2019 is connected to a Mac, that Mac's itemin the Pair to Mac dialog displays an icon indicating thatit is currently connected:

     There can be only one connected Mac at a time.

     Tip

     Right-clicking any Mac in the Pair to Mac list brings up a contextmenu that allows you to Connect..., Forget this Mac, orDisconnect:

     If you choose Forget this Mac, your credentials for the selectedMac will be forgotten. To reconnect to that Mac, you will need to re-enteryour username and password.

If you have successfully paired to a Mac build host, you are ready to buildXamarin.iOS apps in Visual Studio 2019. Take a look at theIntroduction to Xamarin.iOS for Visual Studioguide.

If you have not been able to pair a Mac, try manually adding aMac or take a look at the troubleshootingguide.

Manually add a Mac

If you do not see a particular Mac listed in the Pair to Mac dialog,add it manually:

1. Locate your Mac’s IP address.

   • Open System Preferences > Sharing > Remote Login on your Mac:

   • Alternatively, use the command line. In Terminal, issue this command:

     Depending on your network configuration, you may need to use aninterface name other than en0. For example: en1, en2, etc.

2. In Visual Studio 2019's Pair to Mac dialog, select Add Mac...:

3. Enter the Mac's IP address and click Add:

4. Enter your username and password for the Mac:

   Tip

   When logging in, use your system username rather than full name.

5. Click Login to connect Visual Studio 2019 to the Mac over SSH and addit to the list of known machines.

Automatic Mac provisioning

Starting with Visual Studio 2019 version 15.6,Pair to Mac automatically provisions a Mac with software necessary forbuilding Xamarin.iOS applications: Mono, Xamarin.iOS (the softwareframework, not the Visual Studio for Mac IDE), and various Xcode-relatedtools (but not Xcode itself).

Important

• Pair to Mac cannot install Xcode; you must manually install it on theMac build host. It is required for Xamarin.iOS development.
• Automatic Mac provisioning requires that remote login isenabled on the Mac, and the Mac must be network-accessible to the Windowsmachine. See Enabling remote login on the Macfor more details.
• Automatic Mac provisioning requires 3GB of free space on the Mac to install Xamarin.iOS.

Pair to Mac performs necessary software installations/updates when VisualStudio 2019 is connecting to theMac.

Mono

Pair to Mac will check to make sure that Mono is installed. If it is notinstalled, Pair to Mac will download and install the latest stable versionof Mono on the Mac.

Progress is indicated by various prompts, as shown by the followingscreenshots (click to zoom):

Xamarin.iOS

Pair to Mac upgrades Xamarin.iOS on the Mac to match the versioninstalled on the Windows machine.

Important

Pair to Mac will not downgrade Xamarin.iOS on the Mac from alpha/betato stable. If you have Visual Studio for Mac installed, set yourrelease channel asfollows:

• If you use Visual Studio 2019, select the Stable updates channel inVisual Studio for Mac.
• If you use Visual Studio 2019 Preview, select the Alpha updateschannel in Visual Studio for Mac.

Progress is indicated by various prompts, as shown by the followingscreenshots (click to zoom):

Xcode tools and license

Pair to Mac will also check to determine whether Xcode has been installedand its license accepted. While Pair to Mac does not install Xcode, itdoes prompt for license acceptance, as shown in the following screenshots(click to zoom):

Additionally, Pair to Mac will install or update various packagesdistributed with Xcode. For example:

• MobileDeviceDevelopment.pkg
• XcodeExtensionSupport.pkg
• MobileDevice.pkg
• XcodeSystemResources.pkg

The installation of these packages happens quickly and without a prompt.

Note

These tools are distinct from the Xcode Command Line Tools, whichas of macOS 10.9 areinstalled with Xcode.

Troubleshooting automatic Mac provisioning

If you encounter any trouble using automatic Mac provisioning, take a lookat the Visual Studio 2019 IDE logs, stored in%LOCALAPPDATA%XamarinLogs16.0. These logs may contain error messagesto help you better diagnose the failure or get support.

Build iOS apps from the Windows command-line

Pair to Mac supports building Xamarin.iOS applications from the commandline. For example:

The parameters passed to msbuild in the above example are:

• ServerAddress – The IP address of the Mac build host.
• ServerUser – The username to use when logging in to the Mac build host.Use your system username rather than your full name.
• ServerPassword – The password to use when logging in to the Mac build host.

Note

Visual Studio 2019 stores msbuild in the following directory:C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft Visual Studio2019<Version>MSBuildCurrentBin

The first time Pair to Mac logs in to a particular Mac build host fromeither Visual Studio 2019 or the command-line, it sets up SSH keys. With thesekeys, future logins will not require a username or password. Newlycreated keys are stored in %LOCALAPPDATA%XamarinMonoTouch.

If the ServerPassword parameter is omitted from a command-line buildinvocation, Pair to Mac attempts to log in to the Mac build hostusing the saved SSH keys.

Remote Desktop Connections For Mac

Summary

This article described how to use Pair to Mac to connect Visual Studio 2019 to aMac build host, enabling Visual Studio 2019 developers to build native iOSapplications with Xamarin.iOS.

Microsoft Remote Connection For Mac

Next steps