SDE Remote user guide
The guide provides step-by-step instructions for signing in, managing passwords, and navigating the SDE Remote app on Windows and Linux. It also covers security procedures and troubleshooting tips for end users and helpdesk staff.
How to sign in to SDE Remote, open your apps, desktop pools and remote desktops, move files and use the clipboard, and what to check when something doesn't open. For users and the helpdesk that supports them.
1. Signing in
- Open SDE Remote from the Start menu or Desktop (Windows) or the applications menu (Linux).
- The first time, enter the portal address your IT team gave you in Guacamole URL (Windows) or Server (Guacamole URL) (Linux), for example
https://sde.example.org/guacamole. The app remembers it. - Enter your Username and Password: your normal domain account. Usernames are not case-sensitive; the app always sends them in lower case.
- Select Sign in.
Your password stays in the app's memory while you're signed in, so that remote desktops can sign you in without asking again. It is never written to disk.
Leave Advanced closed unless IT asks you to change it. It holds the broker address (worked out from the portal address when empty) and a Trust invalid certificate tick box that is for test sites only.
2. New or expired password
If your password has expired, or IT has set it to change at next sign-in, a Change password window opens after you select Sign in:
- It says "your username, your password must be changed before you can sign in."
- Type a New password and the same again in Confirm new password. It must meet your organisation's rules for length, complexity and history.
- Select Change password. SDE Remote changes it and carries on signing you in with the new one.
The new password must be different from the old one. If the domain refuses it (too short, used before), the window shows the reason under "Couldn't change password"; try another. Cancel leaves you at the sign-in window with nothing changed.
SDE_LDAP_HOST setting). On other sites, an expired password is refused like a wrong one.3. Security operating procedures
Some sites ask you to accept their security operating procedures (SyOps) before you can use SDE Remote. If you haven't accepted the current version, they open after you sign in:
- Windows: a SyOps Agreement window shows the procedures. Read them and accept them on the page; the window closes by itself. Decline & sign out returns you to the sign-in window.
- Linux: the procedures open in their own window, and a small window says "Accept the SyOps to continue". Accept them on the page; SDE Remote carries on by itself. Open the page again reopens it if you closed it; Decline stops the sign-in.
If you decline, the sign-in stops with "You must accept the SyOps to use SDE Remote."
4. The main window
The heading Your services shows who you're signed in as, the app version, and a latency light: your network delay to the SDE gateway, updated every few seconds.
| Latency light | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green | Under 60 ms: good. |
| Orange | 60–150 ms: usable; video and fast scrolling may lag. |
| Red | Over 150 ms: slow. Pick a lower Connection quality in the tile's options. |
| Grey, no number | The gateway didn't answer within 2 seconds. Check your internet connection or VPN. |
The buttons at the top:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Cards / List | Tiles in a grid, or one row each. |
| S / L | Small or large tiles (card view only). |
| Admin | Only for SDE administrators: the Guacamole console and each SDE admin page installed on your site, already signed in. |
| Refresh | Loads your tiles again, for example after IT has given you something new. |
| About | The app version. |
| Sign out | Back to the sign-in window (section 12). |
The bar at the bottom of the window shows what the app is doing and any messages ("Launching …", "Opened …", errors). When IT has released a newer version, it says "SDE Remote x.y.z is available" after you sign in; click it to open the download page.
5. Tiles and their buttons
Each tile is one thing you can open. They're grouped into up to three sections; the headings appear when you have more than one kind:
| Section | What's in it |
|---|---|
| Apps | Published apps (vApps): one program, such as a browser for an old course site or a desktop application, without a whole desktop. |
| Desktop pools | A desktop from a pool. You get a free desktop of that kind, not a named machine. The tile shows how many are ready. |
| Remote desktops | Named computers and servers you connect to. |
Under the tile's name is what it offers, such as RDP, RDP · STREAM, SSH or DESKTOP POOL. The buttons on a tile depend on what it offers. Hover over a button to see its name:
| Button (tooltip) | Icon | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Native RDP | Monitor | Opens the computer or app in its own Remote Desktop window. The best choice for everyday work. |
| Native RDP options for this connection | Gear | Display, quality, scaling, keyboard and RDP client for this tile. See the settings reference. |
| Open in app | Globe | Opens the connection in SDE Remote's web window (the same session you'd get in a browser). |
| Connect to a desktop from this pool | Monitor | Desktop pools: gets you a desktop and opens it (section 7). Greyed out when all are in use. |
| Display options for this desktop pool | Gear | The same options as for Native RDP, for the pool. |
| Streaming remote | Play | Watches and controls a session that's already running on that computer, as a video stream. You must be signed in to it already, through Native RDP or the browser. |
| Streaming options for this desktop | Gear | Resolution, speed and scaling of the stream. |
Right-click a tile for Create desktop shortcut (Windows) or Create shortcut (Linux), and Copy link (section 11).
6. Native window or web window
Most remote desktops offer both. Use Native RDP unless you have a reason not to.
| Native RDP | Open in app (web window) | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs in | A Remote Desktop window (FreeRDP, bundled with SDE Remote) | An SDE Remote window showing the Guacamole web session |
| Picture and speed | RDP's own graphics codecs, set by the tile's Connection quality | Drawn by Guacamole in the web view |
| Multiple monitors | Yes (Full screen - all monitors) | One window |
| Clipboard and files | Your PC's clipboard and home folder, when allowed (section 10) | Through Guacamole's menu (Ctrl+Alt+Shift) |
| Full screen | Display option, or the keys in section 9 | F11; Esc or F11 to leave. On Windows the window also has Fullscreen (F11) and Exit buttons. |
| Other protocols | RDP only | Also SSH and VNC |
The web window has no right-click menu and no address bar. On Linux, files you download from a web session go to your ~/Downloads folder.
7. Desktop pools
A pool tile's status line tells you what to expect:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| n ready | Desktops are waiting. Yours opens in seconds. |
| Ready in a few minutes | A new desktop is being prepared. You can still click; the app waits for it. |
| All in use | The pool is full. The button is greyed out until a desktop is free. |
| Unavailable | The pool can't give out desktops at the moment. Tell IT. |
When you click the pool button, the status bar says "Finding you a … desktop…". If none is ready, it says "Preparing your … desktop. This can take a few minutes…" and keeps trying for up to 15 minutes. The desktop opens in a Remote Desktop window titled with the pool and desktop name.
Disconnecting and signing out
- Closing the desktop window (or losing your connection) only disconnects you. The desktop stays yours, with your programs still open, for the pool's disconnect limit (30 minutes unless IT has changed it). Click the pool again within that time to get the same desktop back.
- Signing out on the desktop itself (from its Start menu or session menu) ends your session. The desktop is wiped and replaced with a fresh one for the next person. Save your work to your network drive or home folder first.
- Clicking the pool while your desktop is already open says "Your desktop … is already open." Look for its window on your taskbar.
- Closing SDE Remote itself doesn't close the desktop windows you have open.
Some pools ask you to sign in on the desktop itself (often Linux desktops with a shared local account); then the desktop shows its own sign-in screen.
8. Apps (vApps)
Clicking an app tile opens only that program in its own window, not a whole desktop.
- An app set up to use your own account opens signed in as you. A shared (kiosk) app signs in with its own account. Some apps ask you for an account when they open.
- Apps from a Windows server (RDS RemoteApp) open as ordinary windows on your taskbar.
- Closing the app's window ends the session. If you reopen it soon, you may get the same session back.
- Web apps (an old course site, a browser-only tool) open in a locked-down browser that only goes to the sites the app allows.
9. Inside a session
Native sessions open in a window that follows its size (Window - dynamic resize) unless you've picked another display in the tile's options. SDE Remote has two RDP clients, and which one you're using decides how you leave full screen:
| Client | Used for | Full screen |
|---|---|---|
| SDL | Window displays (when the tile's RDP client is Automatic) | Ctrl+Alt+Enter switches between full screen and a window. |
| Classic | Full-screen displays, RemoteApps, and when SDL can't start | A bar at the top of the screen stays visible, with buttons to minimise or disconnect. |
- Several monitors: pick Full screen - all monitors in the tile's options. Full screen - this monitor uses one.
- Scaling: on a high-resolution screen the remote desktop is enlarged to match (Scale: Auto). Change it in the tile's options if text is too big or small.
- Keyboard: the remote computer gets a UK layout unless you pick another in the options. On Windows, the Classic client uses your PC's own layout instead.
- Network drops: the session reconnects by itself after a short drop (up to 20 tries).
10. Files, clipboard, sound and printing
Each connection decides what is shared between your PC and the session, and your site can switch any of these off for everyone. If one of them doesn't work, it's usually switched off on purpose: ask IT.
| Feature | When allowed |
|---|---|
| Clipboard | Copy and paste of text both ways between your PC and the session. It's either both ways or off: native sessions can't allow one direction only. |
| Files (drive) | Your home folder on your PC is shared into the session as a drive called Home:
|
| Sound | Sound from the session plays on your PC. Your microphone isn't passed to native sessions. |
| Printing | Your PC's printers appear in the session. |
Streaming has no clipboard, drive or printing: only the picture, sound, keyboard and mouse.
11. Shortcuts and links
Right-click a tile:
- Create desktop shortcut (Windows) puts an icon on your Desktop. Create shortcut (Linux) adds it to your applications menu and, if you have one, your Desktop.
- Copy link copies an
sde-remote://link to paste into an email, a web page or a document.
Opening a shortcut or link starts SDE Remote (asking you to sign in first if it isn't running) and opens the tile. Link formats, links to a page inside a web app, and fixes for links that don't open are in Links and desktop shortcuts.
12. Signing out
Sign out returns you to the sign-in window and forgets your password. Remote Desktop windows you already opened stay open: close them, or sign out inside them, as well. On a shared PC, close SDE Remote when you've finished.
13. Logs for support
When a connection fails, the status bar names a log file ("Details: …"). Send that file to the helpdesk.
| File | Windows | Linux |
|---|---|---|
| Last Remote Desktop launch | %LocalAppData%\SdeRemote\freerdp-last.log | ~/.local/share/SdeRemote/freerdp-last.log |
| Detailed Remote Desktop log (when turned on) | %LocalAppData%\SdeRemote\freerdp.log | ~/.local/share/SdeRemote/freerdp.log |
| Web windows | None | ~/.local/share/SdeRemote/web.log |
freerdp-last.log holds what FreeRDP printed for the most recent launch only. It never contains your password.
Turning on the detailed log
Set the environment variable SDE_RDP_LOG=1 for SDE Remote, then reproduce the problem. Quit SDE Remote completely first: a second copy only hands over to the one already running.
- Windows: in a Command Prompt,
setx SDE_RDP_LOG 1, then start SDE Remote again. Turn it off afterwards withreg delete HKCU\Environment /v SDE_RDP_LOG /f. - Linux: start it from a terminal with
SDE_RDP_LOG=1 sde-remote. It's off again the next time you start it normally.
The detailed log is large, so leave it off normally.
14. Messages and what they mean
Signing in
| Message | Meaning and what to do |
|---|---|
| Incorrect username or password. / Invalid username or password. | Check both. Caps Lock is a common cause. |
| This account is disabled. Contact IT. | The domain account is disabled. |
| This account is locked. Contact IT. | Too many wrong passwords. IT can unlock it, or wait for the lockout to end. |
| Sign-in is not permitted for this account right now. | Active Directory doesn't allow this account to sign in at this time (its logon hours) or from here (its permitted workstations). |
| Too many attempts. Please wait a minute and try again. | The gateway is slowing down repeated attempts. |
| Please enter the Guacamole URL, username and password. | A field is empty. |
| Sign-in failed (HTTP …). Check the Guacamole URL. | The portal address is wrong (often a missing /guacamole), or the portal is down. |
| Could not connect: … | The PC can't reach the portal: no internet, VPN not connected, a wrong address, or a certificate the PC doesn't trust. |
| You must accept the SyOps to use SDE Remote. | The SyOps were declined (section 3). |
Opening a connection
| Message | Meaning and what to do |
|---|---|
| Windows refused the sign-in: wrong username or password, or an account the server doesn't know … | The remote computer rejected the account. Either the password is wrong (for example it was changed elsewhere after you signed in to SDE Remote: sign out and in again), or you're signed in to SDE Remote with an account that only exists in SDE, such as admin or guacadmin. Those can open the portal but can't sign in to Windows. Sign in with your domain account. |
| … is an SDE-only account, so it can't sign in to the desktops in … Sign in to SDE Remote with your domain account. | The same for desktop pools: the pool refuses the account before giving it a desktop. |
| FreeRDP stopped straight away (exit code …: …). Details: … | The Remote Desktop client couldn't connect. The text after the code is FreeRDP's own reason. Send the named log file to the helpdesk. |
| Opened … with the Classic RDP client (SDL couldn't start). | Not an error: the SDL client failed to start, so the Classic one opened instead. If it happens every time, set the tile's RDP client to Classic. |
| Broker authorize failed (403). Not entitled, or the session expired. | You no longer have access to that tile, or your SDE session lapsed. Select Refresh; if it persists, sign out and in again. |
| No … desktop became free in time. Try again in a few minutes. | The pool stayed full for 15 minutes. |
| No desktops free in … Try again shortly | The pool is full now. |
| Desktop pool unavailable (…) | The pool service didn't answer. Tell IT. |
| … has no active session to stream. Connect via Guac or RDP first. | Streaming needs you to be signed in to that computer already. |
| You don't have … (or it no longer exists). Ask IT to check your access. | A link or shortcut points at something you haven't been given. |
| That link is for …, but SDE Remote is signed in to … | The link belongs to another SDE site. |
| … didn't open: WebKitGTK's sandbox couldn't start (…) | Linux: the web window's AppArmor profile isn't loaded. Reinstall the package (see Installing the app). |
| …: streaming needs WebRTC, which this system's web view hasn't got, so it opened in your browser. | Linux: the stream plays in your normal browser instead. Nothing to fix. |
Other problems
| Problem | What to check |
|---|---|
| Linux: a connection that should ask for a username opens nothing, or seems to hang | The Classic client asks for the account on a terminal, which SDE Remote doesn't show. Set the tile's RDP client to SDL and a window display; SDL has its own sign-in box. |
| A Linux desktop or app is slow or jerky | Set Connection quality to Auto quality (it picks RemoteFX for these) or RemoteFX (Linux / xrdp). |
The wrong characters appear when typing (for example @ and " swapped) | Set Keyboard layout in the tile's options to match your keyboard. |
| No Home drive, clipboard, sound or printers | Switched off for that connection or for your site (section 10). |
| A tile you expect is missing | Select Refresh. If it's still missing, IT hasn't given you access to it. |
15. Related pages
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