Windows RDP

RDP plans are Windows Server virtual machines with the Datacenter licence included, a dedicated clean IPv4 address and full administrator rights. This guide explains how to connect from each platform, what to do at the first login, how to harden the server and what the GPU RDP plan adds.

Plans and licensing

Every plan runs Windows Server 2022 or 2025 Datacenter, licensed through Microsoft SPLA. The licence activates when the server first boots, receives updates normally and costs nothing on top of the plan. All plans sit on a 1 Gbps port with a monthly traffic allowance; the RDP-GPU plan encodes the RDP stream in hardware for a smoother desktop.

Connecting

The dashboard shows the IPv4 address and the initial Administrator password. Remote Desktop listens on port 3389 with Network Level Authentication enabled.

• Windows — press Win+R, run mstsc, enter the address, then the credentials. Save a .rdp file for one-click access.
• macOS — install Microsoft Remote Desktop from the App Store, add a PC with the address and user Administrator.
• Linux — xfreerdp /v:203.0.113.10 /u:Administrator /dynamic-resolution /gfx, or Remmina with the RDP protocol.
• iOS and Android — the Microsoft Remote Desktop app; enable Swap mouse buttons and Use touch mode as you prefer.

Pick the location closest to you when ordering: RDP feels local below 40 ms. The looking glass shows the latency from each site.

First-login checklist

1. Change the Administrator password: press Ctrl+Alt+End (not Ctrl+Alt+Del, which acts on your own computer) and choose Change a password.
2. Run Windows Update from Settings → Windows Update and reboot when asked. The image is refreshed monthly, so the first update is small.
3. Set the time zone under Settings → Time & language; the server boots in UTC.
4. Extend the disk if you resized the plan: Disk Management → right-click C: → Extend Volume.
5. Create a second administrator account for daily use and keep Administrator for recovery.

Security hardening

A public RDP port attracts password-guessing within minutes. Four measures stop nearly all of it:

1. Move RDP off port 3389. In an elevated PowerShell:

   Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server\WinStations\RDP-Tcp' -Name PortNumber -Value 33890
   New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName 'RDP 33890' -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 33890 -Action Allow
   Restart-Service TermService -Force

   Reconnect with 203.0.113.10:33890.
2. Keep Network Level Authentication on (it is on by default) so credentials are checked before a session is created.
3. Restrict the firewall to your own addresses when they are static: edit the rule above and set Remote address to your IP or range.
4. Enable the account lockout policy: net accounts /lockoutthreshold:5 /lockoutduration:30 /lockoutwindow:30.

For a private connection, install WireGuard on the server and bind RDP to the tunnel address only. Keep automatic updates enabled; Windows Defender is active on all images.

Installing software

You are the administrator and can install anything within the acceptable use policy. Chrome, Firefox, Telegram, Discord, Node.js, Python and OBS Studio can be preinstalled as one-click apps when ordering. For everything else, winget is available on all images:

winget install --id Git.Git -e
winget install --id Microsoft.VisualStudioCode -e

Browser automation, trading platforms and monitoring tools are fine; spam, credential stuffing and attacks on third parties are not, and lead to suspension.

GPU RDP plan

RDP-GPU attaches an RTX 4000 Ada with 20 GB of VRAM to the desktop. It is meant for 3D and CAD applications, video editing, game streaming and anything that needs a real GPU behind the session. The NVIDIA driver is preinstalled and the RDP stream uses hardware H.264/AVC444 encoding; enable Use hardware graphics adapters for all Remote Desktop Services sessions in Group Policy if you customise the image, and prefer the Windows or macOS clients for the best decode performance.

Backups and reinstall

Two manual snapshots are included, and daily backups with a 7-day retention can be added for 20% of the plan price. Reinstall in the dashboard writes a fresh Windows Server image in about a minute and keeps the IP address; take a snapshot first if you may want to go back.

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