Run a Remote Console Session

Last published : Oct 01, 2026
To open a remote console session on a VM, select the VM and then select the Console tab.
Related information
Managing VMs

Linux VMs

You can run a graphical console session on Linux VMs or initiate an SSH connection to the VM.
Note:
For Linux guests, screen blanking can take effect after a period of inactivity (typically 10 minutes). When screen blanking happens, the console is black and remains blank until a key is pressed at which point the text reappears.
You can disable this behavior within the guest by adding consoleblank=0 to the kernel boot parameters.

SSH console

XenCenter allows you to initiate SSH connections to Linux VMs using the Open SSH Console button on the VM's Console tab. This action launches an SSH console for the VM in an external pop-up window. The SSH console also allows you to copy/paste content to and from the VM's console. To use the SSH console feature, you must:
  • Ensure that the VM and XenCenter® are accessible on the same network
  • Install the Linux guest agent on the VM. For more information about installing the Linux Guest agent, see Linux VMs.
  • Verify that the SSH daemon is running on the VM and accepts remote connections
Note:
When you close the SSH console, any operations that are still running in the console are terminated.

Windows VMs

Console sessions on Windows VMs can use either the standard graphical console or a Remote Desktop console, both of which support full keyboard and mouse interactivity. The standard graphical console uses the in-built VNC technology that XenServer developed to provide remote access to your VM console. The Remote Desktop console uses RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) technology. Switch between a standard graphic console and a Remote Desktop console by using the Switch to Remote Desktop/Switch to Default Desktop button on the XenCenter Console tab.
To use a Remote Desktop console connection, ensure that the following requirements are met:
  • Remote Desktop must be enabled on the virtual machine - see Windows VMs for information on how to enable Remote Desktop on a Windows virtual machine.
  • XenServer® VM Tools must be installed.
  • The virtual machine must have a network interface and be able to connect to XenCenter.
  • The Credential Security Support Provider protocol (CredSSP) update must be applied to either both or neither of the client and server in the RDP connection. For more information, see <https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/4295591/credssp-encryption-oracle-remediation-error-when-to-rdp-to-azure-vm>.
There are various different XenCenter settings that affect your Remote Desktop console environment:
  • Windows Key combinations are sent to the Remote Desktop console.
  • Sounds from applications running on the Remote Desktop console are played on your local computer.
  • By default, when opening a Remote Desktop console session, a connection is made to the console session on the remote server instead of creating a virtual console session.
  • XenCenter automatically scans for an RDP connection and can automatically switch to the Remote Desktop console when it becomes available.
You can change these and other Remote Desktop console settings via the Console tab in the XenCenter Options dialog box; see Changing XenCenter options.
Note:
You can enhance VNC performance by using XenCenter on the local machine rather than using RDP to connect to XenCenter.