RDP

Use the RDP server type to enable remote desktop access to Windows servers via StrongDM, using username/password authentication.

This guide describes how to add an RDP server as a resource in StrongDM.

An RDP server resource in StrongDM represents a combination of a host (IP address or DNS name) and authentication credentials (username and password) that the StrongDM node (gateway, relay, or proxy worker) will use to connect via the Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). The node establishes secure connectivity and streams the session to the user through StrongDM, allowing centralized access controls, auditing, and session capture.

If you intend to use certificate authentication, please see the section for the RDP (Certificate Authentication) resource type.

Limitations

StrongDM supports only the standard Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection client (MSTSC) on Windows. It may not fully support other RDP clients (for example, the newer Remote Desktop app from the Windows Store).
Clients on Windows 11 version 24H2 must be on build version 26100.3323 or higher to avoid known incompatibilities with StrongDM.
Only NTLM authentication is supported for this RDP resource type. If the Windows user account is placed into the “Protected Users” group in Active Directory, NTLM is blocked, and StrongDM connectivity will fail.
The health indicator in the Admin UI reflects network reachability and not full authentication success; a healthy status means StrongDM could connect to the host, not necessarily that the credentials were correct.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that the following requirements are met:

The RDP server must be configured to require TLS encryption from connecting clients, rather than RDP native encryption.
A StrongDM node is deployed and can reach the target Windows host (hostname or IP and RDP port, default 3389). To verify, go to the gateway or relay server and from a command prompt, type ping <YOUR_HOSTNAME>. If your gateway or relay can connect to this hostname, you can continue. For more information see nodes.
The Windows host is configured to allow RDP connections (Remote Desktop Service enabled, users permitted to log in via RDP).
Credentials (username and password) exist on the Windows host with sufficient privileges to log in remotely.
The Windows host ensures RDP uses TLS encryption, rather than older native RDP encryption.
Firewall or network rules permit the node to connect to the host’s RDP port.
User sessions may be captured/audited by StrongDM; ensure any host firewall or Windows log settings allow login tracking as needed.
If using Identity Aliases for RDP username/password authentication, a secret store must be set up.

Add the Resource in StrongDM

After you have set up your RDP server, you can add it as a resource in StrongDM. This section provides instructions for adding the resource in either the StrongDM Admin UI, CLI, Terraform provider, or SDKs.

Set up and Manage With the Admin UI

If using the Admin UI to add the resource to StrongDM, use the following steps.

Log in to the Admin UI and go to Resources > Servers.
Click Add server.
Select RDP as the Server Type and set other resource properties to configure how the StrongDM relay connects to the server.
Click create to save the resource.
Click the resource name to view status, diagnostic information, and setting details. After the server is created, the Admin UI displays that resource as unhealthy until the health checks run successfully. When the resource is ready, the Health icon indicates a positive, green status.

Set up and Manage With the CLI

This section provides general steps on how to configure and manage the resource using the StrongDM CLI. For more information and examples, please see the CLI Reference documentation.

In your terminal or Command Prompt, log in to StrongDM:
```
sdm login
```

Run sdm admin servers add rdp --help to view the help text for the command, which shows you how to use the command and what options (properties) are available. Note which properties are required and collect the values for them.

$ sdm admin servers add rdp --help
NAME:
   sdm admin servers add rdp - create RDP server

USAGE:
   sdm admin servers add rdp [command options] <name>

OPTIONS:
   --bind-interface value                     IP address on which to listen for connections to this resource on clients. Specify "default", "loopback", or "vnm" to automatically allocate an available address from the corresponding IP range configured in the organization. (default: "default")
   --downgrade-nla-connections                Note: when downgraded, StrongDM cannot verify usernames and passwords for Remote Desktop connections
   --egress-filter value                      apply filter to select egress nodes e.g. 'field:name tag:key=value ...'
   --hostname value                           (required)
   --lock-required                            Require a resource lock to access the resource to ensure it can only be used by one user at a time.
   --password value                           (required, secret)
   --port value                               (default: 3389)
   --port-override value                      Port on which to listen for connections to this resource on clients. Specify "-1" to automatically allocate an available port. (default: -1)
   --proxy-cluster-id value                   proxy cluster id
   --secret-store-id value                    secret store id
   --subdomain value, --bind-subdomain value  DNS subdomain through which this resource may be accessed on clients (e.g. "app-prod" allows the resource to be accessed as "app-prod.<your-org-name>.<sdm-proxy-domain>"). Only applicable to HTTP-based resources or resources using virtual networking mode.
   --tags value                               tags e.g. 'key=value,...'
   --template, -t                             display a JSON template
   --timeout value                            set time limit for command
   --username value                           (required, secret)

Run sdm admin servers add rdp <RESOURCE_NAME> to add the resource in StrongDM Set all required properties with their values. For example:
```
sdm admin servers add rdp "windows-rdp-prod-01"
  --hostname "win-server01.acme.internal"
  --port 3389
  --username "CORP\\rdp_user"
  --password "SuperSecretP@ssw0rd"
  --bind-interface "default"
  --port-override -1
  --egress-filter 'field:name tag:env=prod tag:region=us-west'
  --proxy-cluster-id "plc_0123456789abcdef"
  --secret-store-id "ss_abcdef0123456789"
  --downgrade-nla-connections
  --tags "env=prod,role=win,team=infra"
  --timeout 30
```
1. Note that the --username and --password options apply only when configuring an RDP server that uses standard username/password authentication.
  If you configure the server to use Identity Aliases for RDP password authentication, do not set these fields directly. Instead, set the username (path) and password (path) properties to reference your external Secret Store and include the $SDM_USERNAME variable. For example:
  Username (path): path/to/user/$SDM_USERNAME?key=username Password (path): path/to/user/$SDM_USERNAME?key=password
  The $SDM_USERNAME variable is replaced at runtime with the user’s Identity Alias, allowing StrongDM to retrieve that user’s credentials securely from the Secret Store.
Check that the resource has been added. The output of the following command should show the resource's name:
```
sdm admin resources list
```

Set up and Manage With Terraform

This section provides an example of how to configure and manage the resource using the Terraform provider. For more information and examples, please see the Terraform provider documentation.

# Install StrongDM provider
terraform {
  required_providers {
    sdm = {
      source  = "strongdm/sdm"
      version = "5.1.0"
    }
  }
}

# Configure StrongDM provider
provider "sdm" {
  # Add API access key and secret key from the Admin UI
  api_access_key = "njjSn...5hM"
  api_secret_key = "ziG...="
}

# Create RDP server (username and password)
resource "sdm_resource" "windows_rdp_prod_01" {
  rdp {
    # Required
    name     = "windows-rdp-prod-01"      # <name>
    hostname = "win-server01.acme.internal" # --hostname
    port     = 3389                        # --port (default 3389)
    username = "CORP\\rdp_user"            # --username
    password = "SuperSecretP@ssw0rd"       # --password (use a secret store in prod)

    # Common networking options
    bind_interface = "default"             # --bind-interface ("default" | "loopback" | "vnm")
    port_override  = -1                    # --port-override (-1 = auto-allocate)
    egress_filter  = "field:name tag:env=prod tag:region=us-west"  # --egress-filter
    subdomain      = "rdp-prod01"          # --subdomain (applies with virtual networking)

    # Connection behavior
    downgrade_nla_connections = true       # --downgrade-nla-connections (only if needed)

    # Optional integrations
    proxy_cluster_id = "plc_0123456789abcdef"  # --proxy-cluster-id
    secret_store_id  = "ss_abcdef0123456789"   # --secret-store-id

    # Tags
    tags = {                                # --tags
      env  = "prod"
      role = "win"
      team = "infra"
    }
  }
}

## Create RDP server (Identity Aliases with username and password paths)
resource "sdm_resource" "windows_rdp_identity_alias" {
  rdp {
    name              = "windows-rdp-identity-alias"
    hostname          = "win-server01.acme.internal"
    port              = 3389
    authentication    = "identity_aliases"
    secret_store_id   = "ss_abcdef0123456789"
    
## Note: $SDM_USERNAME is replaced at runtime with the user’s Identity Alias.
## Each user’s credentials must be stored in the connected Secret Store
## under a secret named after that Identity Alias.
 
    username_path     = "path/to/user/$SDM_USERNAME?key=username"
    password_path     = "path/to/user/$SDM_USERNAME?key=password"

    tags = {
      env  = "prod"
      team = "infra"
    }
  }
}

Resource properties

Configuration properties are visible when you add a Server Type or when you click to view the server's settings.

The following table describes the settings available for your RDP server.

Property

Requirement

Description

Display Name

Required

Meaningful name to display the resource throughout StrongDM; exclude special characters like quotes (") or angle brackets (< or >)

Server Type

Required

RDP

Proxy Cluster

Required

Defaults to "None (use gateways)"; if using proxy clusters, select the appropriate cluster to proxy traffic to this resource

Hostname

Required

IP/DNS address used to connect to the resource from your gateway or relay (for example, windows-server.strongdm.com)

Port

Optional

Port on the target server that is listening for RDP connections; default port value 3389

Connectivity Mode

Required

Select either Virtual Networking Mode, which lets users connect to the resource with a software-defined, IP-based network; or Loopback Mode, which allows users to connect to the resource using the local loopback adapter in their operating system; this field is shown if Virtual Networking Mode enabled for your organization

IP Address

Optional

If Virtual Networking Mode is the selected connectivity mode, an IP address value in the configured Virtual Networking Mode subnet in the organization network settings; if Loopback Mode is the selected connectivity mode, an IP address value in the configured Loopback IP range in the organization network settings (by default, 127.0.0.1); if not specified, an available IP address in the configured IP address space for the selected connectivity mode will be automatically assigned; this field is shown if Virtual Networking Mode and/or multi-loopback mode is enabled for your organization

Port Override

Optional

If Virtual Networking Mode is the selected connectivity mode, a port value between 1 and 65535 that is not already in use by another resource with the same IP address; if Loopback Mode is the selected connectivity mode, a port value between 1024 to 64999 that is not already in use by another resource with the same IP address; when left empty with Virtual Networking Mode, the system assigns the default port to this resource; when left empty for Loopback Mode, an available port that is not already in use by another resource is assigned; preferred port also can be modified later from the Port Overrides settings

DNS

Optional

If Virtual Networking Mode is the selected connectivity mode, a unique hostname alias for this resource; when set, causes the desktop app to display this resource's human-readable DNS name (for example, k8s.my-organization-name) instead of the bind address that includes IP address and port (for example, 100.64.100.100:5432)

Secret Store

Optional

Credential store location; defaults to none (credentials are stored in StrongDM resource configuration)

Authentication

Required

Select Leased Credentials (default) or Identity Aliases

Username

Required

Enter the username the relay should utilize to connect to the server via RDP (for example, mydomain\administrator)

Password

Required

Enter the password for the provided username

Username (path)

Required

Path to the secret in your Secret Store location (for example, path/to/credential?key=optionalKeyName where key argument is optional). When using Identity Aliases with Active Directory managed secrets and a secret store, the path must be set in the format path/to/user/$SDM_USERNAME?key=username, with the $SDM_USERNAME variable set as shown. The variable points to the username/password in Active Directory, and it gets replaced by the Identity Alias of the user that is trying to connect. See also Password (path), which must be set in the same way.

Password (path)

Required

Path to the secret in your Secret Store location (for example, path/to/credential?key=optionalKeyName where key argument is optional); required when using a non-StrongDM Secret Store type. When using Identity Aliases with Active Directory managed secrets and a secret store, the path must be set in the format path/to/user/$SDM_USERNAME?key=password), with the $SDM_USERNAME variable set as shown. The variable points to the username/password in Active Directory, and it gets replaced by the Identity Alias of the user that is trying to connect. See also Username (path), which must be set in the same way.

Downgrade NLA Connections

Optional

When downgraded, StrongDM cannot verify usernames and passwords for Remote Desktop connections

Resource Lock Required

Required

Enables a resource lock which can lock access the resource to ensure it can only be used by one user at a time; defaults to disabled

Resource Tags

Optional

Resource Tags consisting of key-value pairs <KEY>=<VALUE> (for example, env=dev)

The password cannot be validated by the healthcheck. A green healthcheck for this resource indicates network reachability only.

Use Identity Aliases for RDP Password Authentication

You can use Identity Sets and Identity Aliases to authenticate users to RDP servers with password-based authentication. This allows each user to log in with their own credentials that are securely stored in a connected secret store.

To configure Identity Alias authentication for an RDP server, follow these steps:

In the resource properties, set Authentication to Identity Aliases.
Choose the Identity Set you want to use (for example, default).
Select your secret store.
Set the username (path) and password (path) to include the $SDM_USERNAME variable. The variable is replaced at runtime with the user’s Identity Alias.
- Username (path): path/to/user/$SDM_USERNAME?key=username
- Password (path): path/to/user/$SDM_USERNAME?key=password

In the secret paths, the ?key=username and ?key=password parameters are applicable to Active Directory and HashiCorp Vault secrets. For other secrets, those key parameters may be different.

If secrets don't already exist in your Secret Store, create a secret for each Identity Alias, including the fields you are checking for in the resource configuration (for example, username and password).

When a user connects, StrongDM retrieves their credentials from the secret store using their Identity Alias and authenticates to the RDP server automatically.

For more information on supported secret engines and configuration, see Secrets Management.

Windows Network Level Authentication (NLA)

Windows NLA is a security protocol used by the Remote Desktop Service. When enabled, it completes additional client-side verifications. Moreover, StrongDM will automatically detect and use Windows NLA if it is enabled. However, some variations of NLA are not supported. For example, you may encounter error messages such as the following in your sdm.log file:

cannot extract server's sent public key: failed to handshake tls conn: 
read tcp4 172.22.64.180:35118->172.22.20.44:3389: read: connection reset by peer"  
cannot complete server NLA authentication: cannot parse ntlm echo packet: 
cannot read class byte: remote error: tls: internal error

Users may also see similar errors when trying to connect to RDP servers.

Disable NLA for compatibility with older CLI versions

If users of your organization's RDP resource(s) are using a StrongDM CLI version less than 46.60.0 you may need to disable NLA on the RDP server(s). This requires two minor configuration changes to the resource and to your StrongDM organization.

On the Windows resource the setting Require devices to use NLA to connect needs to be disabled.
The StrongDM Support team must then enable a setting for your organization manually.

Test the Connection

In the Admin UI, locate the newly added RDP resource and inspect its Health status — when green, StrongDM’s relay/gateway successfully reached the host.
In the StrongDM desktop app or CLI, initiate a connection to the RDP resource.
On the Windows host, log in using the configured username, and then check for a successful session (for example, use Task Manager or session logs).
Review Windows Event Viewer (under Applications & Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > TerminalServices-LocalSessionManager) to confirm the RDP login event triggered by StrongDM’s node.
If the resource remains unhealthy or users cannot connect:
- Verify that the hostname/IP and port are correct and reachable from your node.
- Confirm the Windows host allows RDP login for the configured user account and that the password is correct.
- Check that the Windows host has TLS encryption enabled for RDP (not only native RDP encryption).
- Inspect Windows logs and network firewalls for denials or connection resets.
- Check if NLA is configured and whether your StrongDM client version supports it.

If you encounter issues, please consult the StrongDM Help Center.

Last updated 5 days ago

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Limitations

Prerequisites

Add the Resource in StrongDM

Set up and Manage With the Admin UI

Set up and Manage With the CLI

Set up and Manage With Terraform

Set up and Manage With SDKs

Resource properties

Use Identity Aliases for RDP Password Authentication

Windows Network Level Authentication (NLA)

Disable NLA for compatibility with older CLI versions

Test the Connection