IGSS not showing in remote desktop session

FAQ Question

Why do I not see the IGSS screen when I log on to my server using the Windows Remote Desktop Connection Program?

Answer

In Vista SP1, XP SP3, and Windows Server 2008, the Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) Program has been updated to version 6.1 (6.0.6001) and one of the changes is that the functionality previously associated with the /console switch is now called the /admin switch.

If you use “mstsc /v:servername /console” in a script file, then the /console switch will be ignored (with no warning) and you will be connected to a normal session that is not the server console.  If you specify the /console switch in the RDC connection dialog box, then it will tell you “an unknown parameter was specified in the computer name field”.

To sum up, if you use one of the above mentioned operating systems, you should write mstsc /admin instead of mstsc /console when logging on to a running instance of IGSS using remote desktop.