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Frequently Asked Questions

Johannes Passing edited this page Sep 3, 2021 · 9 revisions

Installation

Do I need to install anything on the VM instance before I can connect?

IAP Desktop does not require any special configuration on VM instances other than that Remote Desktop is enabled. All VM instances created using the Google public images have Remote Desktop enabled by default.

Do I need to install the Cloud SDK to use IAP Desktop?

No, IAP Desktop does not depend on the Cloud SDK or gcloud.

Do I need local admin rights to install IAP Desktop on my machine?

No, IAP Destop can be installed without admin rights unless you are installing on a Windows Server system.

Windows Server doesn't allow per-user installations by default. See Troubleshooting. for details on how to install IAP Desktop on Windows Server.

Usage

Which IAM roles do I need to use IAP Desktop?

The IAM roles required to use IAP Desktop depend on the feature set that you use. See Roles for details on which roles are required by individual features.

How can I reset the layout of my tool windows?

To reset the location of tool windows, do the following:

  • Close IAP Desktop
  • Open a command prompt and run reg delete HKCU\Software\Google\IapDesktop\1.0\ToolWindows

Can I use IAP Desktop to access machines outside Google Cloud?

IAP Desktop heavily relies on Google Cloud APIs. Therefore, it is not possible to use IAP Desktop to access machines that are deployed elsewhere.

Remote Desktop

Does IAP Desktop work for non-Administrator users?

To connect to a Windows VM by using Remote Desktop, you must have the Allow log on through Remote Desktop Services privilege on the VM. By default, only members of the local Administrator group have this privilege, but you can grant the privilege to other users by adding them to the Remote Desktop Users group.

Do I need RDS CALs to use IAP Desktop?

Typically, you do not need CALs if you use IAP Desktop for server administration only. If you use IAP Desktop for other purposes, or if need to support more than two concurrent connections, you might need to purchase RDS CALs.

Does IAP Desktop support CALs issued by an RDS license server?

Yes.

Can I use IAP Desktop with Remote Desktop Gateway?

Currently not, but this feature might be added soon.

SSH

Can I use my existing private key?

No, IAP Desktop maintains its own RSA key pair.

Google Cloud lets you use multiple SSH private keys, so you can continue to use your existing private key for other SSH clients.

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