Lately, when my local PC is training models, it completely locks me out of doing other work. Using my Mac or Linux devices feels a bit off too, since they already have their own dedicated tasks. So, I figured I’d put the lab computer to use. Once set up, I can run my training there and keep doing my own thing on my main machine.
After doing some digging, I decided to set up three different connection methods to cover my bases: Microsoft’s official RDP, VS Code Remote Development, and Chrome Remote Desktop as a backup.
Tailscale
To use RDP or the VS Code terminal, you need to be on the same local network or have a public IP on the target PC. Setting up reverse tunneling to my own server felt like it might clutter my environment, so I went with a virtual LAN instead.
I used Tailscale to build the virtual LAN. On Windows, just go to the
official site
to download and install it. On Mac, you can install it via Homebrew: brew install --cask tailscale.
Once installed, just log into the same account on both machines. Enabling Run unattended on the target PC ensures the network stays connected even if the PC reboots and no user is logged into the desktop yet.
RDP
First off, this feature isn’t available on Windows Home. You can enable it under Settings - System - Remote Desktop.
Then, install the “Windows App” from the Mac App Store, enter the target PC’s IP and username, and you’re good to connect.
VS Code - SSH
For this, you need to enable the OpenSSH feature on the target Windows machine. Go to Settings - System - Optional features, search for optional features, and select OpenSSH Server.
If you’re on Windows Home, it might not show up there. You can install it using PowerShell with Administrator privileges instead:
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Once installed, check the status:
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If the State shows Installed, the installation succeeded. Next, start the service and set it to run on boot:
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If the State is Staged, the installation failed. Try rebooting Windows and checking the status again. If it’s still stuck on Staged, you’ll need to reinstall it. Uninstall it first, then run through the installation steps again:
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When I ran the installation, I ran into this error:
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This error means the Windows component store is corrupted. First, verify the system image:
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The output showed Repairable, so we can fix it automatically:
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Once the repair is done, reboot your PC and try installing OpenSSH again.
After successfully starting the SSH service, open VS Code on your control machine and install the Remote Development extension pack.
Once installed, press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + P, search for and select Remote-SSH: Connect to Host... to configure a new host. Enter the connection command: ssh [email protected] (replace this with your target machine’s username and Tailscale IP). Wait for the components to finish installing, and you’re in.
VS Code - Tunnel
If you keep having trouble configuring SSH, you can use VS Code Remote Tunnels to connect without dealing with SSH configuration. If you’re on Windows Home, you don’t even need to set up Tailscale.
To use it, you’ll need to log into the same GitHub account on both ends. First, log into your GitHub account inside VS Code on the target PC. Click your profile icon (or search the command palette) and select Turn on Remote Tunnel Access. Choose Install as a service and follow the prompts.
After that, you’ll find a URL at the end of the logs. Open that link in your browser and log into GitHub to access your environment.
Alternatively, install the Remote - Tunnels extension on your control machine. Open the command palette, run Remote-Tunnels: Connect to Tunnel, and log into the same GitHub account.
Chrome
This one is super straightforward. Open https://remotedesktop.google.com/access in Chrome, log into your Google account, and set up the remote access service on the target PC. It will automatically guide you through installing the extension and host software.
Once that’s done, you can access it from any other computer by logging into the same Google account in Chrome and visiting that URL.