Enabling secure remote assistance using a terminal services gateway

A method for providing remote assistance from a helpdesk server to a remote client that is behind a firewall, the method comprising the steps of:

• receiving a remote assistance request from the remote client;
• providing a link on a TS gateway that is co-located with the helpdesk, responsively to the request, for the remote client to follow for establishing a terminal services connection with a helpdesk server using a plug-in module, installed on the TS gateway, that communicates with a remote assistance process hosted by the helpdesk server;
• creating the terminal services connection between the TS gateway and the remote client upon activation of the link by a user at the remote client;
• implementing reverse traversal of the terminal service connection, from the helpdesk server to the remote client, to create a secure tunnel through the firewall to the remote client;
• receiving, at the helpdesk server, rendering data originated from the remote client over the secure tunnel;
• and
• sending, from the helpdesk server, control messages including keyboard and/or mouse events to the remote client over the secure tunnel,
• whereby the helpdesk server functions as a terminal services client after the reverse traversal is implemented to thereby provide the remote assistance to the remote client, and
• the reverse traversal of the terminal service connection causes the helpdesk server, functioning as a terminal services client, to receive the rendering data from the remote client, and the remote client, functioning as a TS server, to receive the control messages from the helpdesk server to control the remote client.

A computing device that includes one or more processors and one or more computer-readable storage media disposed in a remote client behind a firewall that

• enables a remote assistance session with a helpdesk server of an enterprise network, by causing the device to:
• establish a terminal services connection, with a TS gateway being co-located with the helpdesk server, using a COM component, by following a link hosted on the TS gateway by a user on the remote client device;
• remote a port from the client to the TS gateway through the terminal services connection;
• receive a notification from the TS gateway when a connection request to the remoted port is received by the TS gateway, the notification invoking a method for connecting the COM component with a terminal services process running on the client to start establishing an RDP session, and after the RDP session is established, establishing a tunnel from the helpdesk server through the firewall to the remote client over the secure connection through which remote assistance data is streamed;
• send, to the helpdesk server, RDP rendering data from the remote client over the secure connection;
• and
• receive, from the helpdesk server, RDP control messages including keyboard and/or mouse events to the remote client over the secure connection,
• whereby the respective roles of the helpdesk server and remote client are reversed after the tunnel over the secure connection is established so that remote assistance is renderable from the helpdesk server to the remote client,
• the helpdesk server performing as a TS client, receiving RDP rendering data from the remote client, and the remote client performs as a TS server, receiving RDP control messages from the helpdesk server to control the remote client.