Visual Studio remote debugging from host domain controller to remote workgroup server

Question

My development machine is a 2008 R2 x64 domain controller (it has evolved to that point through attrition on my now one-machine domain, and will not change for the near future). The ASP.NET MVC app I wish to debug is deployed to a 2008 R2 x64 workgroup machine that I have LogMeIn/VPN access to.

I installed msvsmon.exe on the remote machine as a service. The issue I believe I'm running into is that for some reason you can't connect to msvsmon unless the remote account it's running under is also an account on the host machine (I don't see any way to just explicitly provide the credentials for the remote connection).

Since my host machine is a DC, I can't create the required local account to mirror the msvsmon service account.

I have a VPN connection from the development machine to the deployment machine. When configuring msvsmon, I selected "only allow computers from the local network to connect," assuming that VPN counts as a local network. I have TCP 135, UDP 500, and UDP 4500 open on the remote machine.

I'm assuming that's the end of the story, and I'm doomed to a full install of VS on the remote machine but figured it was worth asking. Is there any way to solve this short of that?

Answer 1

You only have two options for remote debugging. Windows Authentication or No Authentication. If you enable No Authentication, than anyone can connect to it and do pretty much anything on the machine, essentially allowing them to control it. If the machine is on the internet, then remote attackers can just scan your computer looking for remote debugging.

If the machine is on a secure network, however, then you will probably be ok.

This link tells you how to configure remote debugging

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bt727f1t.aspx

Otherwise, you could create a virtual machine on your local computer and install visual studio on that. At least you don't have to install it on a remote machine somewhere.