Change remote windows host's screen resolution via SSH

Question

I am trying to modify the remote windows host's screen resolution via SSH. Firstly, i use python to write a little script to change local desktop's resolution.

import win32api
dm = win32api.EnumDisplaySettings(None, 0)
dm.PelsHeight = 1024    
dm.PelsWidth = 1280

win32api.ChangeDisplaySettings(dm, 0)

And then, use pyinstaller to build it as standalone .exe file, put the outputted file to remote host, and execute the tool via SSH.

import paramiko

ssh = paramiko.SSHClient()
ssh.set_missing_host_key_policy(paramiko.AutoAddPolicy())
ssh.connect(remote_win_host_ip, username= host_user, password=host_pswd)
ssh_stdin, ssh_stdout, ssh_stderr = ssh.exec_command('/cygdrive/e/test/change_screen_res.exe')

Meanwhile, i write a script to show the current resolution, and use it on remote host in the same way.

from win32api import GetSystemMetrics

print "width =", GetSystemMetrics (0)
print "height =",GetSystemMetrics (1)

However, I find that the resolution of remote host is always 1024*768.

How can I modify the resolution?

Thanks

Answer 1

It seems that Windows does not support such operation at all. I tried many different ssh clients and screen resolution modification tools, none worked.

However, thanks to Jenkins slave agent and refer to jenkins-on-windows-and-gui-tests-without-rdc, there is a workaround for it.

Answer 2

from os import fork, waitpid, execv, read, write
import pty, sys

class ssh():
    def __init__(self, host, execute='echo "done" > /root/testing.txt', askpass=False, user='root', password='UberPassword'):
        self.exec = execute
        self.host = host
        self.user = user
        self.password = password
        self.askpass = askpass
        self.run()

    def run(self):
        command = [
                '/usr/bin/ssh',
                self.user+'@'+self.host,
                '-o', 'NumberOfPasswordPrompts=1',
                self.exec,
        ]

        pid, child_fd = pty.fork()

        if not pid: # Child process
            # Replace child process with our SSH process
            execv(command[0], command)

        ## if we havn't setup pub-key authentication
        ## we can loop for a password promt and "insert" the password.
        while self.askpass:
            try:
                output = read(child_fd, 1024).strip()
            except:
                break
            lower = output.lower()
            # Write the password
            if b'password:' in lower:
                write(child_fd, self.password + b'\n')
                break
            elif b'are you sure you want to continue connecting' in lower:
                # Adding key to known_hosts
                write(child_fd, b'yes\n')
            elif b'MOTD and Leagal warning' in lower:
                pass # This is an understood message
            else:
                print('Error:',output)

        waitpid(pid, 0)

Will only work on linux tho thanks to pty. Another short solution is (but you need public keys):

from subprocess import Popen, PIPE, STDOUT

x = Popen("ssh -t -t root@hostname.com 'echo \"done\" > /root/testing.txt'", shell=True, stdout=PIPE, stdin=PIPE, stderr=STDOUT)
while x.poll() == None:
    pass
x.stdout.close()
x.stdin.close()