Set Up a Remote Desktop (RDP) Connection to a Squirrel Server

ℹ️ This guide shows cleared staff how to create their own Remote Desktop connection to a property's Squirrel server. You'll set up the connection once, save it, and reuse it. It takes a few minutes. Please read the two requirements below before you start.

⚠️ Before You Start — Two Requirements

1. You must be cleared for access first

Access to a Squirrel server is granted only to staff who have been approved for it. If you haven't been cleared, that's the first step — this guide won't work without access.

2. Once cleared, place a ticket to get your connection details

For security, the server address, username, and password are not published in this article. Once you've been cleared for access, submit a ticket and Argus IT will provide the server address, username, and password you'll enter in the steps below.

The username and password are a generic login shared by cleared users — but that does not mean they can be passed around. They must not be shared with anyone who hasn't been cleared. Anyone who needs access gets it the same way you did: cleared first, then their own ticket.

🛑 You must set this up yourself. Squirrel RDP connections cannot be shared or downloaded — a saved connection file can't be handed to you or sent to someone else. Every person who needs access creates their own connection on their own computer using the steps below. This is a security requirement, not an inconvenience.

🛠️ Creating the Connection

Step 1: Open Remote Desktop Connection

Press the Windows key on your keyboard, type Remote Desktop Connection, and open the app when it appears in the search results.

💡 It may also appear simply as Remote Desktop. Look for the app whose icon is a small computer monitor — that's the built-in Windows Remote Desktop Connection tool.

Step 2: Click "Show Options"

The Remote Desktop Connection window opens in its small, basic view. Click Show Options in the bottom-left corner to expand it — you'll need the extra settings that appear.

Step 3: Enter the server and username

With the options expanded, you'll see the General tab. Fill in:

• Computer: the Squirrel server address from your ticket.
• User name: the username from your ticket.

(You'll enter the password later, when you connect.)

Step 4: Turn on the Clipboard (Local Resources tab)

Click the Local Resources tab. Under Local devices and resources, make sure Clipboard is checked. This lets you copy and paste between your own computer and the Squirrel server, which you'll need.

Step 5: Save the connection with the right name

Go back to the General tab. Under Connection settings, click Save As…, choose your Desktop as the location, and name the file after the location, followed by "Squirrel Server." For example:

• Manteo Squirrel Server
• Eldorado Squirrel Server
• Four Points Squirrel Server

Saving it to your Desktop means you can reopen this same connection any time with a double-click, without setting it all up again. (You'll still enter the password each time you connect.)

💡 Naming it correctly matters — if you have connections to more than one property, clear names like "Eldorado Squirrel Server" keep them easy to tell apart.

Step 6: Connect

Click Connect. When prompted, enter the password from your ticket. You should now be connected to the Squirrel server.

💡 From now on, just click the saved link. Double-clicking the "\[Location\] Squirrel Server" file on your Desktop starts this login process automatically — it opens the connection and prompts you for the password. You won't need to re-enter the server or username, or redo any of the settings above.

🆘 When to Submit a Ticket

Submit a ticket if:

• You've been cleared for access and need the server address, username, and password to complete the steps above.
• Your saved connection stops working, or the password is no longer accepted.
• You get an error connecting even though you've entered everything from your ticket correctly.

When submitting, please include:

• Which property's Squirrel server you're trying to reach.
• What happens (the exact error message — a screenshot is ideal).
• Confirmation that you've been cleared for access, if this is a first-time request.

🛑 Don't share the Squirrel server login or your saved connection with anyone. The username and password are a generic login, but they're still not to be passed on — anyone who needs access must be cleared first and request the details through their own ticket.

ArgusIT KB# 17004 | Created: July 3, 2026

Tags: squirrel, squirrel server, rdp, remote desktop, remote desktop connection, manteo, eldorado, four points, pos, remote access