Perfect. thanks for the help. I know they sound like very basic questions but it has been 5 years or so since i have dabbled in this stuff. My isp is pretty quick, well, my dads is, the one i will be remotly viewing from, im not sure how fast they will be. haha. Some hotels are pretty slow.
I was not sure what a RDC user could do once logged in. So im glad to hear that they can actually launch the VM or VB software and leave it running. I know when i have used citrix(i did not set it up, just a user) if i logged out, all my stuff wnet away so i learned to just disconect.

Maybe i should try and get citrix. hmm.  Anyway. I think this week i am going to start getting the local lab built and then work on the online part.
My ultimate lab would be able to incorperate packet tracer(cisco) and tie it to my virtual machines and then be able to use wireshark to scan the network including the packet tracer stuff.  that would be cool. Be able to do that hassle free. But i cant even get BT5 to work. makes me mad. ha ha

thanks
Matt