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Running Applications Remotely with PsExec: Offloading Work to the Powerhouse

Andrew Smalley

• 3 min read
Running Applications Remotely with PsExec: Offloading Work to the Powerhouse

Introduction

When working with astrophotography and automation, you often need to decide where software should run—on a powerful desktop or a mini PC connected to the telescope. The key challenge is ensuring that CPU/GPU-intensive applications run on the powerhouse while keeping control and hardware interaction on the mini PC.

🚀 PsExec provides an elegant way to launch applications remotely on your powerful PC, while using its CPU and GPU, without requiring physical interaction.

This guide covers how to start and control applications remotely from a Windows 10 Mini PC while executing them on a high-performance Windows 11 system with full GPU acceleration.

Why Use PsExec for Remote Application Execution?

🔹 Offload CPU/GPU-intensive tasks (e.g., PixInsight, Stellarium, image processing) to your powerful machine.

🔹 Keep telescope control local—N.I.N.A. and ASCOM remain on the Mini PC for low-latency hardware access.

🔹 Run remote applications interactively—Stellarium and PixInsight execute on the powerhouse but can be controlled remotely.

🔹 No need for full remote desktop sessions—only specific applications are launched remotely, reducing bandwidth and resource usage.

🔹 Seamless user experience—Applications start on Windows 11, but control remains on Windows 10.

System Setup

Windows 11 Powerhouse (Main Processing PC)

  • Intel i9-13900K with 128GB RAM, PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD, and NVIDIA GPU.
  • Runs PixInsight, Stellarium, and other processing software.
  • Can also run N.I.N.A. to offload imaging workflows.
  • Full GPU acceleration available for remote sessions.
  • PsExec installed.

Windows 10 Mini PC (Telescope Controller)

  • Intel N5105 with 8GB RAM, NVMe SSD.
  • Runs ASCOM, mount control (SkyWatcher HEQ5-Pro), and direct camera control.
  • Sends processing tasks to Windows 11 when needed.

Network Setup

  • 1GbE Ethernet (Cat6) between both systems for low-latency communication.
  • Windows 11 and Windows 10 must be on the same network and workgroup.
  • Firewall rules allow PsExec remote execution.

Step 1: Install PsExec

  1. Download PsExec from Microsoft Sysinternals.
  2. Extract PsExec.exe to a known location (e.g., C:\PsExec).
  3. Add the folder to Windows Path for easier execution:
    • Open System Properties → Advanced → Environment Variables.
    • Edit Path, add C:\PsExec.
    • Click OK.

Step 2: Enable Remote Execution on Windows 11

Allow remote execution in Windows Firewall:

netsh advfirewall firewall add rule name="PsExec" dir=in action=allow program="C:\PsExec\psexec.exe" enable=yes

Open PowerShell as Administrator on Windows 11 and run:

Enable-PSRemoting -Force
net user admin /add
net localgroup administrators admin /add

Step 3: Launch Applications on Windows 11 from Windows 10

Run Stellarium on Windows 11 with GUI & GPU Acceleration

From Windows 10, open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

psexec \win11_pc -u youruser -p yourpassword -i 1 -d "C:\Program Files\Stellarium\stellarium.exe"

✅ Outcome: Stellarium opens on Windows 11’s GPU, but was started remotely from Windows 10.

Run PixInsight for Image Processing on Windows 11

psexec \win11_pc -u youruser -p yourpassword -i 1 -d "C:\Program Files\PixInsight\PixInsight.exe"

✅ Outcome: PixInsight launches on the powerhouse, using full CPU/GPU acceleration.

Run N.I.N.A. on Windows 11 While Keeping ASCOM & Cameras on the Mini PC

psexec \win11_pc -u youruser -p yourpassword -i 1 -d "C:\Program Files\NINA\NINA.exe"

✅ Outcome: N.I.N.A. runs on the powerhouse, but connects remotely to ASCOM & cameras on the Mini PC.

Step 4: Control Applications from Windows 10

If you need to interact with the application remotely, use RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol):

  1. Log in and control the running applications.

Press Win + R on Windows 10 and type:

mstsc /v:win11_pc

✅ Now, you can interact with PixInsight/Stellarium/N.I.N.A. running on Windows 11 from the Mini PC.

Step 5: Automate Processing Workflows

To further streamline the workflow, create a batch script to offload tasks automatically:

@echo off
psexec \win11_pc -u youruser -p yourpassword -i 1 -d "C:\Program Files\Stellarium\stellarium.exe"
psexec \win11_pc -u youruser -p yourpassword -i 1 -d "C:\Program Files\PixInsight\PixInsight.exe"
psexec \win11_pc -u youruser -p yourpassword -i 1 -d "C:\Program Files\NINA\NINA.exe"
exit

✅ Now, a single click launches all required applications on Windows 11 remotely.

Benefits of This Setup

✅ Maximizes Performance: Uses Windows 11’s CPU/GPU for processing while keeping control on the Mini PC.

✅ Reduces Overhead: Avoids full Remote Desktop sessions, only launching necessary apps.

✅ Seamless Control: Allows software execution where it performs best (telescope control on the Mini PC, processing on the powerhouse).

✅ Easily Expandable: Can be adapted to run other software (e.g., stacking scripts, AI processing, etc.).

Current Status & Next Steps

This workflow is still a work in progress as we migrate more applications to their optimal execution environments:

✔ N.I.N.A. can now run on the Powerhouse, reducing Mini PC load.
✔ ASCOM, mount control (HEQ5-Pro), and cameras remain on the Mini PC.
✔ Stellarium & PixInsight now run on the Powerhouse.
❌ Next steps: Testing network performance optimizations and expanding automation scripts.

If you’re looking to optimize your remote processing workflow, PsExec is a powerful tool to seamlessly execute software where it belongs—whether on the telescope controller or the high-performance processing machine. 🚀