[912] in resnet
Re: Web-based support
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Kevin Davis)
Thu Feb 28 13:42:59 2002
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Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.4.33.0202281314230.32746-100000@is06.fas.harvard.edu>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2002 13:28:40 -0500
Reply-To: Resnet Forum <RESNET-L@listserv.nd.edu>
From: Kevin Davis <ksdavis@FAS.HARVARD.EDU>
To: RESNET-L@listserv.nd.edu
In-Reply-To: <1014869675.3c7daeabf1b81@webmail.service.emory.edu>
We're actually in the finishing stages of a custom application powered by
VNC to provide remote support. Basically what we're doing is writing a
Win32 executable that puts WinVNC.exe onto the system (as an application,
_not_ started as a service!) and sets some registry keys (limiting VNC
access to user systems to our IP address range, etc.)
The program then randomly generates a new per-session VNC password and
displays a UI telling the student to read their IP address and session
password over the phone to the student tech helping them out. That tech
can then connect to the user's system and make changes. If the UI detects
the student is behind a NAT router/firewall it prompts the user instead to
make an outbound connection to the User Assistant by asking the UA for
his/her IP address. When finished, the password is again randomized and
WinVNC is shut down.
So far it's seemed trivial to write something in Visual C++ that does
this, especially since VNC is an open-source, well-documented, highly
extensible program. Check it out at www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/. (Our
front-end is not yet ready, but when it is, I'd be happy to share the code
with anyone who's interested.
+-----------------------------------------
|Kevin Davis
|Coordinator of Residential Computing
|FAS Computer Services, Harvard University
|ksdavis@fas.harvard.edu * 617.496.6064
On Wed, 27 Feb 2002 usclm@EMORY.EDU wrote:
> Has anyone looked into or implemented web-based support tools that do remote
> console to customer machines? One such product I've found is Desktop Streaming
> from ExpertCity.Com. Any other suggestions? Have you encountered any issues
> with accessing student machines this way?
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Craig Myers
> Emory University
>
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