Remote Access Software (RAS) allows a user to remotely administer another computer through a GUI (Graphical User Interface). RAS software usually falls into three categories: attended (someone must be present on the remote machine), unattended and self-hosted RPC proxy servers (middleware for accessing firewall-protected networks). For the purposes of this review, we are interested largely in the first and second categories.
RAS software usually works by installing a program to act as a server on the host (remote) machine and then running a client application on your local machine to handle the connection, authentication and any encryption to the remote PC. One of the original RAS programs was AT&T's “VNC” and many of the programs available today are derivations of that.
A short-list of those worthy of consideration would include RealVNC, TightVNC, EsVNC and UltraVNC. While each program has its merits, our top pick would go to UltraVNC because of its active development, good forum support and excellent encryption plug-in. UltraVNC [1] is a client/server package that allows remote control of another PC using any TCP/IP connection. The stable release works with Windows W9x/NT/2K/XP, while a recently-released beta version provides greater support for Vista. UltraVNC offers all the features you need, including auto-configuration, easy user interface, extensive hotkeys and embedded file transfer. Add to that the fact that it's free, secure, reliable and reasonably speedy and you have a winner. Just the thing for accessing your home PC while traveling, off-site troubleshooting or general network administration. UltraVNC can run as an attended or unattended remote access system.
The VNC variants offer an interesting way of getting around firewalls. Suppose you want to login from home to your computer at work, but there's a firewall installed at work. They've locked out the incoming ports. You can use the VNC Viewer in Listening mode to defeat that by triggering an outgoing connection from work to home using, say an email filter to run the command "winvnc.exe" -connect <your home IP number>" and having the VNC viewer listen on your home computer (vncviewer.exe -listen or similar). All you do is send the triggering email to yourself at work which activates the vnc server to connect to your home computer.
For the advanced user SSL-Explorer is an outstanding Open Source solution. It comes in two flavors: Enterprise and Community [2],with the latter being the free offering.
SSL-Explorer will create a secure SSL tunnel into your network and also comes with extensions to use RDP
and UltraVNC as the remote viewing clients. SSL-Explorer is a Java-based client which uses only a browser to create an SSL tunnel into your network. For viewing, SSL-Explorer's options are UltraVNC and RDP.
The RDP Client will only work with Windows XP SP2 or the Premium and Ultimate versions of Vista but for all other flavors of Windows you can use UltraVNC with the Mirror driver.
Perhaps the easiest way yet to remotely control a distant PC is CrossLoop [3] – just install it on your machine and have someone do the same thing at the other end and you are away. Before you get your hopes up, let us say that it is no substitute for the products above that allow you to login to a remote PC without anyone in attendance. By contrast, CrossLoop requires someone at the other end. If you can live with that limitation, CrossLoop may just what you have been looking for. It works like this:
The user on the remote PC runs CrossLoop and generates a random 12 digit key which they send to you by email, phone, whatever. You plug this key into a copy of CrossLoop running on your own PC and request a connection with the remote. If the remote user accepts the connection you can then take control of the remote PC. At all times the user at the remote sees on his screen exactly what is happening.
That's pretty much standard remote computing, but it is the ease of use that makes CrossLoop different. No complex commands or firewall configuration are needed, just the ability to follow simple on-screen instructions. It supports 128-bit Blowfish encrypted connections and allows for two-way file transfers between the client and host PCs. Unlike Windows Remote Desktop, it will run on any PC from Windows 98 onwards. Just the thing for helping a friend with a PC problem, remote support or remote user training. Version 2 adds creation of a free CrossLoop accounts to create a dynamic public profile page, reserve your custom CrossLoop URL, view your session history, as well as widgets to promote yourself as a tech support specialist.
An alternative to VNC-based products is the free version of the commercial remote access product LogMeIn [4]. This is a web-based service that's extremely easy to set up and use and can be accessed from any PC with a browser. The free version won't allow file transfer and remote printing but is a great solution for accessing your remote data as well as file sharing. Registration is required.
[1] UltraVNC
Website: http://www.uvnc.com/
Author: UltraVNC
Date: December 9, 2007 (beta)
Download File size: 1.7MB
License: Free Open Source
Operating systems supported: Windows 95-Vista (beta)
64 Bit Capable: No
Other languages supported:
Additional Software Required: No
Other relevant information:
[2] SSL-Explorer Community Edition
Website: http://www.sshtools.com/showSslExplorerCommunity.do
Author: 3SP
Date: December 7, 2007
Download File size: 23.8MB
License: Free Open Source
Operating systems supported: Windows NT-XP, Linux, Unix
64 Bit Capable: No
Other languages supported:
Additional Software Required: Java 5 and Apache ANT
Other relevant information:
[3] CrossLoop
Website: https://www.crossloop.com/landing.htm
Author: CrossLoop
Date: November 1, 2007
Download File size: 2.33MB
License: Freeware
Operating systems supported: Windows 98-Vista
64 Bit Capable: No
Other languages supported:
Additional Software Required:
Other relevant information:
[4] LogMeIn
Website: https://secure.logmein.com/products/free/
Author: LogMeIn
Date: November 6, 2007
Download File size: 8.82MB
License: Freeware (registration required)
Operating systems supported: Windows 2000-Vista, Mac OS X
64 Bit Capable: No
Other languages supported:
Additional Software Required:
Other relevant information: