[GRLUG] Remote Control PC from web link

[Greg Folkert]

On Thu, 2008-02-28 at 15:17 -0500, Adam M. Erickson wrote:
> Have you seen ads for  www.bomgar.com
> 
> Does anyone know of software that could be set up that would allow for
> Remote PC access to several O/S clients. I like how Bomgar works
> because it supports Ubuntu and can be run from Suse but also supports
> several other types of O/S's.
> 
> It costs $2000...Does anyone know of anything opensource that could
> work on Linux and Windows?
> Where all the client would have to do is click on a link from a web
> page to begin.
> 
> Any details or links would be greatly appreciated. I am aware of
> realVNC and gotomycomputer, but was looking for something that works
> more like bomgar where I could turn IT support into a business or
> offer support to my family if they agree to switch to Linux ;)

You see services like this are a "tell me where you are so I can tell
others where you are" service.

Sort of like Dynamic DNS services.

Setting up Linux to do this is as simple as setting up a one of the
dynamic dns clients available to update the public IP on a regular
basis.

With ssh open, there is literally nothing you cannot do remotely,
including login in via a GUI using XDMCP. You can't do bare-metal
console viewing though... but you can't with bomgar either unless you
buy the enterprise version and even then you have to allocate a second
IP for it.

As for Windows remote control... RDP was made for this exact reason. ALL
WindowsXP versions have a single license for RDP connections. Win2K does
as well... I'd not support Vista at all.

As far as Mac OSX, they now have a built in Desktop Sharing via VNC(ish)

Gnome has VINO as well if you want that kind of thing. KDE has something
as well.

I think the KEY really is getting the public IP address to be something
knowable and setting up the "router" to forward the ports to these
certain machines ports.

Its far cheaper using what is there and enabling it, than buying a
service like this.
-- 
greg at gregfolkert.net
PGP key 1024D/B524687C 2003-08-05
Fingerprint: E1D3 E3D7 5850 957E FED0  2B3A ED66 6971 B524 687C
Alternate Fingerprint: 09F9 1102 9D74  E35B D841 56C5 6356 88C0
Alternate Fingerprint: 455F E104 22CA  29C4 933F 9505 2B79 2AB2
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: This is a digitally signed message part
Url : http://shinobu.grlug.org/pipermail/grlug/attachments/20080228/9453569f/attachment.pgp