Remote Support Software....open source out there?

I setup the echoware server. Doesn't really have a service mode, but I'm using a startup task launching it using a local server account on a Windows 2003 VM that I use to run web/ftp/email services. It is working well. If you use the echovnc client, it runs as a service but still logs into the server component. I have my Vista media PCs signing in that way.

Customized the quick exe client with my proper logon info and my own jpg logo. Serve that as a zip file off of the web server. Never has supporting my family been easier. Well worth the 40 bucks.
 
I use gotomeeting for all my remote support calls. Technically I should use gotoassist but gotomeeting works perfect for me as I just need remote control of the pc. If there are files that I need that aren't on the web I'll stick'em on an FTP or email them...it's never a problem.

I like gotomeeting because it's fast,easy, and always works. Goes out over port 80 so no firewall issues. Has support for dual monitors. I can have multiple people connect to the meeting which works great if I need additional support.

2 things I don't like are if I have a mac client connect I cannot make them a presenter so it's useless for going pc to mac. If a reboot is required you have to have them rejoin the meeting, but hey thats life....

This cost us about $40 a month and pays for itself.
 
SerpentSix said:
I use gotomeeting for all my remote support calls. Technically I should use gotoassist but gotomeeting works perfect for me as I just need remote control of the pc. If there are files that I need that aren't on the web I'll stick'em on an FTP or email them...it's never a problem.

I like gotomeeting because it's fast,easy, and always works. Goes out over port 80 so no firewall issues. Has support for dual monitors. I can have multiple people connect to the meeting which works great if I need additional support.

2 things I don't like are if I have a mac client connect I cannot make them a presenter so it's useless for going pc to mac. If a reboot is required you have to have them rejoin the meeting, but hey thats life....

This cost us about $40 a month and pays for itself.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's what I have been using for about the past 3 years.....I just figured by now there were (as we're finding out) open source and less expensive options you can run yourself. Plus...I'm looking for something even easier...as now and then with GoToMeeting..sometimes you end up with someone who has a hard time figuring out how to click that "show my screen"..and more often the problem..."give keyboard and mouse to <me>"" buttons. And sometimes the users who can't understand what you're saying when you try to walk them through the initial steps on letting the active X stuff in.

Echogent so far...one click and run...enter a password..and BAM...I am immediately looking at their screen with keyboard/mouse control.
 
^^^ haha, i love it when i remote connect into the clients machines and they keep moving around hte mouse. gotta call em back "get the fuck off the mouse"
 
marley1 said:
^^^ haha, i love it when i remote connect into the clients machines and they keep moving around hte mouse. gotta call em back "get the fuck off the mouse"
Click to expand...

Yeah that's what runs through my mind....but since I'm billing..gotta be polite and mutter out a "Can you let go of the mouse? Let me drive please!" :eek:
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
Echogent so far...one click and run...enter a password..and BAM...I am immediately looking at their screen with keyboard/mouse control.
Click to expand...

Hell you can have it save the user name and password so they just hit run and then start.

I've used mine a few times now without issue. I'm happy with it so far.
 
I used to use logmein, now, I port forwarded my rdp port and I use dyndns.org to update my IP. From this, I am able to log into my file server, and log into my web server. I have a web server also, setup with port forwarding, and dyndns.org
 
sc0tty8 said:
I used to use logmein, now, I port forwarded my rdp port and I use dyndns.org to update my IP. From this, I am able to log into my file server, and log into my web server. I have a web server also, setup with port forwarding, and dyndns.org
Click to expand...

Those aren't remote support tools though......something any end user can "click on"..from anywhere in the world...behind any firewall...and within a click or two...I am looking at their desktop and controlling their mouse.

Getting access to my own computers from anywhere can be done a dozen different ways in my sleep....but effortless quick support to someone elses PC for me to fix things or show them things..is totally different.
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
Those aren't remote support tools though......something any end user can "click on"..from anywhere in the world...behind any firewall...and within a click or two...I am looking at their desktop and controlling their mouse.

Getting access to my own computers from anywhere can be done a dozen different ways in my sleep....but effortless quick support to someone elses PC for me to fix things or show them things..is totally different.
Click to expand...

Also I should mention for those who haven't read the first page that both YeOld and myself are looking for software to remote into machines we may have not touched before. At an existing clients office yes it is easy to have a way to remote into the network. Sometimes though you need something that can get past a firewall. Most of the solutions that have been offered in the past were ones that were hosted by a provider that you have to pay for per month. We are looking for something to host areselfs.
 
i think the free version of the echogent is the way to go... you really don't have any meaningful limits...

if you've got more than one tech, give each tech his own echogent server... that way you aren't limited by number of connections (4 i think).... that is pretty much enough for one guy to handle.... unless you're doing a huge rollout of software or something at a corporation, at that point i'd probably log into server and use RDP from there

also the 10 minute limit on file transfers... if its more than 10 minutes worth of transfer, use http or ftp! its probably faster than everything else anyway

i mean you should probably support the opensauce effort if you're making money off of it anyway (with donations), but you can totally (i am) host your own solution for $0

create your own instant VNC exe up it to an easily findable webserver... or even email it to them... all they gotta do is click open run a few times and one big button on the actual program

yea i have people who are having trouble understanding that you need to do to download ...
go to support.mycompanydomain.com instead of www.mycompanydomain.com.... they keep wanting to do things like www.support.mycompanydomain.com.... when you're on the other end of the phone you wish you could log in right there and put the domain in for them... lol

best to have a link off of the www.yourcompanydomain.com index
 
SSH and port forwarding has always allowed me to provide support for any OS. :)
 
Shaggy3zx said:
SSH and port forwarding has always allowed me to provide support for any OS. :)
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In a location you have already been then sure that works fine. Your not getting the point though.

We needs tools to do it where we don't have access to the end users computer for whatever reason. Maybe they can't get their home machine to access the office webmail. Maybe they have their notebook with them on a trip and can't get the vpn connection to work where we would be able to hit it and we don't have ability to have their hotel open ports on its network for us.

Cirtix makes some good tools like gotomeeting and go to assist but(go to assist really being what we need) but they are more expensive then we think they should be. The idea of buying a license to the software cheaper and running it on are own servers(or finding a free one) that handles what we need is a lot nicer option.


FYI www.simple-help.com looks interesting as well as it supports macos and linux but it is a good deal more then echo.
 
swatbat said:
Your not getting the point though.

We needs tools to do it where we don't have access to the end users computer for whatever reason. .
Click to expand...

Exactly...for all those recommending "logmein free"...yeah..that's a great freebie tool to setup 1x computer to log into. Most of us here can come up with at least 1/2 a dozen different ways to setup a PC to hit remotely..and even do it in our sleep.

However...the subject here is "remote support"..meaning..someone calls you for help...and you need to gain access to their desktop/laptop/server right away...with minimal effort from you..and with minimal effort on their end.
We don't want to take the time to find their IP address
We don't want to take the time to figure out what router out of the hundreds of makes/models they have on their end and try to walk them through logging into it to open/forward ports for RDC or *VNC or whatever
We don't want to take the time to figure out what software firewall they also run on their PC and do the same with ports

We need a tool to be able to quickly get them to download/run/click...click "yes"...and BAM...we're in on their desktop within a few seconds with control. And be able to do the same for many different people over and over again. This is what remote support software is.
 
so do we have a final verdict on anything besides logmein rescue that allows for remote support in safe mode? preferably something free! really need to get into safe mode remotely to deal with nasty spyware/virus infection, etc...

I have been using showmypc for about a year now and it works great except for no remote safe mode. or is there maybe a work-around to get showmypc working with safemode?
 
also noticed yesterday while using the echogent on vista machines, you cannot click the "allow" buttons that pop up from UAC.... it wasn't a big deal at the moment, i just thought the VNC session had been interrupted somehow, then the guy said on the phone "would you like me to click the allow button?" then i realized what had happened (kicked myself afterwards, as i was trying to get into the management console... duh... )

may have to make it a habit of disabling UAC on login... i wonder if i can script that... disable on login and re-enable on logoff of the vnc client.... then they gotta reboot :mad:
 
hello,
if you dont want to setup firewall ,forward port and so on the new solution NetIcar
is a technical assistance without any setup very simple and quick with a secure connection (SSL), file transfer and a chat, ... and Full Vista compatible.
Note: http://www.netcar.fr
 
Atech said:
http://www.uvnc.com/
Click to expand...

Yeah that's an oldie many of used before the RDC days...Win2K and earlier.

But this thread, as stated a few times throughout, is for remote support apps which require ZERO end user configuration. No finding out the remote users WAN IP address, no trying to figure out what firewall they have..find the admin password..setup them up on a static LAN IP address, open/forward ports 5800-5900 on their firewall/router...

Instant Remote Support app..means have the end users easily find and download a tiny program which they click a minimal number of times...and BAM...we are looking at the end users screen with kb/mouse control.
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
Yeah that's an oldie many of used before the RDC days...Win2K and earlier.

But this thread, as stated a few times throughout, is for remote support apps which require ZERO end user configuration. No finding out the remote users WAN IP address, no trying to figure out what firewall they have..find the admin password..setup them up on a static LAN IP address, open/forward ports 5800-5900 on their firewall/router...

Instant Remote Support app..means have the end users easily find and download a tiny program which they click a minimal number of times...and BAM...we are looking at the end users screen with kb/mouse control.
Click to expand...

lol its amazing how many times we've explained that... don't understand the hold up here
 
I use PC Helpware at work. I have configured an EXE file and put it on our webserver. To provide remote assistance, I open up a program on my computer, click Start. The user downloads an exe to their computer, opens it, hits Connect. I have access to their desktop. Really easy and free. It's basically reverse VNC.
 
Sasiki said:
I use PC Helpware at work. I have configured an EXE file and put it on our webserver. To provide remote assistance, I open up a program on my computer, click Start. The user downloads an exe to their computer, opens it, hits Connect. I have access to their desktop. Really easy and free. It's basically reverse VNC.
Click to expand...

Cool...took a look..thanks for the mention. Seems similar to the EchoGent that I fiddled with.
 
goodcooper said:
also noticed yesterday while using the echogent on vista machines, you cannot click the "allow" buttons that pop up from UAC.... it wasn't a big deal at the moment, i just thought the VNC session had been interrupted somehow, then the guy said on the phone "would you like me to click the allow button?" then i realized what had happened (kicked myself afterwards, as i was trying to get into the management console... duh... )

may have to make it a habit of disabling UAC on login... i wonder if i can script that... disable on login and re-enable on logoff of the vnc client.... then they gotta reboot :mad:
Click to expand...

It only happens with the quick and simple single EXE download. Since its running as an app in the user's session, it can't hook the UAC messages. The full EchoVNC install shows the UAC stuff since it runs as a service.

Confused me a bit that I had access to the UAC screens on my Vista Media PC boxes, but not on family member's machines until I thought about the differences in the execution context between the service based EchoVNC and the execution environment of InstantVNC.
 
Out of curosity what do these many programs offer over the default Microsoft Remote Assistance? I have been tinkering around with MRA on some test beds in our office and it seems to work well. So, again, what is it that makes these various programs superior?

Thanks in advance. Running to some of our locations is a pain (and a drive at that) so if I can roll out one of these over Microsofts I will (given they are better).
 
abudhu said:
Out of curosity what do these many programs offer over the default Microsoft Remote Assistance? I have been tinkering around with MRA on some test beds in our office and it seems to work well. So, again, what is it that makes these various programs superior?

Thanks in advance. Running to some of our locations is a pain (and a drive at that) so if I can roll out one of these over Microsofts I will (given they are better).
Click to expand...

The remote assistance needs ports opened in the firewall to work. With what we are going for they open an exe or a java app through a web site and give us access. The systems we are looking at doesn't require us to configure anything on the end users system. All of the config is on are end.
 
this thread has been dead for a while, over a year? holy crap, time is flying i guess... but i still refer to it often... wondering if you guys have come up with anything better at this point...


excuse the necro posting
 
I haven't come across anything new....I still mostly use GoToMeeting to connect to clients.
Used TeamViewer for a little bit to try it, I do find it quicker/easier to connect to end users. I just haven't cancelled my GTM monthly billing so I can switch over...too lazy. :eek:

Always good to bounce this thread up in case anything new came out that some stumbled across.
 
goodcooper said:
this thread has been dead for a while, over a year? holy crap, time is flying i guess... but i still refer to it often... wondering if you guys have come up with anything better at this point...


excuse the necro posting
Click to expand...

That's funny, I was just looking through this thread again this morning trying to remember what everyone came up with. Have a school district client that wants GoToAssist or LogMeIn type remote support options that they can host on their own equipment and has to work on Macs, too. Probably going to fool around with Echogent on a spare server.
 
i have noticed echogent has made a few upgrades to their components... but yea, that's what i'm setting up now... and i'm seeing a few new features that i don't have on my system at home...
 
I tried a few and just stick with Logmein Rescue, 800-1000 bucks a seat depending when you catch the sales man. Can get into Safemode.
 
been messing around with team viewer lately. Kinda of handy for some of our field men that are not inside the HQ network was surprised even works if field guys are using aircards provided by cell carriers thought that was neat. Also use DameWare internally it has function that if its not installed on pc as long as ur admin in AD groups can push the client out to the pc you are needing to get into but it is paid for license only like $90 for license though per copy so cheap and easy for us 3 supporters where we work.
 
I've been using TeamViewer for about a year now, from everything for remote support for clients to just logging into my computers at home from abroad. It's very convenient when someone has an issue that I can take care of in 5 seconds. Beats the hell out of walking them through it for half an hour over the phone.

Recently, they added a few different types on their site, like the Full Version, QuickSupport, TeamViewer Host, and a portable version (which I have on my flash drive). They also have a web app on their site that allows you to log in with your username and password, and access computers right from there.

If there's something more convenient and easy to use out there, show me.
 
Has anyone been able to get Teamviwer's reboot into safe mode feature working? Every time I try its just a regular reboot.

Edit: And yes I have installed TeamViewer Host.
 
goodcooper said:
i have noticed echogent has made a few upgrades to their components... but yea, that's what i'm setting up now... and i'm seeing a few new features that i don't have on my system at home...
Click to expand...

You have any luck with that yet? I'm probably going to start playing with it next week.... finally . . . . to many projects . ..
 
Captain Colonoscopy said:
You have any luck with that yet? I'm probably going to start playing with it next week.... finally . . . . to many projects . ..
Click to expand...

I've run echogent for over a year now. Overall I've been happy with it. So much cheaper then some of the other solutions. In my case I can hit most of my clients machines via rdp in one way or another so I don't use it that often.
 
YeOldeStonecat said:
Yeah that's an oldie many of used before the RDC days...Win2K and earlier.

But this thread, as stated a few times throughout, is for remote support apps which require ZERO end user configuration. No finding out the remote users WAN IP address, no trying to figure out what firewall they have..find the admin password..setup them up on a static LAN IP address, open/forward ports 5800-5900 on their firewall/router...

Instant Remote Support app..means have the end users easily find and download a tiny program which they click a minimal number of times...and BAM...we are looking at the end users screen with kb/mouse control.
Click to expand...

http://uvnc.com/addons/singleclick.html


What is SC?

UltraVNC SC is a mini (166k) UltraVNC Server that can be customized and preconfigured for download by a Customer. UltraVNC SC does not require installation and does not make use of the registry. The customer only have to download the little executable and Click to make a connection. The connection is initiated by the server, to allow easy access thru customers firewall.
What is the difference between UltraVNC and UltraVNC SC?

* Size: UltraVNC is about 850k while SC is only about 166k
* SC can only do a reverse connection while the normal version server can listen to viewer connections.
* SC can NOT be run as a service, no logon or Ctrl-Alt-Del is supported.
* SC can only do File Transfers, Directory transfer is not yet supported (but will be soon).
* SC don't use registry and password. Settings are preconfigured, password is not needed for an outgoing connection.
Click to expand...

:confused:
 
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