open source remote access software?

[sdsumike619]

Does anyone know of any open source or free applications that allow remote access? I want to fix my sister's computer for her, but she lives across the country. I know they have stuff like Gotomypc that you see on TV all the time, but was just wondering if anything existed in the open source world for this sort of thing?

[rallynavvie]

I use RealVNC. I'm not sure if the free demo has any limitations but purchasing it isn't very expensive. I use it to remote into my hordes of PCs scattered about.

[sdsumike619]

Rally, thanks. Sounds like you're gearing up for world domination over there I found some stuff on download.com by doing a search of remote access and looking at the free downloads. Looks like it shouldn't be a big deal. I remember when PCAnywhere first came out how cool it was and this stuff is just common crap haha.

[redwudz]

I've just started using UltraVNC. Works very well, even with Vista. http://www.uvnc.com/ I used the payware Radmin in the past, but it gets expensive if you have multiple machines to control. UVNC is open source and freeware. It's faster than the commercial Radmin and very easy to set up. It has Vista specific video drivers to give very good quality screens if you need that capability. I haven't used it long enough to see if there are any problems, but it works very well so far. And very easy to set up. It will also work over a internet connection, though I haven't tried that.

EDIT: Just to add, the included remote access on XP and Vista works fairly well when doing 'remote repair'. I don't know that there is any advantage to it over other programs, other than easy setup. Accessing any PC remotely over the internet is sure to raise some security problems. I use my remote control programs within my LAN. I don't know that I would fully trust any of them if they were exposed to the internet. Encryption and passwords are very important here.

[sdsumike619]

I found this, it got the best reviews on download.com:
https://secure.logmein.com/products/free/
This would be simple on her end.

How easy is this uvnc software for the person requiring the support? In other words, what would my sister have to do to get it running on her end?

[redwudz]

It's made mostly for remote control. At the controlled computer, you just install the server portion of the program and add a password. You just need to install the viewer part on your PC. It does have a wizard to lead you through installation. I found you need to specify that you only want the server part on the controlled PC when it gives you the option of what to install. It does have tutorials that show you what's involved.

Remote control of any kind, especially over the internet does have security concerns. As soon as I was finished with it, I would uninstall or disable the program.

[sdsumike619]

yeah for sure,, I'll go with one of the two.. It shouldn't be a big deal
Looks like the uvnc has an add on called SingleClick which makes it simple and it has IP address restrictions, as well as encryption, so I think it's pretty secure. Thanks for letting me know of this one

[c8aj]

hi Redwudz,

please help me out with some guidelines on how to configure that environment that you just described. I am talking about giving support from a Windows Xp computer to a Windows Vista system.

Thanks in advance,

-Carlos

I've just started using UltraVNC. Works very well, even with Vista. http://www.uvnc.com/ I used the payware Radmin in the past, but it gets expensive if you have multiple machines to control. UVNC is open source and freeware. It's faster than the commercial Radmin and very easy to set up. It has Vista specific video drivers to give very good quality screens if you need that capability. I haven't used it long enough to see if there are any problems, but it works very well so far. And very easy to set up. It will also work over a internet connection, though I haven't tried that.

EDIT: Just to add, the included remote access on XP and Vista works fairly well when doing 'remote repair'. I don't know that there is any advantage to it over other programs, other than easy setup. Accessing any PC remotely over the internet is sure to raise some security problems. I use my remote control programs within my LAN. I don't know that I would fully trust any of them if they were exposed to the internet. Encryption and passwords are very important here.

[sdsumike619]

I ended up using Teamviewer, worked without any problems at all. But it was win xp on both systems..

[redwudz]

c8aj, I have yet to use UltraVNC over the internet for remote control, mainly because I haven't needed that option. But the info and tutorials at their site should be able to guide you. I use it for controlling my server and other computers in a different part of my house from my laptop in the front room. Vista can be difficult to remote access because of the security settings, especially over the internet.

I did find it easier to use than RadMin or Windows Remote Assistance.

[stiltman]

I also recommend UltraVNC for a free version. However I like RealVNC's enterprise edition better. Mostly for stability and encryption