Advice sought on managing desktops remotely

[sakpgu]

Hello:
--Network newbie here. What is the best way to remotely manage Win2k desktops? The network I inherited uses pcAnywhere v10 for help desk issues, remote administration, etc. VNC looked interesting, but I've never used it. Is it worth switching to VNC or another solution or just to stick with pcAnywhere?
--I'm rather new to IT, so I'd really appreciate any advice before I go and mess up the network.
Thanks,
Patrick

 

[Davetoo]

If you have something in place, why bother? Just use it if it works.

Sure, tons of different ways to do it..I use VNC, with XP you can use Remote Desktop, etc. etc.



I'm Certifiable, not cert-ified.
It just means my answers are from experience, not a book.
The poster formerly known as lander215

 

[sakpgu]

Hi Davetoo:
--Thanks for the input. Good advice. I have a mix of Win2k & WinXP. I wondered if a single solution (a la VNC) would be better than pcAnywhere & RDP.
--Ironically, the issue came about because the XP users struggle with Remote Assistance, even though I've walked 'em though it & set up a GPO to allow Offer Remote Assistance. Anyway . . . thanks again for the tip.
P.

 

[gecko27]

Radmin is a good remote admin program. It's not free like VNC, but MUCH faster. Also includes telnet and file transfer options.

 

[sakpgu]

--Radmin looks v. promising. Now at least I have some options. Thanks for all the tips.
P.

 

[mpnut]

I use TightVNC on over 100 PCs. It's very reliable and easy to use.

 

[DevilDoAll]

At work we use Dameware NT Utilities to manage a network of 500 PC's and 50 servers.
PC's are Windows 2000, XP and 1 or 2 Windows NT4.
Servers are Windows 2000 and Windows 2003.
Very easy to use.

If you download it, you have a 30 days trial version.

B

Visit us at :

http://www.hdp.be

 

[gjconely]

I am surprised no one said NetMeeting - it comes installed on just about every windows computer I have ever touched and works great. The only bad thing is you need to have a directory server running, or be able to route to the computers IP address.

Greg Conely

http://www.ImageMentor.net

http://www.gregsdirectory.com

 

[Cottongin]

Check out a little program called logmein.com.
simple and easy to use.

 

[jml1911a1]

I second the LogMeIn suggestion.

Works great--I use it all the time.

 

[John Lewis]

I don't understand why one would want to use LogMeIn for administration of machines on a local network. It seems odd to connect to desktops on a local machines via a third party server.

pcAnywhere is fine if you already have it. I would have a hard time justifying the expense given the current state of VNC.

Keep in mind that there are different flavors of VNC. In the past, UltraVNC was the best bet if you were only concerned with Windows machines. I use TightVNC for a mix of Linux and Windows machines on several networks without any complaints. On other boards I have read that TightVNC has caught up with or perhaps surpassed UltraVNC for Windows machines as well.

 

[WinDave]

We use Bozteck VNCScan (

http://www.vncscan.com)

and it does everything that we need (and then some). It's definately worth a look

 

[Maugwa]

I second the Dameware NT. It's become my best friend and is a great tool to work with.

 

[rjfoster]

LogMeIn may not sound like the best solution for managing local users ... other than no one knows if YOU are local or not.

You could just as easily be sitting at Starbucks sipping a hot beverage remotely controlling the workstations/servers. (Although you have to watch the background noise while on your cell phone).

Also works nice on laptops that people carry around. As long as they are connected to the internet, you can assist them.

Of course, this is great if you're paid by the hour...otherwise you've opened yourself up to being able to support everyone from anywhere. Not always the best option is you're exempt.

Peace out.
-gg

 

[Auger282]

Dameware.... it's awesome and it charges per tech.. and not per workstations

we have 300+ workstations with 10+ servers