Remote Desktop for Apache?

[Zych]

Hey Everybody,

Has anybody come out with a "Remote Desktop" for Apache? I know MS has released a web client that works on IIS (and probably requires ASP) but it would be nice to have a more stable platform like Apache and PHP. Basically I would like customers to click on a link on my web page. I would then be able to help them via the Remote Desktop.

Thanks,

Zych

 

[Wishdiak]

Zych,

Considering that Remote Desktop (and Microsoft Terminal Services) is a proprietary closed-source protocol, it's highly unlikely that you'll find anything that works on a web server without IIS.

This is not something that Microsoft is likely to license, and as they're trying to improve their security image these days, they'd probably be quite aggressive about squashing any non-Microsoft attempts to connect to users via Remote Desktop.

Wishdiak
A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA: Security 2003

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[jimoblak]

How is this different than VNC?

http://www.realvnc.com/

- - picklefish - -
Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?

 

[Zych]

Hey Wishdiak,

Thanks for your response. I think you are correct but I was hoping.

Hey jimoblak,

VNC is a great program but since remote desktop is built into XP, there is nothing to download. I have seen sites where you only need to click an anchor tag and this allows a tech to take over your computer via the remote desktop. As far as I know VNC does not offer anything like this for the web.

If they do let me know.

- Zych

 

[jimoblak]

I would like to see these sites if you can offer a link. It certainly would be useful.

However, this is also a dangerous security issue and I doubt that clicking a link on a web page could be so simple to initiate a shared desktop session. XP users have the option to enable or disable remote desktop use. I believe it is off by default so clicking a link on a web site should not really be so easy.



- - picklefish - -
Why is everyone in this forum responding to me as picklefish?

 

[Zych]

It only works with IIS but here is the download and info from Microsoft's site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/tools/rdwebconn.mspx

- Zych

 

[Wishdiak]

Zych,

From this article, it looks like you need to have a routable IP address, IIS, and "Remote Desktop Connection Web Connection". As I suspected, this is not something that Microsoft would license for Apache users.

Have you actually seen it in action? The article is a bit vague on the functionality.

Wishdiak
A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA: Security 2003

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[Zych]

Only for a short moment. I had a customer who's SQL system got corrupted. We called support and they had us click on a section in their web site. It then pretty much acted like RD. We had to give him permission to fully take over. Since I offer tech support to some of my customers I thought it would be nice. I am just not sure if I want to host my site on IIS. In October I think I should be able to get Verizon's FIOS service. If so I would have a 30MB/5MB Internet connection. I then may setup dual servers, one with IIS the other Linux with Apache/MySQL.

Thanks for your input,

Zych