Remote desktop support ideas? 1

[Auger282]

Hi,

my company is looking twards remote desktop support for 250+ workstations. Initially we looked at the AT&T Vnc

currently we have pcanywhere running on our servers but I think its crap...

workstations are both xp and 2000

I'm just looking for what you guys suggest for remote desktop support for users from a help desk.

Thanks for your feedback

 

[Dyadmin]

I use timbuktu pro for my helpdesk for 200/xp/2003. PCanywhere had too many issues in 2003 and tb2 fit in terms of price and functionality.

XP and 2003 have remote desktop built right in, but I found tb2 fit my needs perfectly.

 

[Stiddy]

I would use the built in remote utility within XP the remote. For the w2k clients I like DameWare

 

[bofhrevenge2]

We use Dameware here for our 400 clients and it's very good, a big bonus is that it is licenced per administrator not per client.

 

[kansaspcdoc]

We simply use Netmeeting for simple support issues. All the user has to do is call you and give you access to their desktop and you can do what you need to.

 

[bofhrevenge2]

If budget is an issue then try Gencontrol it's free, installs in seconds and uninstalls without a trace when done. It also runs from a network share so you can run it from anywhere if you're an admin.

http://www.gensortium.com/products/gencontrol.html

It's not as good as Dameware especially over remote connections, but it's worth a go if budget is an issue.

 

[Spirit]

Yup, I agree with the above folks Dameware is fantastic.

Easy to use, you can install it as per needed basis's rather than having to do a mass install (although you can do this if you wish).

Dameware also give you a lot more than just remote control. I would definetly recommend buying one copy as eval.......

Iain

 

[ABAMOTO]

I use RADMIN.... I think it is pretty awesome...

 

[Zelandakh]

what's up with good old VNC? Free, fast and did I mention free?

 

[Auger282]

real VNC is what I was looking at first off..

its not free for corporate use.. but 2500 isnt too bad


..I was looking at the Radmin, thats really impressive.. ready to go out of the box.. but a little more expensive 3500


I appreciate all the feedback...

I found that Dameware was a little too much app for my tastes..

gencontrol was Not Enough of an app its basically a c share backdoor remote admin package

netmeeting causes too much trouble and I'm not trying to cause more application problems by adding another touchy MS app to the mix that I already have..

I was REALLY looking forward to using the remote help with XP already but we are really split 50% with xp and 2k

timbuktu is basically pcanywhere but a crappy version

..We currently use PCAnywhere for our servers.. its too $ and not enough bang.. too much app

RAdmin is light and is easy to use.. centralized scanning and easy to control /deploy.. Could be right what I was looking for

BUT I am still looking!
thanks for all your great feedback

if you want to research radmin a little there are free downloads of it to test out if you would like

http://www.famatech.com/

 

[bofhrevenge2]

Auger282 did you try Dameware NT Utilities which includes Mini Remote or just the Mini Remote package?

The reason i ask is that Mini Remote is a small part of the remote support utilities program that can be bought seperatly and is pretty straight forward.

 

[bofhrevenge2]

I've used VNC many times and it just doesn't compare to Dameware, it's not free but £140 isn't bad for infinate client licences.

 

[martyh]

Get the remote control add-in for Active directory (free from MS).

Marty
Network Admin
Hilliard Schools

 

[Auger282]

we arent running an AD yet

 

[Popsea]

We have tried them all in our location because we are very decentralized and need these tools. We used to use SMS Remote Tools, but found that Dameware was so much better. Especially the service install. VNC was ok, but installation was a hassle and not very secure. We are installing SMS 2003 end of January, but I don't think we will get rid of Dameware even if SMS 2003 works flawlessly.

 

[Auger282]

thanks for all the feedback guys.. I've also had another IT friend bring my attention to Ultr@VNC .. aparently it's free all around..

I have not looked at it yet but I will be.
He did mention that it can use NTFS logins (+ in my book)

But I'll leave comments when I get to messing with it
anybody else out there have experience with Ultr@VNC?

 

[grubgal]

My company uses Real VNC. It's not really that great of a program, so we were looking at purchasing something. So this was a great thread for me to read.

Everyone seemed to like Dameware, but it's way expensive (for my company anyway). 150 user license is $6749!

Does anyone know of a good quality product for about 250+ users that doesn't cost quite so much?

 

[Auger282]

grubgal take a look at Radmin
I'd like your feedback as well

be sure to download their other programs that assist with administrating...

also I did take a quick look at Ultr@VNC it looked ok but I dont think it has the adminstrative tools I'm looking for..

I really would like to do a runas.. on one piece of software and then be able to administrate all my desktops from one app...

at this point I think Radmin will look good but I'm still lookin around

 

[bofhrevenge2]

grubgal i make Dameware Mini Remote, Single User License $89.00 see below for licencing from their site.

How are DameWare Development products licensed?

All DameWare Development Software is licensed per User, not per Computer and there are no additional fees for client agents installed by the program. Therefore, the number of licenses required should correspond with the actual number of technicians that will be running the software. For example, if you have 10 technicians that will be running the software and connecting to 10,000 remote machines, you would only require 10 licenses.

http://www.dameware.com/sales/pricing.aspx

 

[ndabbot]

Ideal Administration suite for all administration tasks.

http://www.pointdev.com