Remotely controlling machines

[Howard]

What we want to do is have multiple machines emulate a master system, so to speak. e.g. move the mouse/type on the master, and have the other machines copy those actions. Whatever the solution is, it has to be able to control multiple systems simultaneously.

 

[Kelemvor]

Multiple PCs at the same time? Like you click and it clicks on all of them? No idea. I use VNC for just controlling one.

 

[Howard]

Yeah, we gotta do it for multiple PCs simultaneously. One-by-one won't cut it.

Thakns, though.

 

[Fullmetal Chocobo]

What about scripts? Would that be possible?

 

[Worthington]

take a look at Citrix's GoToMeeting, or MSs Live Meeting.

The MS solution use to be free, but I think they've incorporated it into the Office family now and it's not anymore.

 

[cbayadmin]

I do this all the time. I am a schoolteacher and I have a master computer that I can do a demontration on, and all the kids computers in my computer lab will see my desktop on their screens and every action that I do. This type of software is very common to the education industry. You have to watch your costs as the software is typically licensed by the # of clients that you want to control. Look at AB tutor, I think it's a flat fee, $300.00 ??. I use an older but very adequate and functional one called Lan School Teacher, I forget the cost.... under $1000.000 for the whole lab maybe. It can blank screens to get their attention, you can remote control any computer while the kids are on and watching the actions, send messages, remotely restart, shutdown, logoff the computers etc. There is a free opensource one out there too. it's called LanView3 by MST software. I use that one mostly for it;s ability to do remotely wake up all the lab computers every morning (WOL). Wake on Lan.

There are limitations on how many computers you can send your desktop actions simultaneously to due to bandwidth used, but I can do 20 at once on our 100Mb lan. It gets sluggish at 30 and above.

Generally, you install software on the Master and then some client software on each computer you want to control. Not unlike a VNC setup. The better programs will allow you to do the client installs remotely, providing you have the client firewalls off or the firewall exceptions configured.

Good luck

 

[nweaver]

There is a program called "mousemover" that we have used in the past. sgserver and sgclient are the executables. Not sure if it's available online or not (not even sure on licensing). This works in this way. I think it's the same code base that Altiris used for their remote client control piece of Deployment server. It works the same way

 

[Kelemvor]

cbayadmin,

I think he didn't want to SHOW the same thing on each PC, he wanted to actually control each PC as it's own entity but all individually running the same programs at the same time and controlled by the same mouse.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Kelemvor
cbayadmin,

I think he didn't want to SHOW the same thing on each PC, he wanted to actually control each PC as it's own entity but all individually running the same programs at the same time and controlled by the same mouse.

Pretty much. I want KVM functionality for multiple computers simultaneously.

 

[Howard]

^

 

[Howard]

^

 

[mxnerd]

I think VNC (UltraVNC) can cut it. Just run the the VNC server (the master) and let it accept all incoming remote client connections, not just one connection. However, you have to let clients do the connections to you, not vice versa.