You can be at two computers at once
At this moment, a sales representative has just realized the files he needs to give to an important client are on his computer back at the home office, 3000 miles away. At the same time, an IS manager has just calculated that she spends 39 percent of her annual budget sending technicians to remote sites to repair systems. Elsewhere, a mobile user wants to put the final touches on an accounting file, but doesn't want to drive 30 minutes to work to use the program on his desktop system. Finally, an intern sits idle trying to remember how to accomplish a task on her computer.
To collectively solve these users' problems, you can use remote control software. Remote control software lets users access another PC via dial-up networking (DUN), direct dial, or network connections (including the Internet). After remote users connect, they can perform file transfers, troubleshoot systems, run remote applications, and train another user sitting in front of the remote computer.
This month, I have evaluated and tested seven remote control products for Windows NT: Compaq's Carbon Copy 32 5.0, Artisoft's CoSession Remote 32 V8, Traveling Software's LapLink Tech, Danware's NetOp for Windows, Symantec's pcANYWHERE32 8.0, Funk Software's Proxy 2.20, and Stac's ReachOut Enterprise. (The Windows NT Magazine Lab also requested review copies of Computer Associates' ControlIT 4.0 and TSP Companies' PCDuo, but both companies declined to participate.) You can install each product onto two or more NT workstations or servers, with at least one computer serving as the remote control host and the other computer serving as the remote system that will take control of the host.
The Test Configuration
My test environment consisted of two computers. The host server had a 166MHz Pentium processor, 64MB of RAM, a 3.1GB local IDE hard disk, and an Intel EtherExpress Pro 10/100 NIC. The remote laptop had a 150MHz Pentium processor, 48MB of RAM, a 2GB hard disk, a 3Com PC Card NIC, a MegaHertz 56Kbps PC Card modem, and a Cirrus Logic CL-GD754x video adapter running 256 colors.
I connected the two 10Base-T systems to an Intel Express 10/100 Stackable Hub for the file-transfer and network remote control tests. I also created a dial-up connection to the Windows NT Magazine Lab Remote Access Service (RAS) server and used a Best Data 336FLX modem to simulate a mobile user experience for each product.
The Tests
To test the seven remote control programs, I simulated the tasks a remote user or Help desk technician might attempt. Rather than relying on a script to perform the tests, I ran the tests sitting in front of both the remote laptop and the host server. Scripting the process wouldn't let me consider the screen redraws and other experiences that a user might face. I ran the tests twice: once using DUN and once across the standalone network.
My testing consisted of several steps. First, I connected to the host server, opened Microsoft Word 97 on the remote laptop, typed a short document, and saved the file. Next, I opened a Microsoft Excel 97 spreadsheet, added cell items, deleted cell items, and printed the document to a printer attached to the host server. I then opened User Manager for Domains from the host server Start menu, added a new user account and password, and included the user in the Backup Operators and Print Operators groups. Finally, I opened each remote control program's file-transfer utility and copied four files from the host server to my remote laptop. I timed a complete file transfer and a delta file transfer (i.e., sending only the changes rather than the entire file), as Table 1 shows.
Between each series of tests, I removed the files I transferred from the remote laptop's hard disk and rebooted the host server and remote laptop to clear the system cache. I also restored each system's configuration files to a common point (i.e., a point before the installation of each remote control product) with Artisoft's ConfigSafe for NT to ensure the same starting configuration for each product.
I reviewed additional remote control features, such as support for remote printer redirection, multiple remote sessions, data encryption, color scaling to increase performance (i.e., scaling the host and guest to use the lowest common denominator for screen resolution), and screen blanking the host server for security reasons. I also evaluated whether you can lock the host keyboard and mouse during a remote session so a user can't tamper with the host files and desktop.
Additionally, I evaluated each product's file-transfer features. Specifically, I looked at support for file synchronization; file compression; rebooting if the session dropped during a file transfer; and drive, directory, and file restrictions on the host server. I also looked for virus scanning during file and folder transfer, delta file transfers, and the ability to restart file transfers after an error or system reboot. Other features I reviewed included voice chat, text chat, whether each product included a scripting tool, support for native NT security, and disk cloning. The benefit of this last feature is that it saves you from having to set up user accounts twice. I considered each product's installation and user interface based on how easily I could move through the options screens and establish connections. Finally, I evaluated the documentation, technical support, and price of each product. Table 2, page 68, shows the results.
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