To control computers remotely over the Internet, how?

Leonardo

I will shortly be leaving on a 30-day business trip. While away, I want to be able to manage my four computers networked on my home LAN. Well, I would also enjoy the opportunity to learn more about networking.

My knowledge level consists of running UltraVNC over a LAN. I do updates, manage the [EMAIL="Folding@Home"]Folding@Home[/EMAIL] 'farm,' and perform OS/programs maintenance. All the computers are currently run UltraVNC: one computer directly off the router and three computers off of a switch connected to the router.

This site seems to be a good tutorial, but given my limited experience with networking, I need your advice. Is there a simpler way? Will I need a dedicated file/internet server and FTP to find my remote machines over the Internet? What about security? If I open router ports 80 and 5900 (per article instructions), will I increase my LAN's vulnerability to intrusions? Or will a strong password lower the vulnerability?

Please advise. If you know of a simpler way, I am certainly open to trying different monitoring software. I use UltraVNC simply because it's all I know and it works well for my current needs.

Thrax

UltraVNC works over the internet, too.

Set up each of the servers on your PCs to respond to a different port. Then forward each of those ports in your router. Then sign up for a service like DynDNS which assigns a memorable name to your IP address, like leonardo.dyndns.org. Then when you're on the road, you connect to leonardo.dyndns.org instead of an IP address, and you specify the port of the computer you want to connect to. Make sure all the VNC servers at home are passworded, and you're done.

AlexDeGruven

Leonardo wrote:

I will shortly be leaving on a 30-day business trip. While away, I want to be able to manage my four computers networked on my home LAN. Well, I would also enjoy the opportunity to learn more about networking.

My knowledge level consists of running UltraVNC over a LAN. I do updates, manage the Folding@Home 'farm,' and perform OS/programs maintenance. All the computers are currently run UltraVNC: one computer directly off the router and three computers off of a switch connected to the router.

This site seems to be a good tutorial, but given my limited experience with networking, I need your advice. Is there a simpler way? Will I need a dedicated file/internet server and FTP to find my remote machines over the Internet? What about security? If I open router ports 80 and 5900 (per article instructions), will I increase my LAN's vulnerability to intrusions? Or will a strong password lower the vulnerability?

Please advise. If you know of a simpler way, I am certainly open to trying different monitoring software. I use UltraVNC simply because it's all I know and it works well for my current needs.

If all you want to do is access the machines as though you were in front of them, there are a lot of simple and inexpensive options.

I personally use LogMeIn's free product for managing all of my systems. A small tray app runs on the remote machine, and you access it via a browser plugin. You can remote control the machine at full (scaled to your browser window) resolution at the actual user session (Terminal Services and VNC will sometimes create new sessions).

Speed, of course, is dependent on your home uplink. You can't do things like watch video typically, but it works for pretty much everything else.

Leonardo

Thanks, guys, that was fast. My laptop will be the monitoring/controlling machine. Guess I'll get it fired up tonight and start experimenting. I'll try both of these methods and see what works best for me.

Concerning AlexDG's suggestion - what are the security implications of using LogMeIn?

AlexDeGruven

Leonardo wrote:

Thanks, guys, that was fast. My laptop will be the monitoring/controlling machine. Guess I'll get it fired up tonight and start experimenting. I'll try both of these methods and see what works best for me.

Concerning AlexDG's suggestion - what are the security implications of using LogMeIn?

Everything's encrypted, for a start. As for the exact mechanism of how the data travels, I'm not 100% on it, but I'm pretty sure nothing gets sent from the home system until a request from a validated client machine is initiated.

Thrax

That's correct, but that's true of all remote control mechanisms. None of them send data until a client initiates a connection.

Leonardo

To manage four computers at desktop level using LogMeIn, would it work to just install it on one of the LAN computers, then to access the other three through the connected computer's UltraVNC? The alternative would be to install LogMeIn on each of the four LAN computers. Is that cumbersome? Yes, I'll experiment at home, but I'd like to know from and experienced user's perspective.

Cyclonite

I use LogMeIn as well for all my machines. I've found setup and configuration to be much simpler than configuring VNC to work over the internet (not that it's difficult). It's pretty much all done automatically when installing LogMeIn. Additionally, you get a nice web interface that organizes all your computer.

I've also setup a Hamachi network (same group as LogMeIn) and I can RDP into any machines if for whatever reason LogMeIn is failing - aside from the computer being off.

Annes

At my company we've recently been using a tool called CrossLoop in order to do remote support not located on our LAN. Easy to install and simple to use...and free (for now, at least).

Leonardo

I can RDP into any machines

That went over my head, sorry.

Thrax

Translate: I can remotely access any machine. (RDP = remote desktop protocol).

Ryder

RDP = Remote Desktop Protocol.

I also remote to my machine at home, using the built in Windows RDP tool.

Start > Run > MSTSC /console then my dydns name for home.

Again, you can change the ports and access different PC's or chain an RDP from the 1st computer to the second once you are in 1 of them.

Butters

Like what Ryder said, easiest would be to RDP into the 1st PC (foward port 3389 to this pc). Then from that PC, RDP (or even VNC) to the other PC's.

Cyclonite

Sorry about that, Leo. I deal with too many acronyms as it is, and they start to fly out of my mouth (hands?) without thinking about it.

mtrox

I RDP into all of my servers, then from the first server's desktop I RDP to the others. On some of my networks I change the listening port on some of the servers so I can go straight into several servers at the same IP address.

VNC is very slow, and the video is mediocre. I really try to avoid it these days.

Leonardo

VNC is very slow, and the video is mediocre.

That's true, but for my purposes at home, it is sufficient.

NiGHTS

Second the vote for LogMeIn, should you decide it. Very simple and easy to set up, though I can't say how secure it is.

Cyclonite

https://secure.logmein.com/security.asp

Check out the white paper if you're interested. LMI provides a good amount of security even using the basic config. They offer a few other options such as one-time-use passwords and wireless passwords where they'll send a randomly generated sequence to a wireless device (such as a cell phone) when attempting to login.

Aside from using SSL to secure the sessions, you have to login with your email address and a password to access your "admin console," then select the machine you want and further authenticate to the local ACL of the machine.

It sounds like a lot to deal with, but it's all quite intuitive and flows well when accessing your machines.

ardichoke

I'd definitely recommend against using VNC over the Internet. The last time I looked at it, most VNC clients and servers either didn't force or didn't support encryption which makes it rather insecure if you're using it anywhere that data can be sniffed (read: anywhere outside your home wired network). The only way we found to use it securely was to tunnel VNC through SSH which was a pain in the ass. I'm hoping that has changed by now...

Thrax

UltraVNC supports several encryption plugins.

ardichoke

That's good. I still think it's rather silly to have a protocol like VNC not be encrypted by default. Then again, look at telnet or SSHv1 >_<

mirage

I use VNC over ssh tunneling. I keep all of the ports (including vnc ports) on the firewall closed except the port I designate for ssh (and it is not 22). I think this is as secure as it gets.

ardichoke

True, anything tunneled over SSH2 is quite secure. I'm just saying it's dumb that VNC doesn't do encryption as part of the protocol. Also, doing tunneling adds an extra layer to get screwed up which is unnecessary given that there are other options out there that have encryption built in.

mirage

I would recommend freesshd for Windows. I have been using it since several years.

ardichoke

I just use RDP... which does have built-in encryption. I was just weighing in with my thoughts on VNC is all.

mirage

VNC is cross platform. I use it in a mixed Linux, Windows environment both across firewalls with ssh and in the intranet w/o ssh. It is nice to connect from one computer to another regardless of the OS. On a Linux computer, multiple resident VNC sessions (i.e. desktops) can run for different users (or the same user) simultaneously. I can not live without VNC.

Leonardo

In less than one hour I had LogMeIn downloaded, installed, tested, and working perfectly on all four LAN computers. They really put together a fuss-free installation package. One of the tests I tried was logging into one computer, then launching from that computer by UltraVNC to a third computer. It worked, but it was pretty slow (lag) and the video was rather degraded.

I still can't get over how easy it was! So why do people pay for GoToMyPC when this is free? The same reason they pay for Norton and McAfee when Avira and AVG are free?

A big thank you goes out to Cyclonite!

mtrox

Leonardo wrote:

So why do people pay for GoToMyPC when this is free?

Good question. LogMeIn has gotta be kill'n GoToMyPC.

My question, how long can LogMeIn support all the free versions from the money they make on the "Pro" versions?

AlexDeGruven

A lot of it's the power-user vs casual-user. They understand that a good portion of their users are not going to need any features beyond what is provided with the free version. So let them use it for free. They'll tell their friends (Look at what we're doing here), and while a good portion of those users will be happy with the free version, some of those will become paying members.

Plus, enterprise contracts are very lucrative, and having people familiar with the product already could help sway an institution toward it, rather than a competitor.

Leonardo

Oh, sorry, AlexDG, I didn't give you credit above where I did for Cyclonite. Thanks for suggesting the software.

Leonardo

This is some CRAP software. I have now lost two computers - 'lost' in that we cannot see any more than the recycle bin on the desktop, from the remote view on my laptop 4000 miles away and at home, my wife at the monitor(s). Things got so bad on one of the computers yesterday, I had my wife uninstall LogMeIn on an affected computer. We did that through a computer running UltraVNC. Another computer went bad (nothing available except desktop). I managed to straighten that machine out also through UltraVNC, which could see the taskbar. Well, just a little while ago, I lost the last machine with UltraVNC viewer, so now we are blind to what's happening on two of the computers. I had my wife go is nto Safe Mode on this last computer, the one with UltraVNC viewer installed. She could view everything, but she could not uninstall LogMeIn in Safe Mode. It gave her a message about not have access to all the Windows installer features needed to perform the operation.

LogMeIn has turned into a disaster. 4000 miles and 30 days away.