Understanding Virtual Network Computing
can be used for an easy test startup, and the only thing that you will need to do is
enter a password for viewer access. Failure to do so will result in a dialog box with
a security warning message which then takes you back to the Properties page (see
Figure 1), so forcing a password to be entered. Besides the options available via the
Properties page, various command line options are also available. It is prohibitive
to list them all here, so instead I have listed a few examples:
install
installs the WinVNC Service
kill
kills a running copy of WinVNC
about
shows the About box
It is also possible to run WinVNC from the command line with multiple options, so
combining commands on one line. Quite a number of advanced settings are also
available under WinVNC, but these are somewhat more fiddly to configure because
the registry needs to be edited. Ways of simplifying this process are currently being
looked into for implementation into future revisions.
VNC Viewers
The viewer is run on the remote machine that will be connecting to the server. The
viewer is currently available for X (Unix), Windows, Java, Macintosh (requires
MacOS 7.1 or greater plus Open Transport 1.1.1 or greater) and WindowsCE
(requires Windows CE 2.0 or later). The following information covers the use of the
Windows VNCviewer. No installation or configuration is necessary the executable
is simply run from hard drive or floppy disk, either by double clicking the icon or
typing in the name of the VNC executable via the command line. Once started, a
dialog box is displayed prompting for the name or IP address of the server (see
Figure 2). After this, the user is prompted for the session password (as previously
configured via the server software). Successful authentication brings up a virtual
display of the server's desktop. As can be seen in Figure 2, an Options button is
available clicking on this displays the options which can be seen in Figure 3.
Out of all the available options, View Only is the one that is the most interesting,
since it allows the viewer to view activity on the server without the server being
controlled in any way by the viewer. This is especially useful for monitoring
purposes (monitoring a backup program running on a server, for example) or for
spying purposes ie, keeping tabs on how users are utilising their machines. This
latter use would no doubt create some controversy in some circles after all, no one
likes to be spied on but it does have a valid use in certain circumstances. Once
connected to the server, the viewer can control it as if the user was sitting at the
remote machine. I found the speed to be good on a 10 Mbits/second LAN. Various
options are available via a pull down menu which allows the user to change certain
functions once connected. These are as shown in Figure 4. If started via the
command line then various options can be input at that stage without the need for
Figure 1 The Windows
VNC server.
Figure 2 Connection Details
dialog box.
Figure 3 Connection Options dialog box.
Issue 130:May 2001
PC Network Advisor
File: R1529.2
page 10
Review:Software
www.pcnetworkadvisor.com
< Next page >
New! The best sites for quality inkjet printer cartridges and the best sites for cheap inkjet cartridges