Remote Access is the life saver of any Network Administrator. I cannot count how many times my sanity was saved by having the ability to just remote in and deal with a situation. Considering our remote office was a 45 minute drive (or hour and a half train ride). The ability to use Remote Desktop was a life saver.
Remote Desktop did come with limits though, and while there were plenty of work-a-rounds to handle the limitations. Straight up administration without limits is always better. One tool I like for this job is RAC Server/Client from PCNetSoftware.
This software allows you to truly have complete control over remote systems. Not just keyboard and mouse control as most remote desktops allow. With RAC you can transfer files, shutdown systems, and power systems on remotely, control processes and even record the remote screen.
What I especially enjoyed about this product is that you do not need to run a full remote session if you want to work on a command prompt or if you want to work with the remote processes or any of the other tasks you wish to perform. Simply choose how you wish to connect and remote in to the system. You can create different connection profiles for each system as well.
So if you need to ability to transfer files between a client’s computer and a file share on your server you can do so securely. RAC uses a VPC which means there is no need to have a static or public IP address to connect to a computer outside your network. Perhaps you need to record the screen(s) of a system(s) used for training or maybe you need check processes on a server that tends to become overloaded.
Another one of my favorites is to just connect in a view only mode while allowing the user to control the system so you can see what it is that is generating the error. We know many times the problem resides between the keyboard and the chair. So connecting in and doing things correctly will not resolve the issue.
The RAC client is free and the RAC server is relatively inexpensive considering the cost starts at 19.50 per user and can go as low as 12.50 per user in volume. Try the 30 day trial of the RAC Server and get started taking full control of your network.
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Ron Barrett, Director of e-Strategy for ClipTraining , is an independent trainer, author and consultant. He has been a technology professional for over 12 years, working for several major financial services firms and dotcoms. Ron is a specialist in network infrastructure, security, and IT management. He is the author of Office Communications Server 2007 R2: How-To , as well as co-author of Windows Server 2008: How-To and The Administrator’s Guide to Microsoft Office 2007 Servers. Ron has been a co-author or technical editor for several other books on Windows administration. Along with book writing, Ron has contributed to several industry magazines such as Redmond, Datamation and Windows IT Pro. Beyond writing, Ron has spoken at several technology conferences for CPAmerica, AICPA and MCP’s TECHMENTOR. Recently Ron has joined ClipTraining as the Director of e-Strategy in an effort to further the company’s presence via the Internet and social networking channels.
Ron's latest book, Windows Server 2008 How-To has been selected as the September 2009 book giveaway on Microsoft Subnet. To enter the monthly book giveaway, visit the Microsoft Subnet home page.
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