Remote Desktop

[noshali]

Folks,

Need suggestions on getting remote desktop software so that I can control my 3 PCs that do not have montors and are around the house.

I really don't want to carry amonitor around the house to see what is going on.

regards,

 

[WayneW]

Windows Remote Desktop or VNC, both are free. But neither will help when you have a BIOS prompt or issue on boot.

 

[noshali]

Any software that can show me the BIOS stuff etc? Also, is there a limitation on how many session I can hae. For eg. Can I use one PC to see 3 or can I only use one pc to view one PC.

regards,

 

[WayneW]

No software that can show BIOS stuff as there is no real software running on the PC to act as a host at that time. To display the BIOS requires a hardware solution, which is not cheap (AFAIK). The cheap solution is to have a portable monitor for emergencies.

Yes, one desktop can Remote Desktop or VNC to multiple machines at once.

 

[upstatemike]

I use Kavoom virtual KVM for my three servers even though it is not free. I like it because it is a simple hot key to switch between servers (Ctrl F1, Ctrl F2, etc.) and it works well for rebooting machines remotely. It also lets you cut and paste between controlled machines and does NOT block local control when a remote session is active.

 

[noshali]

Thanks a lot. I do have aKVM switch but I am going to be moving the PCs to different parts of the house. I will check out remote desktop this weekend.

 

[upstatemike]

Thanks a lot. I do have aKVM switch but I am going to be moving the PCs to different parts of the house. I will check out remote desktop this weekend.

I run Kavoom from different PCs around the house and have access to my servers from any of them. It can also be used over the Internet if you open up a port on your router.

It does not matter where the controlling or controlled PCs are located as it is entirely a software KVM.

 

[The Pod]

Windows XP Remote Desktop works really well. And if you setup multiple monitors on your monitoring workstation, you can open a different RDP session/PC on each of the screens. Now switching between computers is a simple as moving the cursor onto that screen.

The Pod

 

[noshali]

I have only one monitor. I will check both the virtual KVM and remote desktop.

regards,

 

[elcano]

Windows XP Remote Desktop works if your remote PCs have Windows XP Professional. You cannot log remotely to a Windows XP Home Edition.

 

[Micah]

I ran an old version of RealVNC forever without any trouble and loved it.

Not too long ago I upgraded to RealVNC 4 and have since had nothing but trouble with the server failing to respond on my other computers.

I've been too lazy to reinstall 3.3 but the point I'm trying to make in a very long winded and round about way is that I don't like RealVNC 4.

 

[electron]

I use Real & UltraVNC, and also use logmein.com as a backup (in case I need to get to them when on the road). Remote Desktop is also enabled, but rarely use it.

 

[TonyNo]

I have tried the VNC variants, but stuck with Radmin for its speed.