Systems Management —Anywhere, Anytime
At home — even in your pajamas — you can run your Windows 2000 network
via the Internet. See how three Web-based management tools help you tackle
the task.
- By Stewart Cawthray
- March 01, 2001
Part of Computer Associates’ Unicenter TNG system management suite, ControlIT
5.0 Advanced Edition is a remote control program for Win2K and NT. The
application enables Web-based control through its Web Viewer; this is
installed when you select to install ControlIT Viewers.
Web Viewer is installed in the same directory as other ControlIT programs,
with a shortcut created in the Start Menu. The ControlIT setup program
doesn’t add Web Viewer to a Web server so that users may access it via
any Web browser. Instead, Web Viewer, though it utilizes a browser as
its operating environment, requires that the ControlIT Viewers be installed
on any workstation you wish to use. This may be due to licensing requirements
but it makes Web Viewer rather pointless, as the regular ControlIT Viewer,
which also is installed, offers more functionality.
Once it’s executed, Web Viewer lets you connect to a system running the
ControlIT Host software, which is installed at the same time as the viewer
software. The user specifies the system’s host name, IP address, and username
and password to access ControlIT. Note that this is a ControlIT username/password
and not a Win2K username/password. Users can perform configuration via
the ControlIT Management GUI with the ControlIT Host software, and ControlIT
will synchronize its users with your server’s user accounts or domain
user accounts. ControlIT also lets you encrypt traffic between view and
host at up to 128-bit key strength.
I did encounter one problem with Web Viewer. If you aren’t logged onto
the server you intend to manage with the viewer, the application doesn’t
let you activate the Windows logon via the Ctrl-Alt-Del command, making
it impossible for you to log onto the system. In addition, Web Viewer
is not a separate session from the console, meaning any mouse movements
are made both in Web Viewer and on the server console.
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| Figure 5. ControlIT 5.0 provides remote control
capability over a logged-on user’s desktop. (Click image to view larger
version.) |
The remote control session offered by ControlIT allows you to access
any installed program on your system, enabling you to manage Windows and
third-party software and features. Still, Web Viewer needs some work before
it can be considered a true Web-based remote management system. But don’t
count this product out. Despite some sticking points, ControlIT’s features
and interoperability deserve a close look, especially if you use Unicenter
applications.
About the Author
Stewart Cawthray, MCSE, ITIL Service Manager, is an IT management consultant for Hewlett-Packard.