pcAnywhere

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From Mike

PS: We heavily use pcAnywhere to access our POS from home(and back up remotely), and to access our accounting system at home from the shop. I love that program

I could really use some advice on this one.

Is it difficult or practical to network the shop and home?

I would love to be able to do as you describe,
access and back up from either computer.

I currently have Me at home and XP at the shop with DSL.

Tips would be appreciated

 

[Mike Labbe]

Hey there,

It's extremely easy to do so, and I'll be glad to walk you through the process.

There are several programs that do this, but I prefer Symantec's pcAnywhere.

The ME vs XP is no problem; it can work between different platforms. My laptop is win98, home and office are XP.

The program basically lets you remotely control the keyboard, screen, and mouse from a remote location. It also has file transfer capabilities. (drag and drop)

I have it at my consulting office, on the laptop, at the frame shop, at a client site, and at home. I frequently jump among the above, from each location. We even used it last year while on a 7 day cruise, from the ship, to check up on systems and email. (and to xfer digital pictures back home on a daily basis from the camera, in case it was misplaced)

The actual "network connection" only exists while you are in a session. You use the software to "dial out" to the other end, which has the companion program running in the background which "answers the call". The session can originate through the internet (your DSL) or even through a modem.

If someone was at the office, they would see everything you see. (you can also blank the screen while in session, if desired)

To Use: You simply click on the icon, the computers communicate with each other to establish a connection, and it will ask you for a username and password (this to to keep unauthorized people OUT). Once you supply that information, the remote computer comes up in a window; and it's just like being there. The session is password protected and encrypted. I usually put them behind a router/firewall and change the default ports to hide it, but that's not really necessary if its just a single computer.

If both sides are DSL or Cable, it'll be pretty fast. If one end is a modem and the other end is DSL, it'll be slower but still very usable.

Make sure the version you buy is at least 10.5 or greater. 10.5 was the first version that worked with XP.

If you end up getting this and need help with the installation, don't hesitate to email or call. 401-725-3400.

Mike

 

[David Waldmann]

Mike,

Do you have experience with doing this through a NAT router at one or both ends? If so I'd take you up on your offer of help (even though it wasn't offered to me - cheeky, aren't I?

)

(FYI I'm leaving mid morning today and won't be connected again until Mon AM )

 

[Mike Labbe]

Yes, I'm very experienced with routers and NAT. I'll be glad to help! Give me a ring any time.

I personally prefer the Linksys BEFSR41 router. It's a very inexpensive ($60 or so) way to share a DSL or Cablemodem with up to 252 computers.

LESSA: Please note that these instructions DO NOT apply to you.

With the Linksys, it's just a matter of signing on to your administrative control panel. ( Click on this link to get there, if you have a Linksys http://192.168.1.1 ) The username and password are both "ADMIN" (no quotes). Click on ADVANCED, then FORWARDING. Make a new entry for ports 5631 through 5632. Set protocol to both. IP address should be that of the machine you want as the destination. ex: 192.168.1.100

On the destination computer, load up pcanywhere and set up a new HOST entry for "TCP/IP". It's very important that you add an entry with a username and password.

If any of the above doesn't work, or you have a different brand of router and can't apply the same general instructions, feel free to give me a ring or email. I'll be at the shop all day Saturday.

Have a great weekend

Mike, computer geek turned framer

 

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Hi Mike,

Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

I took a closer look at XP, and it seems to have this software built in. I can also load those components to Me from the XP CD. I will try this before I buy pcAnywhere.

Do you know of any advantages or disadvantages of using either?

Besides a firewall, do you see any other security concerns?

Thanks again, hope you have or had a great weekend.

 

[Mike Labbe]

I have not personally used the one built into XP. I shy away from anything Microsoft initially, because it is prone to shortcomings that let folks hack.

Just having it on the web without a router/firewall makes it prone to these folks. Installing the latest and greatest service packs is a must. Running a good virus scanner and making daily backups of the POS are also very important.

Maybe someone else with more experience is reading this and can share their opinion on the XP remote access utility.

Mike