Remote Management
Remote Management*
Desktop Authority Remote Management offers a simple way to remotely access multiple computers on the network for the purpose of remotely controlling and organizing computers running the Remote Management client (ExpertAssist).
Remote Management Console
Select this tab to remotely manage a computer running the Remote Management client.
Use the left side navigation pane to navigate through the Active Directory or Favorites and find the computer you will be connecting with. The right view pane provides the ability to establish a remote connection with a computer running the Remote Management client.
Figure 44: Navigation pane
The navigation pane displays a tree enabling a computer to be selected from Active Directory.
Once a computer is selected in the navigation pane, the Add To Favorites selection in the Favorites drop list is enabled. Click Add To Favorites to add the selected computer to the Favorites list. You can also add a computer to Favorites by utilizing the available drag/drop or copy/paste (right menu options) functionality. Use your Favorites for computers that are commonly accessed for Remote Management. Add to Favorites can also be selected by right-clicking on the computer in the navigation pane.
Figure 45: Manage Favorite computers
The favorites list displays computers that have been added to the favorites list from the Active Directory tree. The computers in the Favorites list lets you organize and quickly access the most frequently used computers. "Favorite" computers can be organized into folders by adding, moving, or deleting them.
Figure 46: Favorites list
The computers enumerated in the navigation pane use the following icons to denote the Remote Management service status.
Table 5: navigation pane icons
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Denotes the computer is running the Remote Management service. |
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Denotes the computer is being queried regarding the status of the Remote Management service. |
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Denotes the status of the Remote Management service on that computer cannot be determined. |
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Once the computer is located, right-click on the computer name to access the available actions on the view pane.
Figure 47: Available actions for computer
Current computer
The Current computer section gives the status of the Remote Management service on the computer selected in the navigation pane.
Remote Control
Launch Remote Control
Once the Remote Management service is deployed to the client (via a Remote Management profile element), a computer status should be visible. You can then launch a remote control session using the Launch remote control button. When clicked, a new browser window will open with a logon to Expert Assist, the Remote Management client software.
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*Note: This feature is not a standard part of Desktop Authority Essentials. To obtain this feature, Desktop Authority Essentials must be upgraded to the full version of Desktop Authority. |
ExpertAssist Java Launcher
The Java Launcher provides an execution container for ExpertAssist's Java dependent functionality. Additionally, it is also responsible for automatically downloading and installing the OpenJDK version of Java if no supported Java version can be found on the host computer. Currently, both the Oracle JDK and OpenJDK version of Java are supported.
The Java Launcher must first be downloaded and installed in order to utilize any of the Java dependent features (e.g. Remove Control) of an ExpertAssist connection. Use the available Download link to download and install it.
User and Computer Lookup
Select this tab to quickly find a user or a computer to remotely manage. This tab provides shortcuts to the computer for easy access to remote management functionality.
The ExpertAssist Remote Management client MUST already be deployed (via a Remote Management element) to all computers being accessed via the User and Computer Lookup tab. Additionally, both User Data Collection (with "Collection logon and logoff session information" enabled) and Computer Data Collection (with Hardware, Software and Startup/Shutdown collection options enabled) must already be configured on these computers for the reporting component of the User & Computer Lookup feature to be fully functional.
To locate a recent session on a particular computer, enter the Computer Name and/or Username and click the Lookup button. Wildcards may also be used in the search field for either Computer Name or Username.
Examples of Search terms (Computer Name):
- IT* - All computers whose name begins with IT
- *ACCTG* - All computers whose name contains the string ACCTG
Examples of Search terms (Username):
- *SMITH - All users whose username ends with SMITH
- JBROWN - Only the user with the exact username of JBROWN will be displayed
To locate a computer or user using the Active Directory tree, click the Browse link under the entry field for Computer Name or Username.
The computers and/or users found via the lookup are displayed in the list below the search.
Shortcuts are provided for the following functionality:
- Computer Information - Click the Computer Name to view a report showing the latest hardware and software information collected for the associated computer.
- Username information - Click the Username to query Active Directory for the current user profile information for the associated user.
- IP Info - Displays the current IP address information for the associated computer.
- Remote - Initiate a remote control session to the associated computer.
- Remote Management - Initiate an ExpertAssist management session to the associated computer.
- Remote Chat - Initiate a remote chat session to the associated computer.
- Remote Cmd - Initiate a remote command line session to the associated computer.
- SLTrace file - Retrieve the latest SLTrace file from associated computer, for the associated user.
- C: Drive - Open a file browser session to the C Drive on the associated computer.
- User Desktop - Open a file browser session to the Desktop folder for the associated user, on the associated computer.
- Registry Editor - Open a registry editor session with the associated computer.
- Services - Open a services session with the associated computer.
By default, most User and Computer Lookup shortcuts require one login per machine (per session) to the ExpertAssist client running on the remote computer. However, for browsers that support automatic NTLM authentication for local sites, it is possible to avoid the need to enter credentials when using this feature.
To do this you first need to enable NTLM for Remote Management (DA Setup Tool -> Remote Mgmt -> EA Connection Configuration -> Use the parameters in the URL -> Parameter string = /ntlm) and then configure your DA Console browser for automatic NTLM authentication. For example, in Firefox, the about:config setting network.automatic-ntlm-auth.allow-non-fqdn=True can be used to enable automatic NTLM authentication for all internal sites.
