Using the Remote Control SMS Feature

SMS Remote Control Tools Overview

SMS Remote tools enable administrators to control remote client computers. The Remote Tools set provides the following features:

• Remote control

• Remote reboot

• Remote chat

• Remote execute

• File transfer

• Windows diagnostics

• DOS diagnostics

• Ping test

Remote Tools are categorized as follows:

• Remote Diagnostics: Provides the capabilities listed here:

  • Control a client computer's mouse and keyboard

  • Execute a program

  • Copy files

  • Reboot

  • View the configuration settings of client computers.

• Remote Functions: Indicates whether the SMS administrator or the local user manages the level of access of the administrator.

Before clients can use Remote Tools, the following requirements have to be met:

• Remote access to the client must be allowed.

• The client must be a SMS client.

• The client must have the Remote Tools Agent must be installed. The Remote Tools Agent must be enabled/running.

• The SMS Administrator console computer and the SMS client must use the same protocol:

  • TCP/IP

  • IPX

  • NetBEUI

Remote tools can be installed on the following components when you run SMS 2.0 Setup

• SMS primary site

• SMS secondary site

• On a Windows server as a SMS Administrator console

To use the Remote Tools SMS feature to monitor or control client computers through Remote Access Services (RAS), the requirements listed here have to be met:

• For the SMS Administrator console computer being used as the viewing computer, you must have installed the RAS client software.

• For the site that contains the remote client computer, there must be a RAS server on the same segment as the client computer.

• The SMS Administrator console computer, the RAS server and the remote client computer must be using the same NetBIOS transport.

How to configure the Remote Tools Client Agent

1. Open the SMS Administrator console.

2. Expand the Site Settings node.

3. Click the Client Agents node.

4. Right-click Remote Tools Client Agent and then select Properties from the shortcut menu.

5. The Remote Tools Client Agent Properties dialog box opens.

6. Check the Enable Remote Tools On Clients checkbox on the General tab of the Remote Tools Client Agent Properties dialog box.

7. If you do not want users to change your policy and notification settings, enable the Clients Cannot Change Policy Or Notification Settings checkbox.

8. Click the Security tab.

9. This is where you specify those users and groups allowed to execute remote functions. The Permitted Viewers list is used to specify the users or groups.

10. Click the New button to add users or groups to the Permitted Viewers list

11. The New Viewer dialog box opens.

12. Provide the name of the specific user or group allowed to execute remote functions and then click OK.

13. Click the Policy tab.

14. This is where you configure the levels of remote access, and specify whether the client computer needs permission before it can start a function.

15. You can configure either of these option:

1. • Full option; allows all remote functions and remote diagnostics to be run.

   • Limited option; specific remote functions are allowed to be performed.

   • None option; no remote functions and remote diagnostics can be run.

16. Click the Settings Button on the Policy tab.

17. The Default Limited Remote Tools Settings dialog box opens. If you have selected the Limited option, the Default Limited Remote Tools Settings dialog box is where you specify which remote functions are allowed.

18. Click OK.

19. In the Access Permission area of the Policy tab, you can select the following options:

1. • Select the Display A Message To Ask For Permission option to require the user to reply with either a Yes or No in the message box displayed, before the Remote Tools session can commence.

   • Select the Do Not Ask For Permission option if do not want the user to be prompted to commence the Remote Tools session.

20. Click the Notification tab. This is where you configure which audible access indicators or visual access indicators will be displayed on the client computer to indicate that a Remote Tools session has been initiated.

21. By default, both the Display A Visual Indicator checkbox and the Play A Sound checkbox is selected.

22. Click the Advanced tab.

23. This is where you configure settings that impact the performance of remote functions.

24. In the Default Compression For Remote Control drop-down list, specify the compression type used for remote monitor. The available options are:

1. • Low (RLE) option; SMS uses the Run Length Encoding (RLE) compression method and forty percent compression of remote control screen data is provided.

   • High (LZ) option; SMS uses the Lempel-Ziv (LZ) compression method and ninety percent compression of remote control screen data is provided.

   • Automatically select compression level option; the Remote Tools Client Agent selects the algorithm based on the processor speed of the client computer.

25. In the Default Remote Access Protocol drop-down list, specify the protocol which should be initially attempted to be used between the Remote Tools program and the Remote Control Client Agent. The default configuration uses TCP/IP.

26. Enable the Install Accelerated Screen Transfer On Windows NT Clients checkbox if you want to enhance the performance of your Windows based client computers.

27. In the Video Drivers list, specify the driver.

28. Click OK.

How to configure remote options at the client computer

1. Open Control Panel.

2. Double-click Remote Control.

3. The Remote Control Properties dialog box is displayed. All settings displayed on the General tab and on the Notification tab are those settings which were configured through the SMS Administrator console.

4. Before you can modify these settings, you need to disable or deselect the Use Administrator Settings checkbox located on each of the tabs.

5. On the General tab, click the Show Status button located at the bottom of the tab.

6. The Remote Control Status dialog box is displayed, showing the following connection information:

1. • Version

   • Protocol

   • Network address

   • Computer name

   • Acceleration

   • Compression.

7. To end the session, click the Close Session button.

8. Click OK.

How to run the Diagnostics utility

1. Open the SMS Administrator console.

2. Expand the Collections node.

3. Select the collection which contains the specific client computer that you want to run remote diagnostics for.

4. Right-click the client computer, and select All Tasks and then Start Windows NT Diagnostics from the shortcut menu.

5. The Windows NT Diagnostics dialog box opens.

6. Select the tab that contains the information you want to view:

1. • Version

   • System

   • Display

   • Drives

   • Memory

   • Services

   • Resources

   • Environment

   • Network

7. Click OK.

How to initiate a Remote Tools session

The following five remote functions are available in the SMS Administrator console:

• Remote Control

• Remote Reboot

• Remote Chat

• Remote File Transfer

• Remote Execute

Before any of these remote functions can be used, SMS must first create a remote connection with the client computer.

To start a Remote Tools session,

1. Open the SMS Administrator console.

2. Expand the Collections node.

3. Select the collection which contains the specific client computer that you want to start a Remote Tools session with

4. Right-click the client computer, and select All Tasks and then Start Remote Tools from the shortcut menu.

5. The Attempting to Connect with message dialog box opens, indicating that the connection is being established.

6. Once the connection is successfully established, the Remote Tools window is displayed.

7. The display data of the client computer is shown on the computer being used to view the data.

How to initiate a Remote Control session

1. Open the SMS Administrator console.

2. Expand the Collections node.

3. Select the collection which contains the client computer that you want to start a Remote Control session with

4. Right-click the client computer, and select All Tasks and then Start Remote Tools from the shortcut menu.

5. The Attempting to Connect with message dialog box opens, indicating that the connection is being established.

6. Once the connection is successfully established, the Remote Tools window is displayed.

7. Click Remote Control. This is the first button displayed on the toolbar.

8. The Remote Control message box is displayed indicating that permission is being requested at the client computer, if this option was enabled.

9. The Remote Control window is displayed on the SMS Administrator Console computer next.

10. The Remote Control window's system menu contains toolbar buttons and configuration options.

11. Click the Configure option on the system menu

12. The Control Parameters dialog box opens. You can configure the following configuration options here:

1. • Extended Hercules Checking checkbox; available for SMS 1.2 MS-DOS clients support. Enable this option to monitor Hercules based clients for text or graphics mode.

   • Accelerated Mode checkbox; available for SMS 1.2 MS-DOS clients support. Enable this option to transmit screen refreshes from the client at the fastest speed which is supported by the network

   • Hot Keys checkbox; enable this option for hot-key sequences specified with the Hot Keys option to be transmitted to the client.

   • 16 Color Viewing (Faster) checkbox; enables color display resolution at the client to assist speed screen transfer and reduce network traffic

   • Suppress Client Wallpaper checkbox; disables the wallpaper of the client when the Remote Control session is active.

13. Click OK.

14. Click the Hot Keys option on the system menu.

15. When the Hot Key Settings dialog box opens, specify the define hot-key sequences for the remote control commands.

16. Click OK.

17. If you want to terminate the Remote Control session, close the Remote Control window.

Monitoring Remote Tools Sessions

During a Remote Tools session, the Remote Tools Client Agent will create status messages that you can view using the Status Message Viewer.

To view status messages associated to the Remote Tools session run one of the following status message queries:

• Remote Tools Activity Initiated At A Specific Site

• Remote Tools Activity Initiated By A Specific User

• Remote Tools Activity Initiated From A Specific System

• Remote Tools Activity Targeted At A Specific System

The information provided by these status messages includes:

• Machine name of the SMS Administrator console used.

• Machine name of the client computer that the remote functions are being performed on.

• Domain name of the user viewing the client.

• User account of the user viewing the client.

• The different types of remote functions being performed on the client computer.

How to view client log activity
Log activity is generated at the client computer when the Remote Tools Client Agent is installed or when it is updated.

1. Open the SMS Administrator console.

2. Expand the Collection folder.

3. Select the collection which holds the client you want to work with.

4. Right-click the client and select All Tasks and then select Start Event Viewer from the shortcut menu.

5. The Event Viewer window is displayed.

6. The System log from the client computer is displayed.

7. Click the Log menu and then select Security.

8. The Security log is displayed.

9. The Remote Tools session events recorded in the Security log are listed here:

• Remote Tools Activity Initiated At A Specific Site

• Remote Tools Activity Initiated By A Specific User

• Remote Tools Activity Initiated From A Specific System

• Remote Tools Activity Targeted At A Specific System

The information provided by these status messages includes:

• Machine name of the SMS Administrator console used.

• Machine name of the client computer that the remote functions are being performed on.

• Domain name of the user viewing the client.

• User account of the user viewing the client.

• The different types of remote functions being performed on the client computer.

How to view client log activity
Log activity is generated at the client computer when the Remote Tools Client Agent is installed or when it is updated.

1. Open the SMS Administrator console.

2. Expand the Collection folder.

3. Select the collection which holds the client you want to work with.

4. Right-click the client and select All Tasks and then select Start Event Viewer from the shortcut menu.

5. The Event Viewer window is displayed.

6. The System log from the client computer is displayed.

7. Click the Log menu and then select Security.

8. The Security log is displayed.

9. The Remote Tools session events recorded in the Security log are listed here:

1. • EventID 1; Remote Reboot

   • EventID 2; Remote Chat

   • EventID 3; Remote File Transfer

   • EventID 4; Remote Execute

   • EventID 5; Remote Control Session Start

   • EventID 6; Remote Control Session End

   • EventID 7; Local User Granted Permission For Remote Session

   • EventID 8; Local User Denied Permission For Remote Session