Free Open Source Computer Lab Monitoring Software Using vnc

Background:

I teach in a PC computer lab. As a teacher, I need to help and observe all of the computers at the same time. For Mac OS X there is a great piece of software called Apple’s Remote Desktop. On the teacher’s computer monitor it presents a live scaled-down view of all of the computer screens in the lab. The teacher can watch all the students doing work and when necessary, focus in on one computer and move that computer’s cursor with their own mouse.

For PC/Windows labs there is a program called vnc which allows one computer to watch and control another computer. Unfortunately, viewing is intended to be only one at a time. But, the great thing about vnc is that it is a free open source project, which means anyone can use it and improve it.
Viewer & Servers:

There are two parts to vnc, a Server program and a Viewer program. The Server program shares a computer’s screen over a network. The Viewer program connects to a server and redraws the remote computer’s screen on it’s monitor. Because the software is split this way, watching multiple computers at the same time just entails creating a bunch of (small) vnc Viewers within a single program. No vnc modifications need to be made to the Server and minimal changes to the Viewer.

I wrote VncThumbnailViewer in Java to make use of TightVNC‘s java vncviewer. The VncViewer code is pretty modular, so creating a program that contains vncviewers wasn’t too complicated.

Read related article at VNC on Mac, we clearly

For all directors is very handy to have a remote access to their systems. Ultr @ vnc, which I introduced here, is a great utility with many features, geared to Windows users. The approach is “a la PCAnywhere”, vnc unlike the Windows remote desktop connection. Species may be useful in some cases: for example, when the other side there is someone who should see what we do, or when you want to interact with the shell of Lotus Domino (and do not want to use the live console).
Since Ultr @ vnc allows full access, the security implications must be understood and properly managed.

Ultr @ vnc communicates “clear”, which means that communications are not encrypted by default. In theory, an attacker who had access to communication between a server and a client Ultr @ vnc, might steal session data.
There are two main implications to be considered, using Ultr @ vnc in an environment where security is important:

* Encryption – Encrypted communication make the interception of data much more dificult
* Authentication “strong” – Provides a mechanism to determine with greater certainty (more than just the password), that only authorized clients can connect to the server.

Check the full detail here Secure connections with Ultr @ VNC
More detail from here Secure connections with Ultr @ VNC
Read the full story here VNC Pocket Office Pro 4: Control remotely via WiFi and 3G

already present in the core of our ESXi, specifying a password, a port for

each of the VM and logically enabling the vnc service.

Procedure (from Carry out each of the VM for which you want skilfulness this feature):

1) Make the Power Off Virtual Machine.

2) Connect to the server via SSH or using the VMware ESXi Hidden Console (alt + F1) if you are physically on the server.

3) Posizionari inside the following path: / vmfs/volumes/datastore1/CentOS 64bit (in this case we are performing the operation on a CentOS 64-bit).

4) Edit the file. Vmx, in this case called: CentOS 64bit.vmx (ESXi provides you with “you” as an editor).

5) Add at the end of this file the following vnc lines of code:

remotedisplay.vnc.port = “port”

remotedisplay.vnc.enabled = “true”

remotedisplay.vnc.password = “password”

Replace the values ​​”Ports” (to use a different port each VM) and “password” with those you deisiderati. example:

remotedisplay.vnc.port = “5901″

remotedisplay.vnc.enabled = “true”

remotedisplay.vnc.password = “esxiVnCView”

6) Exit and save (in vi press Esc and type: wq).

7) Carry out the Power On the VM.

Use a vnc client to connect to the vnc port of your virtual machine by inserting ESXi server IP (not the specific VM) and the specified port (different for each VM)) in the file. Vmx.

Read related article at In VMWare ESXi you can connect to each virtual machine via a VNC server
Read the full story here In VMWare ESXi you can connect to each virtual machine via a VNC server

RealVNC will preview vnc for mobile platforms at the Symbian Smartphone Show expected in the 21 to 22 October in London.
Extension of its flagship vnc Enterprise Edition mobile devices, after a first beta we can find the product on the shelves in the first half of 2009

With this last piece vnc now supports a wide range of mobile phones and PDAs including Symbian, Microsoft Mobile, iPhone, Linux and BlackBerry platforms, with support for additional platforms in vnc the pipeline.
In addition to providing remote control and management of PCs and mobile devices (for this already existed software such as vnc Viewer for Symbian), for the first time it will be possible for an IT department to control and manage mobile devices using vnc.

More info at VNC Enterprise Edition remote control for all phones

Article updated to reflect the status of the program to version “1.0.9.6″. It was also added a discussion on the use of cryptographic component Secure vnc.Se is no doubt that the new trend of information technology is to move user data to the “cloud Internet,” in fact making them accessible from any terminal with a traditional web browser, it is undeniable that for many enthusiasts and professionals the opportunity to access their home PC, even highly customized and configured with all vnc the best applications to meet the individual needs, there remains an absolute necessity.

But .. what if you are out of office?

In this guide, we will know vnc technology, through which you can take full control of a system via the Internet and use it (almost) as if you were physically sitting in front of your computer: once the configuration of all, we obtain similar to the following

Check the full detail here Log on to your computer over the Internet: Complete Guide to VNC

iTeleport is an excellent application for Mac and PC monitor from your iPad vnc

The configuration vnc is very simple if you use a WiFi network or use the Internet and monitoring via 3G.

The only thing that will be required will be to create a Gmail account, provided you do not already have one.

We talk once the most important question of this type of vnc: speed.

If you plan to watch videos streamed from your computer, then forget it, would be a waste of money.

However, if your use is limited to a less pretentious managing this vnc app will surprise positively.

More info at iTeleport: controlling Mac and PC from iPad VNC
More detail from here iTeleport: controlling Mac and PC from iPad VNC

vnc is an acronym that stands for Virtual Network Computing: is a program vnc that allows you to control a remote computer through any type of network.
In very simple terms vnc does is to connect two computers directly configured appropriately giving the ability to control, by one of two machines,
the remote computer as if you were physically sitting in front of it, used if you want the GUI , mouse,
and everything that you can access with the privileges of the user with which you connect to the remote machine.

vnc was initially developed by Olivetti before being sold to research laboratories in Cambridge by AT & T,
but the mass distribution of the program only came with the birth of the project RealVNC was born as an offshoot of the original project and then be developed in a manner autonomously.
Today there are several versions of vnc such as the previously mentioned RealVNC, TightVNC, UltraVNC, etc..
The program is available for all types of operating systems and for almost all types of hardware architectures.

The implementation of vnc environments for GNU / Linux is based on Xvnc, a server software that does not connect to a real X display, but uses a dummy X11 session to which multiple clients can connect.
It should be noted that X already offers the ability to natively run a program on a computer displaying the windows in the X servant of another computer. vnc, unlike this implementation,
allows connection to a GNU / Linux, even from another machine that does not have an X server installed, for example, a PC with Windows. In addition to any vnc client is great is a little more than a few hundred KB (can be conveniently contained in a floppy disk) and requires a configuration very easy to do.

x11vnc is the version of ‘vnc‘ for GNU / Linux I chose for my install Debian GNU / Linux and where you will find a guide to using the base in these pages.

More detail from here VNC – Virtual Network Computing
Check the full detail here VNC – Virtual Network Computing
Full story is here VNC – Virtual Network Computing

We begin our discussion by clarifying that vnc is not a program. Rather, we are talking about a protocol,
or a “language of communication” that must be implemented (or “understood”) by the specific software you want to provide vnc access capabilities through this technology.

Originally created at Olivetti & Oracle Research Lab (ORL), source code and specifications of Virtual Network Computer vnc have been been publicly released,
promoting the proliferation of parallel implementations (all but compatible) more and more equipped.

Among the most significant, we might remember that the Real vnc , a company founded by the original developers, TightVNC,
an open source project aimed at narrow-band connections, and Ultra vnc , which also comes under a free license but with many additional features compared to competitors .

Precisely because of the larger dowry that comes with Ultra vnc , specifically in the article we will refer to this implementation.

As already mentioned, however, the various implementations of vnc are all compatible with each other: this means that a client has, for example,
UltraVNC will connect to a remote computer which could perform RealVNC or vice versa.

Full story is here A protocol, not a program vnc