Managing a Remote Control Session

ZfD lets you remotely control a managed workstation. For more information, see Understanding Remote Control . You can effectively manage a Remote Control session by performing the following tasks with the Viewing window control options, the Viewing window toolbar buttons, and the Remote Management icon options:


Starting a Remote Control Session

Before you start a Remote Control session with the managed workstation, make sure that the appropriate Remote Management Agent is loaded on the managed workstation.

To start a Remote Control session:

  1. Right-click the managed workstation from the management console.

  2. Click Actions > Remote Control.

You can configure the timeout value for establishing a Remote Control session. For more information, see Specifying the Timeout Value for Establishing a Remote Control or Remote View Session .


Enabling the Wallpaper on the Managed Workstation

When an administrator initiates a Remote Control or Remote View session with the managed workstation, any wallpaper displayed on the desktop of the managed workstation will be suppressed. This feature reduces the response time from the managed workstation for requests from the management console because less traffic is generated over the network while the wallpaper is suppressed.

You can configure the control parameter for this option to change the default settings and enable the display of the wallpaper on the managed workstation. When you terminate the Remote Control or Remote View session, the suppressed wallpaper will be restored.

NOTE:  On Windows 95/98 managed workstations, the Suppress Wallpaper option is enabled only if you log in to the workstation as a Windows User.

To enable the display of suppressed wallpaper on the managed workstation:

  1. Click the Remote Management icon at the top-left corner of the Viewing window > click Configure.

  2. Deselect the Suppress Wallpaper control option.


Controlling the Display of the Viewing Window

You can control the display of the managed workstation by using the Viewing window control options.

To enable control options:

  1. Click the Remote Management icon at the top-left corner of the Viewing window.

  2. Click Configure.

  3. Select the control options you want to enable for the remote session.

The following table explains the options you can use to control the display of the Viewing window.

Option Description

Warn me on Screen Blanking

Informs the user at the management console before the managed workstation screen is blanked.

Accelerator Keys Enabled

Enables the accelerator keys on the management console so that default accelerator key sequences are always available during the remote session.

For details, see Using the Viewing Window Accelerator Keys .

System Key Pass Through

Passes Alt-key sequences on the management console to the managed workstation.

During a Remote View session, the System Key Pass-Through option is not enabled.

Suppress Wallpaper

Suppresses any wallpaper displayed on the managed workstation.

Force 16 Color Viewing

Forces the use of 16-color palette on the managed workstation during a Remote Management session. This enhances the Remote Management performance.

Use this option only if you are performing a Remote Management session over a slow WAN.

Compression Type

Choose the preferred compression on the basis of the network bandwidth/speed.

Select Default if the network bandwidth/speed is high, probably over a LAN environment.

Select Fast if the network bandwidth/speed is high, probably over a high speed LAN environment.

IMPORTANT:  Selecting Fast compression over a high network bandwidth/speed may slow down the response time compared to that of the Default compression for certain Remote Control operations. In such situations, select Default compression.

Select Best if the network bandwidth/speed is slow, probably over a WAN or dial-up environment.


Enhancing the Remote Control Performance Over a WAN or a Slow Link

The performance of Remote Control, especially on a WAN, has been enhanced through using improved compression.

Performance during a Remote Control session over a WAN or a slow link varies depending on the network traffic. For better response time, try one or more following strategies:


Using the Viewing Window Accelerator Keys

You can use accelerator keys to control the display of the Viewing window. Default accelerator key sequences are assigned to each accelerator key option. The Accelerator Keys dialog box displays the default key sequence in the edit field of each accelerator key option. You can define a custom accelerator key sequence to change the default sequence. For more information, see Defining a Custom Accelerator Key Sequence .

To open the Accelerator Keys dialog box:

  1. Click the Remote Management icon at the top-left corner of the Viewing window.

  2. Click Accelerator Keys.

The following table explains the Accelerator Key options you can use to control the display of the Viewing window:

Option Default Keystroke Description

Full Screen Toggle

Ctrl+Alt+M

Applicable only if the color resolution settings on the management console and managed workstation are similar.

Sizes the Viewing window to the size of your screen without window borders.

Refresh Screen

Ctrl+Alt+R

Refreshes the Viewing window.

Restart Viewer

Ctrl+Alt+T

Re-establishes connection with the managed workstation.

System Key Pass

Ctrl+Alt+S

Passes Alt-key sequences on the management console to the managed workstation.

Accelerator Keys

Ctrl+Alt+H

Enables the use of accelerator key sequences.

Stop Viewing

Left-Shift+Esc

Closes the Viewing window.

Reboot

Ctrl+D

Restarts the Windows 95/98/NT/2000 workstations.

App Switcher

Ctrl+T

Switches application on managed workstations.

Start

Ctrl+S

Opens the taskbar with the Start button on Windows 95/98/NT/2000 workstations.

MouseLock

Ctrl+B

Locks the keyboard and mouse controls at the managed workstation.

Navigate

Ctrl+N

Displays the different areas of the desktop of the managed workstation.

ScreenBlank

Ctrl+L

Blanks the screen at the managed workstation.

To enable the Accelerator Keys option:

  1. Click the Remote Management icon at the top-left corner of the Viewing window.

  2. Click Configure.

  3. Select Accelerator Keys Enable.


Defining a Custom Accelerator Key Sequence

Default keystrokes assigned to the accelerator key options are displayed in the edit field to the right of each accelerator key option. You can change the accelerator key sequence and define a custom accelerator key sequence if you do not want to use the default keystroke.

To define a custom accelerator key sequence:

  1. Click the Remote Management icon at the top-left corner of the Viewing window.

  2. Click Accelerator Keys.

  3. Click the edit field of the accelerator key option where you want to define a custom accelerator key sequence.

  4. Press the new accelerator key sequence.

IMPORTANT:  The shift keys are left-right sensitive, and are indicated in the Control Options dialog box as Lshift and Rshift.


Using the Toolbar Buttons on the Viewing Window

The following table describes the toolbar options in the Viewing window:

Button Default Keystroke Key Function

Blank/Unblank Screen

Screen Blank icon

Ctrl+L

Displays only if the Allow Blanking User's Screen option is enabled in the security settings.

Blanks the screen at the managed workstation. When the administrator selects this option, the screen of the managed workstation will be blacked out and the operations performed by the administrator on the managed workstation will not be visible to the user at the managed workstation.

Not supported over certain display adapters. Refer to the ZfD 3.2 Readme for the list of display adapters that do not support this feature.

Lock/Unlock Keyboard-Mouse

Lock Controls icon

Ctrl+B

Locks the keyboard and mouse controls at the managed workstation. When the administrator selects this option, the user at the managed workstation will not be able to use the keyboard and mouse controls of the managed workstation.

Start

Start icon

Ctrl+S

Sends the Ctrl+Esc keystroke to the managed workstation.

Opens the taskbar with the Start button on Windows 95/98/NT/2000 workstations.

App Switcher

Application Switcher icon

Ctrl+T

Sends the Alt-tab key sequences to the managed workstation.

Switches application on managed workstations. If this option is on, you will need to press only the Tab key on the management console to select applications, and then switch the button off.

Control+Alt+Del/Reboot

Control+Alt+Del / Reboot icon

Ctrl+D

Sends the Ctrl+Alt+Del keystroke to the managed workstation.

This button is labeled Reboot if the managed workstation is Windows 95/98.

Restarts the Windows 95/98 workstations.

This button is labeled Control+Alt+Del if the managed workstation is Windows NT/2000.

Displays the Security window on Windows NT/2000.

System Key Pass Through

System Key Pass Through icon

Ctrl+Alt+S

Sets the system key pass to On or Off.

Passes Alt-key sequences on the management console to the managed workstation.

Certain key sequences such as Ctrl+Esc, Alt+Tab, Ctrl+Alt+Del, and Alt+PrintScreen are not allowed even when the System Key Pass-Through is set to On. However, you can use the toolbar buttons on the Viewing window for the Ctrl+Esc, Alt+Tab, and Ctrl+Alt+Del keystrokes.

Navigate

Navigate icon

Ctrl+N

Represents the desktop of the managed workstation on the management console.

Displays the different areas of the desktop of the managed workstation. You can move the red frame on the Viewing window to focus on a particular area of the managed workstation desktop.

IMPORTANT:  During a Remote View session, only the Navigate button is displayed in the Viewing window.

You can change the default key sequence and define a custom key sequence if you do not want to use the default key sequence. For more information, see Defining a Custom Accelerator Key Sequence


Using the Remote Management Icon

You can manage a remote session from the managed workstation using the Remote Management icon Remote Management icon options. The Remote Management icon will be displayed in the taskbar of the Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, and Windows 2000 workstations.

This icon indicates that the Remote Management Agent is loaded on the managed workstation. If the Remote Management Agent is loaded and the Remote Management icon is not displayed in the taskbar, Task List, or the desktop, it indicates that you have disabled the display option in the Remote Management Policy settings. After the Remote Management Agent is loaded, an administrator with sufficient rights can start a remote session on the managed workstation.

The user at the managed workstation can right-click the Remote Management icon and choose from the following options:

Option Description

Terminate Session

Disconnects and closes the remote session on the managed workstation and displays a message on the management console indicating that the remote session is closed.

Shut Down Agent

Shuts down the Remote Management Agent on the managed workstation. To start another remote session, the Remote Management Agent should be reloaded on the managed workstation. For details, see Reloading the Remote Management Agent .

This option is not enabled for Windows NT/2000 managed workstations. The Remote Management Agent runs as a service on Windows NT/2000 and can be shut down from the Windows NT/2000 Services dialog box.

Information

Displays information such as who is accessing the managed workstation for the remote session, security settings, and the protocol in use for the remote session.

For details, see Obtaining Information About Remote Management Sessions .

You can right-click or double-click the Remote Management icon to view the Information window.

Help

Displays the Remote Management Agent help file.


Obtaining Information About Remote Management Sessions

Using the Information window, the user at the managed workstation can view details, such as who is accessing the managed workstation for a remote session, the security settings, and the protocol in use for the remote session.

To view information about remote sessions:

  1. Right-click the Remote Management icon.

  2. Click Information.

Once you have opened the Information window, you can view different kinds of information about remote sessions on the managed workstation. See the following sections for details:


Obtaining General Information

The following table explains the general information you can obtain about Remote Management sessions from the Information window:

Parameter Description

Status

Displays the name of the administrator who is performing a remote session on the managed workstation, with the date and time the managed workstation was accessed.

Protocol

Displays the protocol that the Remote Management Agent uses to communicate with the management console during a remote session.

Optimization

Displays if optimization is enabled or disabled for the Remote Management session. The Remote Management Agent performance will be optimized if the video card on the managed workstation is compatible with the performance enhancement driver that is installed during Remote Management Agent installation.


Obtaining History Information

The following table explains the history information you can obtain about Remote Control and Remote View sessions from the Information Window:

Parameter Description

Operation

Displays a list of the last ten remote sessions.

Initiator

Displays the name of administrator who initiated the remote session.

Start Date/Time

Displays the date and time when the remote session was initiated.


Obtaining Security Information

The Security Information dialog box displays information based on the following categories of remote sessions:

The administrator can use the Remote Management Policy pages to change the settings for each parameter.


Stopping a Remote Control Session from the Managed Workstation

To stop a Remote Control session from the managed workstation:

  1. Right-click the Remote Management icon.

  2. Click Terminate Session.