3.1 Managing Remote Sessions on a Windows Device

3.1.1 Managing a Remote Control Session

Remote Management lets you remotely control a managed device. With remote control connections, the remote operator can go beyond viewing the managed device to taking control of it, which helps to provide user assistance and resolve problems on the managed device. For information on launching a Remote Control session, see Section 2.1.5, Starting Remote Management Operations on a Windows Device.

Using the Toolbar Options in the Remote Management Viewer

The following table describes the various toolbar options available in the Remote Management viewer during a Remote Control session. It also lists the shortcut keys if they are available.

Option

Shortcut Key

Functionality

Connection Options

Connection Options icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+P

Allows you to configure various session parameters such as format and encoding for enhancing the session performance, logging, and local and remote cursor handling.

Connection Info

Connection Info icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+I

Provides the hostname, port, screen resolution, and protocol version of the managed device.

Full Screen

Full Screen icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F

Allows you to toggle between full screen and normal mode.

Request Screen Refresh

Request Screen Refresh icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H

Refreshes the viewing window.

Send Ctrl-Alt-Del

Send Ctrl-Alt-Del icon

Sends the Ctrl+Alt+Del keystroke to the managed device. This option is disabled for Remote View and Remote Diagnostics sessions.

The Ctrl+Alt+Del keystroke is delayed in a remote session when used for the first time after rebooting the managed device. However the subsequent Ctrl+Alt+Del keystroke takes less time until you reboot the managed device again.

Send Ctrl-Esc

Send Ctrl-Esc icon

 

Invokes the Start menu on the managed device.

Send Alt Key Press / Release

Send Alt Key Press or Release icon

 

Clicking this option and pressing the ALT key on the keyboard sends the Alt keystroke to the managed device.

Blank / Unblank Screen

Blank or Unblank Screen icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+B

Blanks or displays the screen on the managed device. When the screen of the device is blanked, the operations performed by the remote operator on the device are not visible to the user at the device. The keyboard and the mouse controls on the managed device also get locked.

This option is enabled only if the Allow managed device screen to be blanked option is enabled in the Remote Management policy effective on the managed device.

Lock / Unlock Keyboard and Mouse

Lock or Unlock Keyboard and Mouse icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+L

Locks or unlocks the keyboard and mouse controls for the managed device. When the mouse and keyboard controls of the device are locked, the user at the managed device cannot use these controls.

This option is enabled only if the Allow managed device mouse and keyboard to be locked option is enabled in the Remote Management policy effective on the managed device.

Transfer Files

Transfer Files icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T

Launches a session to transfer files to and from the managed device.

This option is enabled only if the Allow transferring files on the managed device option is enabled in the Remote Management policy effective on the managed device. For more information on File Transfer, see Section 3.1.5, Managing a File Transfer Session.

Collaboration

Collaboration icon

 

Launches a ZENworks Remote Management Collaboration Session on the managed device, which lets you invite multiple remote operators to join the remote management session. You can also delegate the Remote Control rights to another remote operator to help you solve a problem.

For more information on Session Collaboration, see Session Collaboration.

Remote Execute

Remote Execute icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+U

Launches a Remote Execute session on the managed device, which enables you to remotely launch any executable on the managed device.

This option is enabled only if the Allow programs to be remotely executed on the managed device option is enabled in the Remote Management policy effective on the managed device.

Override Screensaver

Override Screensaver icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+O

Overrides any password-protected screen saver on the managed device during the remote session.

This option is enabled only if the Allow screen saver to be automatically unlocked during Remote Control option is enabled in the Remote Management policy effective on the managed device.

Disconnect

Disconnect icon

Alt+F4

Closes the remote session.

Switch Display

Disconnect icon

 

Switches the display on a managed device with multiple monitors.

This option is disabled for Remote Diagnostics session. For more information, see Section 1.3.13, Switch Display

Session Collaboration

The Session Collaboration feature lets you invite multiple remote operators to join the Remote Management session if the remote operators have launched the Remote Management listener to listen to the remote session requests. You can also delegate the Remote Control rights to a remote operator to help you solve a problem and then regain control back from the remote operator. This option is currently supported only on Windows.

If you launch the Remote Control session on the managed device first, then you gain the privileges of the master remote operator. You can use Session Collaboration to:

  • Invite multiple remote operators to join the Remote Control session.

  • Delegate the remote control rights to a remote operator to help you solve a problem and then regain control back from him or her.

  • Terminate a remote session.

To launch Session Collaboration:

  1. Launch the Remote Control session on the managed device in collaborate mode.

    For information on launching a Remote Control session, see Section 2.1.5, Starting Remote Management Operations on a Windows Device.

  2. On the Remote Management viewer toolbar, click Collaboration icon to display the Session Collaboration window.

The Session Collaboration window lists the remote operators added in the Remote Management policy effective on the device. Each remote operator is listed as a separate entry preceded by a colored circle:

  • A gray circle indicates that the remote operator has not joined the session.

  • A red circle indicates that the remote operator has joined the session and is in the Remote View mode.

  • A green circle indicates that the remote operator has joined the session and has been delegated Remote Control rights in the session.

For more information on Adding the Remote Operators, see Section 2.1.2, Creating the Remote Management Policy

The following table lists the actions that you as a master remote operator can perform during session collaboration:

Task

Steps

Additional Details

Invite a remote operator to join a remote session

  1. Select a remote operator listed in the session collaboration window.

  2. Click Invite.

If the remote operator accepts the request and joins the session, the gray circle for the remote operator changes to red.

By default, the new session starts in the Remote View mode.

Delegate Remote Control rights to the remote operator

  1. Select the remote operator to whom you want to delegate the Remote Control rights.

  2. Click Delegate.

The selected remote operator is now in Remote Control mode and the red circle for the remote operator changes to green.

The master remote operator automatically switches to the Remote View mode.

Regain Remote Control rights from the remote operator

  1. Click Regain Control.

The remote operator switches into Remote View mode and the green circle for the remote operator changes to red.

The master remote operator automatically switches to the Remote Control mode.

Terminate the Remote Session

  1. Select the remote operator you want to terminate from the Remote Session.

  2. Click Terminate.

If the selected remote operator is in Remote Control mode, then you will regain the Remote Control rights.

The remote operator’s session terminates and the color of the circle for the remote operator changes to gray.

Invite an external remote operator

  1. Click Invite External to invite remote operators not listed in the Session Collaboration window to join the remote session.

  2. Specify the DNS name or the IP address of the remote operator’s device and the port number. For example, IPv4: 10.0.0.0 ~~1000 and IPv6: 2001:db8::1111~~5500

  3. Click Invite.

 

If the master remote operator disconnects the remote session, then all the remote operators are terminated from the session.

In a Remote Control session, if you want the device IP address to be displayed instead of the DNS name, check the Always default to IP address for all devices box.

The values that you provide to access a device while performing a Remote Control operation are saved in the system when you click Ok.

During a Remote Control operation, the following values are saved for an administrator and can be accessed during the next Remote Control operation:

  • Always default to IP address for all devices

  • Certificate Key Pair

During a Remote Control operation, the following values are saved for a device and can be accessed during the next Remote Control operation:

  • Device name

  • Authentication

  • Session Encryption

  • Enable logging

  • Route Through Proxy

3.1.2 Managing a Remote View Session

Remote View lets you remotely connect with a managed device so that you can view the managed device desktop. For information on launching a Remote View session, see Section 2.1.5, Starting Remote Management Operations on a Windows Device.

The following table describes the various toolbar options available in the Remote Management viewer during a Remote View session.

Option

Shortcut Key

Functionality

Connection Options

Connection Options icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+P

Allows you to configure various session parameters such as format and encoding for enhancing the session performance, logging, and local and remote cursor handling.

Connection Info

Connection Info icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+I

Provides the hostname, port, screen resolution, and protocol version of the managed device.

Full Screen

Full Screen icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F

Allows you to toggle between full screen and normal mode.

Request Screen Refresh

Request Screen Refresh icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H

Refreshes the viewing window.

Disconnect

Disconnect icon

Alt+F4

Closes the remote session.

Switch Display

Disconnect icon

 

Switches the display on a managed device with multiple monitors.

This option is disabled for Remote Diagnostics session. For more information, see Section 1.3.13, Switch Display

3.1.3 Managing a Remote Execute Session

Remote Execute lets you remotely run executables with system privileges on the managed device. To execute an application on the managed device, launch the Remote Execute session.

  1. Launch the Remote Execute session.

    For information on launching a Remote Execute session, see Section 2.1.5, Starting Remote Management Operations on a Windows Device.

  2. Specify the executable name.

    If the application is not in the system path of the managed device, then specify the complete path of the application. If you do not specify the extension of the file you want to execute at the managed device, Remote Execute appends the.exe extension.

  3. Click Execute.

The remote execution of the specified application might fail if the application is not available on the managed device in the defined path.

WARNING:By default, the Remote Management module runs as a service with system privileges on the managed device. Hence, all the applications launched during the Remote Execute session also run with system privileges. For security reasons, we strongly recommend that you close the application after use.

3.1.4 Managing a Remote Diagnostics Session

Remote Management lets you to remotely diagnose and analyze the problems on the managed device. This helps you to shorten problem resolution times and assist users without requiring a technician to physically visit the problem device. This increases user productivity by keeping desktops up and running.

NOTE:After installing ZENworks agent on a Windows XP device, reboot the device to perform remote diagnostics operation.

The following table describes the various toolbar options available in the Remote Management viewer during a Remote Diagnostics session.

Option

Shortcut Key

Functionality

Connection Options

Connection Options icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+P

Allows you to configure various session parameters such as format and encoding for enhancing the session performance, logging, and local and remote cursor handling.

Connection Info

Connection Info icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+I

Provides the hostname, port, screen resolution, and protocol version of the managed device.

Full Screen

Full Screen icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F

Allows you to toggle between full screen and normal mode.

Request Screen Refresh

Request Screen Refresh icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H

Refreshes the viewing window.

Transfer Files

Transfer Files icon

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T

Launches a session to transfer files to and from the managed device.

This option is enabled only if the Allow transferring files on the managed device option is enabled in the Remote Management policy effective on the managed device. For more information on File Transfer, see Section 3.1.5, Managing a File Transfer Session

Disconnect

Disconnect icon

Alt+F4

Closes the remote session.

When you launch a Remote Diagnostics session on the managed device, you can access only the diagnostics applications configured for the device in the Remote Management settings for diagnosing and fixing the problems on the device. During the session, the diagnostics applications are displayed as icons in a toolbar. By default, the following diagnostics applications are configured in the Remote Management Settings.

The following table lists the Remote Diagnostics applications:

Icon

Application

System information icon

System information

Computer Management icon

Computer Management

Services icon

Services

Registry Editor icon

Registry Editor

You can configure the applications to be launched on the managed device during the Remote Diagnostics session. For more information on configuring the diagnostics applications, see Section 2.1.1, Configuring the Remote Management Settings on a Windows Device.

3.1.5 Managing a File Transfer Session

Remote Management enables you to transfer files between the management console and the managed device. For information on launching a File Transfer session, see Section 2.1.5, Starting Remote Management Operations on a Windows Device.

In the File Transfer window, the Local Computer pane displays all the files and the folders on the management console, and the Remote Computer pane displays all the files and the folders in the directory specified in the File Transfer Root Directory option in the Remote Management policy. If the File Transfer Root Directory is not specified in the policy or if the managed device does not have any policy associated with it, you can perform file transfer operations on the complete file system of the remote device.

NOTE: During a remote file transfer session when you upload or download a file, ensure that the file size does not exceed 2 GB. If the file size exceeds 2 GB, then the file will be copied but some of the file attributes will not be restored.

The following table explains the File Transfer controls and the options that are available for working with files from the File Transfer window. The Actions menu option is not yet supported on Linux. However, you can perform the operation by clicking the appropriate icon on the toolbar.

Tasks

Shortcut Keys

Steps

Additional Details

Create New Local Folder

Alt+L

  1. Click Actions > New Local Folder.

    or

    Click New Folder icon in the Local Compute pane.

  2. Follow the on-screen prompts.

 

Create New Remote Folder

Alt+W

  1. Click Actions > New Remote Folder.

    or

    Click New Folder icon in the Remote Computer pane.

  2. Follow the on-screen prompts.

 

Open a File

 

  1. Double-click the file to open it in its associated application.

 

Rename Files or Folders

Alt+N

  1. Select the file or folder to rename.

  2. Click Actions > Rename.

    or

    Click Rename File icon.

  3. Follow the on-screen prompts.

 

Delete Files or Folders

Alt+D

  1. Select the files or folders to delete.

  2. Click Actions > Delete.

    or

    Click Delete File icon

  3. Follow the on-screen prompts.

You can use the Shift or Ctrl keys to select multiple files.

Refresh Local Folder

Alt+E

  1. Click Actions > Refresh Local Folder.

    or

    Click File Refresh icon in the Local Computer pane.

 

Refresh Remote Folder

Alt+M

  1. Click Actions > Refresh Remote Folder.

    or

    Click File Refresh icon in the Remote Computer pane.

 

Sort Local Files

 

  1. Click Actions > Local Sort.

  2. Select the sort type. You can sort the files by name, size, or date.

You can also sort the files by clicking the respective column headers.

Sort Remote Files

 

  1. Click Actions > Remote Sort.

  2. Select the sort type. You can sort the files by name, size, or date

You can also sort the files by clicking the respective column headers.

Upload Files / Folders

 

  1. Select the files to upload to the remote computer.

  2. Select the destination folder in the remote computer pane.

  3. Click Actions > Upload.

    or

    Click File Upload icon

The Action > Upload option is available only when the focus is on the local computer.

You can use Shift or Ctrl keys to select multiple files.

Download Files / Folders

Alt+O

  1. Select the files to download to the local computer.

  2. Select the destination folder in the local computer pane

  3. Click Actions > Download.

    or

    Click File Download icon

The Action > Download option is available only when the focus is on the remote computer.

You can use Shift or Ctrl keys to select multiple files.

.

Cancel File Transfer

Alt+C

  1. Click Actions > Cancel File Transfer

You can also cancel the file transfer operation by clicking the cancel button.

Display File Properties

Alt+P

  1. Select the files.

  2. Click Actions > Properties.

    or

    Click Display File Properties icon

You can use Shift or Ctrl keys to select multiple files.

Displays the cumulative size of the selected files and folders.

Move to Parent Folder

 

  1. Click Move to Parent Folder icon to move to the parent folder.

 

3.1.6 Improving the Remote Management Performance on the Windows Managed Device

The Remote Management performance during a remote session over a slow link or a fast link varies depending on the network traffic. For a better response time, try one or more of the following:

On the Management Console

In the ZENworks Remote Management Connection window at the console, click Options and set the following values:

  • To maximize the Remote Management performance over slow link:

    • Select the Use 8-bit color option.

    • Set the Custom compression level to level 6.

  • Select the Block Mouse Move Events option.

  • Enable the Suppress Wallpaper option in the Remote Management Settings.

On the Managed Device

  • The speed of the Remote Management session depends upon the processing power of the managed device. We recommend that you use 1 GHz or higher processor with 1 GB or higher RAM.

  • Do not set a wallpaper pattern.