Using Terminal Services and other remote control software
Can someone clarify the following for me regarding the sue of terminal services and other remote control software?
1. Can I use TS and related remote control software?
2. Can I use TS AFTER I have installed CRD?
3. Can I administer CRD without taking remote control of the server using TS?
4. Does CRD have its own remote control process?
Re: Using Terminal Services and other remote control software
Use of Terminal Services, XP Remote Control and Net Meeting
Can I use TS and related remote control software?
You must not install the software using TS and other related
remote control software. This is because a TS session assumes the security,
system locale and other system settings for the session owner. These are
determined by windows security policies, group policies etc. which are set up by
your administrator when TS is installed. These policies may result in you not
having the rights to do certain things where you would normally have full
rights. If certain security conditions are not right, Windows prevents CRD and
its associated components and dll's from installing and running correctly. If
you have been using TS to control the PC or Server, we recommend that you
restart the PC first, then take control using VNC, PcAnywhere, Dameware etc.
before installing CRD.
Can I use TS and related software after I have installed CRD?
Yes and No. Here's why:
The CRD Editor: The Editor (or GUI)
will run with no issues in a TS session. If you are not using any scheduling
(e.g. you are firing off schedules by command line from another application, or
you are using CRD for ad-hoc reporting), then you can use TS with CRD. Problems
occur if you are using either of the CRD schedulers.
The Background Scheduling Application: If you
are using the background scheduling application, then here's what we recommend:
Install CRD whilst physically at the PC or using a non TS
remote control tool.
When you have completed installation, the background
scheduling application will start automatically.
Go to Options - Scheduling and check the option "Do not
check and restart the scheduler on editor startup". This will ensure that
only this scheduler is ever loaded. If this option is left unchecked, every
TS session will load the scheduler again and you will see spurious results
e.g. reports being sent more than once, etc.
As this is an application, you cannot log off the PC or
Server, so simply lock it when you have finished.
With the above in place, you may now use TS to administer your
schedules using the Editor.
The Windows (NT) Service: If you are
using the Windows (NT) service, then you must not use TS to take remote control
of the PC or Server for any reason at all, and you must stop all others from
doing so. This is because the NT service is heavily reliant on Windows
security, group policies etc. These are different for different users using TS
and the resulting "confusion" causes the service to behave in an unpredictable
manner. If your schedules stop being run, or they are run at the wrong times,
this is a definite indication that TS has interfered with the NT service
settings. To resolve this issue,
take control of the Server or PC using a different software,
or, whilst physically at the PC, restart the PC.
Go to Options, uninstall the service by selecting "None" and
reinstall it.
The scheduler should begin to work as expected.
If you really must have TS used on the Server or PC, then
consider moving CRD to another desktop PC that is not accessed for general use
by other users (a dedicated PC) and control it using VNC, PcAnywhere etc.
How can I administer CRD without taking remote control of the
PC?
CRD installs using a local file system as its default database.
You can migrate the data to an ODBC compliant database e.g. SQL, Oracle, etc.
To do this, go to Tools - System Tools - System - Migrate and follow the
on-screen instructions.
To administer schedules in this system using another
installation of CRD,
go to your second installation of CRD.
Make sure you set scheduling to "None".
Create a system DSN to point to the database you wish to
administer.
Go to Tools - System Tools - System - Switch and switch to
the database you want using the DSN you have just created.
All your schedules will show up, and changes you make will be
written directly to the database and will be picked up by the scheduler.
Note: This will not show you
information in the Options screen for the main scheduler. The information in
"options" pertains to your local installation only.
Can I take complete control of just CRD (including Options
and other settings) from another PC?
Yes. Use CRD's remote
administration tool by going to Tools - Remote Administration.
