Slashdot Mirror
Remote Management and User Consequences?
NNWizard asks: "I work in a large university in Belgium where the people in charge of university computer systems want to install LANDesk on every single computer connecting to the university network. The aim is to be able to manage software and provide centralized remote user support. In the old days, every department had computer guys dedicated to the department, and they knew all about the users and their needs. Now, they want to make the management of computer resources global. In most non-engineering faculties this is well accepted, however in the Applied Sciences Faculty the users are computer savvy -- they do not like the idea of giving out control of their computers to people they don't know. What experience does Slashdot have with such a situation? Was the deployment of LANDesk (or a similar software package) a good or a bad thing for the users? How were the privacy issues tackled? Were people still able to use their computers the way they wanted to use them?"
I am only talking about computers owned by the institution. Obviously nobody should give up root access to their personal computer.
I don't understand why remote X is brought up every time someone mentions VNC... VNC runs on windows, too. I'm sure his company probably has primarily (if not all) Windows machines. Remote X doesn't do so well on windows (by nature of the lack of X).
VNC can do this. You start the "Viewer" in listen mode (on your computer), and have the vnc server do a remote connection out to you from their computer. I have had to walk people through doing this when their router went poof @ one of our offices one day, and was able to get back in and redo the routing since I couldn't get it from the outside. Of course, it doesn't have a good way to wrap ssh around it, but nothing can be perfect.
Of course, it doesn't have a good way to wrap ssh around it, but nothing can be perfect.
Simple! Just install an SSH server on your computer and create an account for them to connect to.
1) Have them download putty
2) Send them a PDF showing exactly what to configure (for the port forwarding)
3) have them connect with the username/password you created
4) Have them send the request to local host.
You could blend steps 1 and 2 togther by creating an MSI or something that pre-configures putty with a connection for your computer with the proper port forwards.
Oh wait... you wanted a good way, not just a way...
If only there were a windows vnc that bundled the ssh somehow...
Academics are a very different beast from for-profit corporations. Faculty are effectively BOFHs, as they are absolutely vital (they bring in serious outside funding and desirable students and press) and are very tempermental. Faculty do not appreciate or enjoy administrative work. Schools are generally lucky if they can get them to teach well, let alone learn anything not directly related to their research.
The software used in labs tends to be poorly coded at best. Downright hacks from the Stone Ages are not uncommon, even on $50K microscopes (how many of your microscopes run Windows 95?!), so IT is going to have to be very careful in defining "computers".
Have the heads of IT, along with engineers and project managers, meet with Department Chairs, Deans, the Faculty Senate, and any star faculty. Individually and en masse. Throughout the planning, implementation and follow-up stages. Keep clear lines of communications open at all times. Be prepared for quick, courteous responses to irate and unreasonable faculty. Whatever you do, though, do NOT allow the faculty to define the terms of their relationship with IT. They are horrible clients; they don't know what they want, communicate it even worse and have the power to make your lives miserable. Perhaps the Marketing department can be hired to help out?
I wish the OP the best of luck with this endeavor. And with the future job hunt when faculty come back screaming at the Deans, only to have them turn around and blame IT.
The choice to shell out money for what's essentially VNC?
Or, what's the difference?
If you google LanDesk you'll see it's a full desktop support package, along the lines of Novell's ZenWorks product line: remote control, application deployment, desktop imaging, etc, etc, etc. VNC only fills one piece of that puzzle.
I agree with the "keep them involved" idea. However, you are also correct that they do not know what they want. Bottom line is, those computers are not their personal computers. When they were hired, they, like myself, should have signed many papers, one of which basically says that absolutely nothing you do at work is private. Whether they like it or not, it's not their call.
We use Altiris where I work. Through Altiris we have two different ways of controlling a computer. First, through the Notification Server, is Carbon Copy. This is done via webpage and can be configured to prompt the user to choose whether to allow someone to connect or not. Second, through the Deployment Console, is Remote Control. This is a high-bandwidth feature with no user prompting. Basically the last resort. Either way, you should devise a plan to explain to them how this is necessary.
*bzzzzt* Wrong answer.
A professor who gets research grants not provided by the University upon purchasing equipment has not bought something for the University. Some departmetnal funding comes from external sources, not the school. These assets are tracked and accounted for differently, since they most assuredly were not bought with the school's money.
When I was in school, many profs had some really cool equipment that they purchased with the grants they received from external sources. And if they left, they could take it with them.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.