Ask Slashdot: Options For FOSS Remote Support Software? 247
Albanach writes "I'm sure I'm not alone in being asked to help friends and family with computer issues. These folk typically run Windows (everything from XP onward) or OS X (typically 10.4 onward). Naturally, desktop sharing is often much easier than trying to talk the other end through various steps. I've found free sites like join.me but they don't work with OS X 10.4, neither does the Chrome plugin. I'd also prefer not to compromise security by using a third party in the middle of the connection. Is there a good, free solution I can run on my linux box that supports old and new clients that run Windows, OS X and possibly linux? I'd love it if the users could simply bring their systems up to date, but that doesn't solve the third party issue and it's not easy when it requires a non-trivial RAM upgrade on a Mac Mini."
Google+ (Score:5, Interesting)
The Google+ hangouts works for my students when they have software issues. I second-seat them and things run smoothly. If you are doing the maintenance on their computers, you can ensure that the plugin installs correctly and go from there. -TN
Simple solution (Score:5, Interesting)
Logitech and best buy routinely sell cheap decent webcams. I've picked up regular ones, and 720p and 1080p HD versions for under ten bucks each shipped.
Bought one for each family member.
When they have a problem, I start a video chat with them, they take the webcam off the monitor and point it at the screen. On some cams you have to click the 'mirror' button to reverse the image. Then we work on the problem. If that computer is dead, put the webcam on a laptop and use that, or do a video chat with their phone or pad if they have one.
Securing software, poking hole in firewalls and all that seems like a waste of time when you can actually SEE whats going on for yourself.
Re:Or, ssh? (Score:5, Interesting)
Since VNC is notoriously insecure, it's good practice to only run it over ssh on an untrusted network.
So, the answer is both.
No, the solution is to have server initiated connections to a listening client that is launched on demand, which has the amazing added benefit that the techie is the one to configure his firewall/NAT appropriate rather than the noob. Consider the following secure handshake done over the telephone:
(Noob) Hi, can you help me with WinFooBarTunesExtreme? ...
(Techie) Sure, let me fire up my listening client and open a port on my local firewall and router
(Noob) I like turtles!
(Techie) Click on the little VNC icon near the clock, click "Connect to Listening Viewer" and type www.techiedomainname.com" then click OK
(Noob) Derp, OK, w-w-w-dot-t-e-c-h-i-e-d-o-m-a-i-n-n-a-m-e-dot-c-o-m, OK
(Techie) Cool, now I can see your screen, please reproduce the error while explaining to me what you are trying to do.
(Techie) Let's make sure that VNC is not set to accept connections, OK good, looks nice.
When the session is done, the noob drops the server connection and all is well. VNC server is not set to accept remote-initiated connections (trivial to configure right) so there's zero risk from that end. The techie closes the listening client and disables his port mappings (I hope).
Even the setup is easy, since the noob only has to click "Next" a bunch of time through the VNC server setup and then the techie can adjust the settings once he's connected. There's zero persistent open connections and so zero persistent attack surface. Since there's no passwords exchange, there's no risk of eavesdroppers stealing any credentials.
Teamviewer (Score:2, Interesting)
I use this commercially, and its a super product. In fact I am duplicating 1 TB across a vpn tunnel on it right now.
Now you may not have noticed, but on the team viewer web site, on the main page is a link for "Join Remote Control Session"
this requires no admin access at all, and is not a installable product. I use this for exactly the case you state. You walk them there
to the website, tell them to click and run that. Then ask for their numbers. Really that is as about as simple as it gets.
This is also the only product my "secure" customers trust. So we plunked down 1400 for a real license after using it for
several months. Great product.