Administer PCs from a remote location

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Administer PCs from a remote location

Windows XP Professional includes the Remote Desktop feature, which allows you to remotely control and see the output screen of your computer. While Remote Desktop is very useful, it isn't the only remote control technology available. Two popular alternatives are AT&T Labs' Virtual Network Computing (VNC) and Symantec's pcAnywhere.

Here are some facts about these utilities:

Remote Desktop:

• Ships with Windows XP Professional (not the Home Edition) and is very easy to configure and use.

• Performs better than competition on slow dial-up links.

• Uses the same client software as Windows 2000 Terminal Server.

• Allows users to select any screen resolution, independent of the resolution that's set on the computer.

VNC:

• Downloads for free, plus there's no license fee to pay.

• Allows you to customize it to your needs, since it's open source.

• Works on multiple platforms, including Linux and Macintosh.

• Is very popular among administrators, especially in heterogeneous environments.

pcAnywhere:

• Must be purchased.

• Has built in security features to protect the network.