TR Forums

I'm looking for some suggestions for software like Webex, GoToMeeting, JoinMe, Bomgar, Team Viewer etc... Of the ones I've used I like Bomgar the best but it is not cheap. This is coming up since our company is setting up a plant in Mexico and I'm still going to be the one man IT department (even though it isn't my primary job focus). I've got an enthusiast approach to IT more-so than a professional one but I generally try to use the right tools for the job so I'm asking help from the actual professionals (or people more professional than me at least).

What I really need is something that with as little user interaction as possible will allow me to setup a brand new PC as long as it has power and is online. Something that can persist through a reboot is a must, as is something that can run with elevated privileges and allow me to install a VPN client, remotely join a domain, reboot, login to that domain (VPN will be permanent eventually but not initially), install software, reboot and configure whatever until things are just how I want them.

What Gerbil approved option do you guys like the best?

I've had good luck with Team Viewer both at work and for personal use. It's not quite as fast/efficient as Citrix-based systems, but I've found it very reliable, you can setup two-factor authentication, it persists through reboots, works with UAC, and I've never tried to use it and found the service to be down.

Windows DOES have to be running (if you're running Windows), so you can't access BIOS/bare metal, AFAIK.

The commercial/paid version allows you to create a unique URL that will run your customized client, so it's easy to deploy, and they allow lots of flexibility with policies.

The nice thing is you can play with it for personal use, find out if it works for your situation, and then purchase if you use it for work. It is quite expensive IMO, and I wish they offered a cheaper license for personal use. I'd pay for it if the cost were reasonable, even though it's free. But I can't shell out that kind of cash for personal convenience.

Oh, and it's licensed by user/simultaneous session, so you can install it on as many systems as you want.

If it were a real enterprise environment, the initial setup could have been covered by Windows deployment automation. Are you shipping a computer from HQ or they are buying one locally and then you configure it? If it is the latter, then one way is to ship a USB stick with WinPE automated deployment of a sysprepped image (you can even install all prereq software on it when preparing the image). I have read that automatic domain join is possible with unattended installation, but since you need to connect via VPN first, I don't think automation can help you there so I would not include that in your image.

For reasons I don't fully understand there is a lot of concern about systems that are shipped there not making it to the new plant. That makes this a solution I have to be able to do without ever having physical access to the computers. I've messed around with Windows Deployment Service before but found it to be more cumbersome than helpful for the low volume of new systems I setup and the wide variety of hardware they have. This is where my weakness of enthusiast vs. professional comes in for sure. Bandwidth will be an issue initially as well so the thumb drive idea was already in my head.

I'll dig into Team Viewer a bit more. I'm also wondering about just sending down a carry-on loaded with cloned SSDs but I would still need a good solution for regular remote support - but maybe plain old RDP would suffice in that case...

Thanks for the advice so far.

Yeah out of all the major remote applications, I've found Team Viewer to be the best. As long as you have a working Windows install, it will stay alive and listening.

drfish wrote:

For reasons I don't fully understand there is a lot of concern about systems that are shipped there not making it to the new plant. That makes this a solution I have to be able to do without ever having physical access to the computers. I've messed around with Windows Deployment Service before but found it to be more cumbersome than helpful for the low volume of new systems I setup and the wide variety of hardware they have. This is where my weakness of enthusiast vs. professional comes in for sure. Bandwidth will be an issue initially as well so the thumb drive idea was already in my head.

That's why I did not say using WDS, but use USB stick with a prepped image. Then you let the computer get bought locally, and then with a smaller USB stick you can choose better shipping options with guaranteed delivery. Not sure if you can build the USB stick to be completely automated when boot (may need Ryu Connor to chime in on this).

However, if you don't have an Enterprise Volume License I am not entirely sure how you deal with the licensing. If you have to manage individual OEM licenses, then you may need to go with what you are thinking. The concern here is that you are relying on staff on the other side is computer savy enough to plug in, log on to system, install a bunch of software like VPN and TeamViewer (that's the part a prepared .wim addresses), before you can even remote in and do the more advanced stuff later.