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                            Remote Control v1.7

                           © DG Enterprises 1998

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What follows are some simple instructions on how to use Remote
Control.

This file is split into two parts. The first part covers the
set-up and use of the client side, and the second part covers
the server side.


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Part 1. The Client
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The client has been designed to be as automatic as possible.
Hence, after installation and initial set-up, there should
never need to be any further interaction and the application
should run without causing any interference.

After installation, you must run the client for the first time.
Doing so, you will be presented with a splash screen and then a
message box will appear asking for an IP address. The address
should be the address of the computer on which the server
application will run

After you have entered the IP address you should never have to
do so again unless you reinstall or have hard drive problems, etc.

If you need to change the IP address of the server, then you can
use the server application to set the new value, or if you are
confident in editing the registry, then you can change the value
in this key (***Be careful when editing the registry***)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\DG Enterprises\Remote Control\Client\Options\ServerIP

The client will also ask you if you wish to enable the word
scanner function. This is a part of the client that will 
continually check the titles of all open windows for any
"reserved" words. When it detects one, it will notify the server
and the server computer will beep to notify the system
administrator. An example of this function is to stop the users
of the system downloading pornography. For example you could
enter words relating to the subject of pornography, like "sex".
I will let you conjure up the rest, just have a think, and don't
be shy! A slight warning however, if you enter the word "sex" the
client will return a title bar with the word "Essex" in it, so
don't just jump in and kick the user off, check the full title
first by using the "Get process list" function of the server.

The installation of the client makes sure that it is run every
windows is started.


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Part 2. The Server
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The server application should be left running at all times. This
is to allow the client to connect upon boot-up. There is no harm in
not running the server constantly, it just means that you lose the
handy boot-up logs, and the "word scanner" that has a limited
function to disallow users to download pornography and other items
that you would rather they didn't do.

To control a remote host, you must have it's IP address* handy. Once
you have this, just enter it into the box marker "IP Address:" and
click connect. If you have entered the correct address and the client
is running on that machine and your TCP/IP network is configured
correctly then you should connect easily and the blue box at the
bottom of the window will turn red.

* You can also use a fully qualified domain name such as
  www.microsoft.com or btcf.demon.co.uk

If you have many clients, or you simply cannot remember the IP
addresses, then you may use the address book function. from here
you can add, edit and delete IP addresses to your hearts content to
be used in future actions. Alternatively, you can have the addresses
added automatically over time (see Options menu explanation for more
information)

The most complicated thing about the address book is the batch
IP address addition. This is just an easy way of adding a number of
IP addresses very quickly. It is pretty much self explanatory. Have
a play with it and you will see what I mean. If you do a mistake,
just click cancel and the address book will be returned to it's
previous state. An example entry is provided which you can delete
if you wish.

If you could not connect, you should get an error message. Double-
click the message to get a little more info on it's meaning and a
possible solution.

Once connected you can click the "Actions" tab at the top to get a
list of things you can do.


*  (Un)blank remote screen
   Blank the screen of the remote computer. Stops the user doing
   anything else, and even allows you to have a constantly
   displayed message on the screen.

*  Send message to remote user
   type a message in the box at the top and click this to bring up
   a message box on the remote users screen.

*  Log off user
   Click this to log off a user, this will close all the users
   applications, and log off, just as if the user had chosen to log
   off.

*  Shut down remote computer
   Just like selecting Start/Shut Down/Shut down. The computer will
   close all applications and shut down windows. The user will
   either be left with the message "It is now safe to turn off your
   computer" or the machine will power off if you have the right kind
   of hardware.

*  Get user name
   Gets the login name of the current user. This is the name the user
   types in at the login/password screen.

*  Get computer name
   Gets the name of the remote computer

*  Get system information
   Gets various items of the remote system information.

*  Swap mouse buttons
   Swap the actions of the left and right mouse buttons. This can be
   handy if there is a left handed person that needs to use the
   computer or if you want to annoy that person.

*  Synchronise remote time with local time
   Set the time of the remote system to be the same as the time of the
   computer running the server application.

*  Get process list
   Click this then click the "Lists" tab to display a list of processes
   running on the remote computer. There are some processes which
   should be ignored (such as Program Manager.) After each process
   there is a number. This number is for use by the server and should
   be ignored.

*  Close program (select one from process list)
   First of all you need to get a process list of the remote computer.
   To do this simply read the above. Then select one of the processes
   that you wish to terminate then go back to the "Actions" tab and
   select "Close program" and click "Do".

*  Disable Options
   Selecting this will bring up a window allowing you to select which
   things to disable.
             Desktop: Disallow access to the desktop
             Mouse: Stop all mouse action
             Taskbar: Hide the taskbar
             Start Button: Hide the start button
             Task Switching: Stop users being able to switch between
                             applications using alt-tab. (Handy for use
                             in conjunction with disabling taskbar)

*  Execute command on remote machine
   Allows you to run a command on the remote machine. You can enter just
   the command without a path if it is in the current search path. For
   example, enter "calc" will start the Windows calculator. You must
   a full pathname if the program is not in the current search path. For
   example, "C:\Program files\Winzip\Winzip32" will run WinZip if it has
   been installed.

*  Get screenshot of remote computer
   Grab a picture of what the screen looks like on the remote computer

*  Get shot of remote computer active window
   As for screenshot but only gets the active window

*  Mute volume of remote computer
   Turns off the volume of remote computer
 
*  Begin chat session with remote user
   Opens up a new window with two boxes. The top box is where you would
   type, and the bottom box shows what the remote user types. All typing
   can be seen by the remote user, including all mistakes and deletes.
   The client version of the window is a maximised window that is always
   on top so that you have the users full attention.

*  Send file to remote computer
   This will place a file of your choice which is located on the local
   machine onto the remote computer. You will first be given a choice
   of file to send, and then a directory in which to put it in on the
   remote computer.

*  Start virtual DOS prompt
   This works in a similar manner to the MS-DOS prompt. You type commands
   at a command line interface. To see a list of commands, type "help" and
   to get help on a particular command, type "help <command>"

*  End client operation on remote machine
   Simply close the client application on the remote machine.


Batch Operations

These are similar to normal actions, the only difference being that you
can select an operation to be performed on multiple hosts. For this, you
do not need to be connected to any host, just click the batch operations
button to bring up a simple window. 
(More explanation here soon...)



The Menus.

*  Set Password...
   Allows you to set a password to be entered whenever you connect to a
   remote computer.

*  Options...
   Brings up a window which allows you to set various options.
          Ping frequency: Sets how often the server pings the client when
                          connected. You should not need to change this.
          Ping Timeout: If the server keeps disconnecting from the client
                        then you must have a slow network connection. Set
                        this to a larger value to correct problems.
          Connection timeout: How long the server should wait after the
                              connection request has been sent for a
                              connection reply. Set a larger value if
                              you have a slow network or have problems
                              connecting.

          Event History: The number of events that can be kept on the log
                         window. Set it to a low value if you do not want
                         keep the log or a larger value to keep as many as
                         you wish.

          Show remote host initial connections:
                        If selected, then whenever a remote client starts
                        up and connects to the server, a message is placed
                        in the log window.

          Add initial connections to address book:
                        If selected, when a remote client initially
                        connects to the server, then it's IP address is
                        automatically added to the address book for future
                        reference. This is a handy, easy way of making sure
                        that all the client machines are put into the
                        address book.

*  On Connection
      Set remote time
      When you client starts it makes a connection with the server. With
      this option selected the client machine's system time is
      synchronised with the server.

      Message- Send message/Set message
      When the client makes the initial connection, you can set a message
      that will always be displayed to the remote user. Handy for system
      announcements, information, etc.

*  Save Logfile on exit
   Every time you quit the server, the contents of the log window are
   saved to a file in the directory of the client application.


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Part 2. Testing Remote Control
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Once you have configured the client and server you should test them out.
You can do this even if you do not have a network. Simply use the IP
address "127.0.0.1". This always refers to the machine you are currently
at. so run both the client and server on the same machine and use that
address. Or if you have an Internet connection, then use the IP address
that your machine is currently allocated and then dial-up your ISP and
test it out.


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Part 3. Further Information
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If you require any further instructions, then do not hesitate to contact
me about registration at the addresses below.

E-mail: rc@btcf.demon.co.uk

Postal service:
   David Glass
   15 Collingwood Terrace
   Blyth
   Northumberland NE24 2EX
   England

Fax: +44 (0870) 1640 113

Website: http://www.btcf.demon.co.uk
