3.1 Managing a Remote Control Session

Remote Management lets you remotely control a managed device. With remote control connections, the remote operator can go beyond viewing the managed device to taking control of it, which helps to provide user assistance and resolve problems on the managed device. For information on launching a Remote Control session, see Section 2.8, Starting Remote Management Operations.

3.1.1 Using the Toolbar Options in the Remote Management Viewer

The following table describes the various toolbar options available in the Remote Management viewer during a Remote Control session. It also lists the shortcut keys if they are available.

Table 3-1 Toolbar Options in the Remote Management Viewer

Option

Shortcut Key

Functionality

Connection Options

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+P

Allows you to configure various session parameters such as format and encoding for enhancing the session performance, logging, and local and remote cursor handling.

Connection Info

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+I

Provides the hostname, port, screen resolution, and protocol version of the managed device.

Full Screen

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F

Allows you to toggle between full screen and normal mode.

Request Screen Refresh

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+H

Refreshes the viewing window.

Send Ctrl-Alt-Del

Sends the Ctrl+Alt+Del keystroke to the managed device.

Send Ctrl-Esc

 

Invokes the Start menu on the managed device.

Send Alt Key Press / Release

 

Clicking this option and pressing the ALT key on the keyboard sends the Alt keystroke to the managed device.

Blank / Unblank Screen

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+B

Blanks or displays the screen on the managed device. When the screen of the device is blanked, the operations performed by the remote operator on the device are not visible to the user at the device. The keyboard and the mouse controls on the managed device also get locked.

This option is enabled only if the Allow managed device screen to be blanked option is enabled in the Remote Management policy effective on the managed device.

Lock / Unlock Keyboard and Mouse

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+L

Locks or unlocks the keyboard and mouse controls for the managed device. When the mouse and keyboard controls of the device are locked, the user at the managed device cannot use these controls.

This option is enabled only if the Allow managed device mouse and keyboard to be locked option is enabled in the Remote Management policy effective on the managed device.

Transfer Files

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T

Launches a session to transfer files to and from the managed device.

This option is enabled only if the Allow transferring files on the managed device option is enabled in the Remote Management policy effective on the managed device. For more information on File Transfer, see Section 3.5, Managing a File Transfer Session.

Collaboration

 

Launches a ZENworks Remote Management Collaboration Session on the managed device, which lets you invite multiple remote operators to join the remote management session. You can also delegate the Remote Control rights to another remote operator to help you solve a problem. This option is currently supported only on Windows.

For more information on Session Collaboration, see Section 3.1.2, Session Collaboration.

Remote Execute

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+U

Launches a Remote Execute session on the managed device, which enables you to remotely launch any executable on the managed device.

This option is enabled only if the Allow programs to be remotely executed on the managed device option is enabled in the Remote Management policy effective on the managed device.

Override Screensaver

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+O

Overrides any password-protected screen saver on the managed device during the remote session.

This option is enabled only if the Allow screen saver to be automatically unlocked during Remote Control option is enabled in the Remote Management policy effective on the managed device.

Disconnect

Alt+F4

Closes the remote session.

3.1.2 Session Collaboration

The Session Collaboration feature lets you invite multiple remote operators to join the Remote Management session if the remote operators have launched the Remote Management listener to listen to the remote session requests. You can also delegate the Remote Control rights to a remote operator to help you solve a problem and then regain control back from the remote operator. This option is currently supported only on Windows.

If you launch the Remote Control session on the managed device first, then you gain the privileges of the master remote operator. You can use Session Collaboration to:

  • Invite multiple remote operators to join the Remote Control session.

  • Delegate the remote control rights to a remote operator to help you solve a problem and then regain control back from him or her.

  • Terminate a remote session.

To launch Session Collaboration:

  1. Launch the Remote Control session on the managed device in collaborate mode.

    For information on launching a Remote Control session, see Section 2.8, Starting Remote Management Operations.

  2. On the Remote Management viewer toolbar, click Collaboration to display the Session Collaboration window.

The Session Collaboration window lists the remote operators added in the Remote Management policy effective on the device. Each remote operator is listed as a separate entry preceded by a colored circle:

  • A gray circle indicates that the remote operator has not joined the session.

  • A red circle indicates that the remote operator has joined the session and is in the Remote View mode.

  • A green circle indicates that the remote operator has joined the session and has been delegated Remote Control rights in the session.

For more information on Adding the Remote Operators, see Section 2.3, Creating the Remote Management Policy

The following table lists the actions that you as a master remote operator can perform during session collaboration:

Table 3-2 Session Collaboration Window Options

Task

Steps

Additional Details

Invite a remote operator to join a remote session

  1. Select a remote operator listed in the session collaboration window.

  2. Click Invite.

If the remote operator accepts the request and joins the session, the gray circle for the remote operator changes to red.

By default, the new session starts in the Remote View mode.

Delegate Remote Control rights to the remote operator

  1. Select the remote operator to whom you want to delegate the Remote Control rights.

  2. Click Delegate.

The selected remote operator is now in Remote Control mode and the red circle for the remote operator changes to green.

The master remote operator automatically switches to the Remote View mode.

Regain Remote Control rights from the remote operator

  1. Click Regain Control.

The remote operator switches into Remote View mode and the green circle for the remote operator changes to red.

The master remote operator automatically switches to the Remote Control mode.

Terminate the Remote Session

  1. Select the remote operator you want to terminate from the Remote Session.

  2. Click Terminate.

If the selected remote operator is in Remote Control mode, then you will regain the Remote Control rights.

The remote operator’s session terminates and the color of the circle for the remote operator changes to gray.

Invite an external remote operator

  1. Click Invite External to invite remote operators not listed in the Session Collaboration window to join the remote session.

  2. Specify the DNS name or the IP address of the remote operator’s device and the port number. For example, 10.0.0.0 ~~1000.

  3. Click Invite.

 

If the master remote operator disconnects the remote session, then all the remote operators are terminated from the session.