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Remote control computer behind firewall from behind a firewall.

I would like users to be able to have their computers remotely controlled by me. Both the user and I are behind firewalls so I am assuming that i would need an intermediate computer that would act as the go-between to make the direct connection from me to the user possible.

What hardware / software would i need for a system like this ? I am open to linux or windows as the server. Is this where a vpn server would come in ?

slowj

ASKER

Let me make a little clarification. I know this scenario is possible using port forwarding on both firewalls. However, i wish the process to be fully automatic. gotoassist.com has a system where a user sends a message to gotoassists.com server which forwards the message to the remote controllers screen. the remote controllers screen is able to capture the public ip address of the end user with the message sending and can then connect to the end user.

TRobertson

If you dont mind linux or windows take a look at VNC, it works on both and is well documented.
http://www.realvnc.com/

If you setup the correct port fowarding and firewall settings this can be done without a VPN server, however if you want the ability to connect to multiple machines on a remote lan you may want the VPN server otherwise you will have to change the port fowarding every time to whatever machine you wish to connect to. A VPN server would assist you by joining your machine to a remote lan just as if you were plugged into their switch/hub.

campbelc

Yeah RealNVC works great for this. I have several remote sites that I support from my home office using VNC. If using a router on the client side make sure that the 5900 TCP port isn't blocked and fowarded to your clients inside private address. VNC will run as a system service and would require you to enter a password to connect.

Seamless-IT

Port forwarding would work but it's not secure.

Buy yourself a firewall and use a VPN client to connect remotely

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