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Clearing up the tech/endpoint meaning

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Pepa Kokes, User (Posts: 32)
Feb 23, 2019 2:39:17 am EST
Support level: Free or trial
Hi! We are considering moving from  [censored] to Remote Utilities. There are aspects of RU we really like, such as the self-hosted server, but the distinction between a "tech" and an "endpoint" is not quite clear to us.

1) Does a "tech" refer to a person or to a simultaneous connection? The documentation I saw seems to make both interpretations possible, but there's a significant difference. If we have 20 employees but never exceed 10 simultaneous connections, do we need 20 licenses or would 10 licenses suffice? If those 10 simultaneous connections are made by 5 distinct people, could we get away with just 5 licenses?

2) What exactly does an "endpoint" entail? From what I can tell, it's a computer in the list of known computers. If we don't want to use address books at all (we very much prefer the "agent" solution as then we can prove to our customers that we can't connect to their systems without their knowledge and approval), should we even care about the number of endpoints?

Thanks.
Conrad Sallian, Support (Posts: 3074)
Feb 23, 2019 4:53:37 am EST
Hello Pepa,

Thank you for your message.

Does a "tech" refer to a person or to a simultaneous connection?

A "tech" refers to a Viewer currently being actively used (i.e. with a remote session running).

If we have 20 employees but never exceed 10 simultaneous connections, do we need 20 licenses or would 10 licenses suffice? If those 10 simultaneous connections are made by 5 distinct people, could we get away with just 5 licenses?

I believe that in this example your 10 simultaneous connections may or may not be established from 10 Viewers (i.e. some Viewers may initiate multiple simultaneous connections).  But for Remote Utilities licensing the number of simultaneous connections from the same Viewer is irrelevant because it's not limited. You should only count the Viewers.

Therefore, in this scenario you need a 5-tech license because you are writing that there are 5 employees who are supposed to work from 5 Viewers (one employee from each Viewer) simultaneously. This is regardless of how many connections each employees establishes from their Viewer.

Also, our license is neither hardware-bound nor attached to a specific person. This means that any 5 employees can work from any 5 Viewers simultaneously. Just make sure that the Viewers are registered with the license key.  

What exactly does an "endpoint" entail?

A remote computer where either Host or Agent is running. Endpoints are represented in your address book as connections.

If we don't want to use address books at all (we very much prefer the "agent" solution as then we can prove to our customers that we can't connect to their systems without their knowledge and approval), should we even care about the number of endpoints?

You will not be able not to use the address book at all. Before you connect to a remote computer you first must add a connection to your address book.
Pepa Kokes, User (Posts: 32)
Feb 23, 2019 8:29:10 am EST
Support level: Free or trial
Thank you. I think I understand now. It's a pity I can't connect to an Agent without entering the agent's data to the viewer database, but I can appreciate that that might prevent you from making any profit. Still - perhaps it would be possible to provide this record-less approach at least in the PRO license type?
Conrad Sallian, Support (Posts: 3074)
Feb 25, 2019 7:24:22 am EST
Hello Pepa,

Still - perhaps it would be possible to provide this record-less approach at least in the PRO license type?

For the PRO license this wouldn't make much sense because the PRO license allows you unlimited address book records anyway.
Pepa Kokes, User (Posts: 32)
Feb 26, 2019 12:39:49 am EST
Support level: Free or trial
Not really. I suggested PRO so that you wouldn't lose your income, but there's a lot of sense in allowing these temporary connections even when the number of bookmarks is unlimited: It would help keep the list uncluttered and easy to navigate (there is little point in keeping a connection which was purely one-time, and it might be rather difficult to actually find a stored connection if there are hundreds or thousands of them). Also, if a new Agent connection was to be stored permanently, the user would have to provide sufficient details to make the bookmark usable (e.g. think up a descriptive name), which would take some unnecessary effort.
Conrad Sallian, Support (Posts: 3074)
Feb 26, 2019 6:31:03 am EST
Hello Pepa,

it might be rather difficult to actually find a stored connection if there are hundreds or thousands of them

The address books has all the necessary means for you to find a connection regardless of how many there are:

1. Folders to keep your address book organized.
2. Instant search function that allows you to quickly find a connection by typing a search term.
3. Sorting and grouping, including a custom sort field.

Also, if a new Agent connection was to be stored permanently, the user would have to provide sufficient details to make the bookmark usable (e.g. think up a descriptive name), which would take some unnecessary effort.

When address book records are added from an email or automatically imported using the self-hosted server's auto-import feature, the descriptive name of a connection is populated automatically and taken from the remote computer/hostname.

Hope that helps.

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