Conrad Sallian's community posts


(self-hosted ID server) Computer goes offline when I log on

Igor wrote:

InternetIdService.exe in 2.7 beta is an AMD64 image.
My "server" is Windows XP SP3 x86

Hi Igor,

Unfortunately, the new version of server only runs on 64-bit systems. Sorry for that.

Shared secret not working?

Hi Paul,

Having said that, it seems rather backwards to me. I can think of all kinds of bad things happening if a rogue viewer (controller) connects to a given host, but I have a hard time picturing the same type of concern that I've connected to the wrong host.

I see. And yet, the host identity mechanism as it can be seen in version 6.8 and earlier was to prevent just that - unauthorized replacement of the Host with a rogue/patched copy.

Perhaps I could add this 'shared secret VIEWER verification' option as a feature request. This way I could honestly tell clients/customers that no other RUT viewer can get to their computer. That their host would speak to ONLY MY viewer. The current implementation (and the certificate based scheme in the beta version) does not offer that assurance.

The new PIN-code system in the beta 2 may fit for this purpose, although you must be using the self-hosted server in order for it to work. See more information in this blog post https://www.remoteutilities.com/about/blog/Remote_Utilities/6.9-beta-2/ . We will still note down your suggestion though.

Shared secret not working?

Hello Paul,

Thank you for your message.

This is the correct behavior. The purpose of shared secret is to provide the means to verify the identity of a remote Host, not to serve as another password or authentication factor.  The program logic here is as follows: If  there is a shared secret on the Viewer side (in connection properties) then the program performs the identity check. If it's empty , then the check isn't performed because the program assumes that admin doesn't want to perform identity check and it should let admin connect in.

That said in version 6.9 (as of Sep 25, 2018 in beta available for download) this system was totally replaced by a more modern certificate-based check. Now the process is automatic and doesn't require user intervention except only when there is certificate mismatch and the user is warned about it and asked for further actions. Here is a related documentation page for your reference.

By the way, in version 6.9 we also implemented two-factor authentication so if you want to add more security this is just what you need.

Hope that helps.

(self-hosted ID server) Computer goes offline when I log on

I recommend that you upgrade your Viewer, Server and at least one of the Hosts to the latest beta version (available here https://www.remoteutilities.com/download/beta.php ) and see if the issue persists with that Host. There has been a lot of changes made in terms of stability improvement in the latest beta version.

(self-hosted ID server) Computer goes offline when I log on

Hello Igor,

Could you tell us what the server version is by looking at the Admin Console window (Help -> About).

Thanks!

Constant Disconnecting

Hi Brian,

I responded via email, thanks.

Uploading your log files here is not recommended,  even though the logs don't contain any personally identifiable information.

Surface Pro 3, Win 10, Properties for Color and CPU cut off

Hi Greg,

Still, your font and spacing looks strange on this image. Perhaps, you have DPI settings other than the default? Or maybe some sort of scaling is enabled.

Surface Pro 3, Win 10, Properties for Color and CPU cut off

Hello Greg,

Thank you for your message.

Do you have any accessibility features enabled? Namely, the ones on the Ease of Access -> Display section of Windows settings.

Constant Disconnecting

Hello Carol,

Feel free to send us the Host log files at support@remote-utilities.com for examination. You can locate the logs in the Host installation folder
C:\Program Files (x86)\Remote Utilities - Host\Logs\

Callback connection docs need an update

Hello,

TBH, I would rather not break my current viewer settings :-). If you can confirm that the contents of "%APPDATA%\Remote Utilities Files" folder is all that I need to recover, I will try tomorrow (time permitting).

You really won't break anything if you just delete one of your callback connections. And yes, the Viewer keeps all its settings and data in that %appdata% folder.

However, I think network issues are highly unlikely here, at least in the sense you probably mean them - I am using a set of direct connections over an SSL tunnel, and the tunnel has been tested and retested multiple times and is working perfectly. Plus, if it *was* a network problem, the host's callback connections window should not display "connected"...

A network problem does not necessarily mean that the tunnel is bad or low performing. Perhaps the 'problem' is an incorrect word chosen. It could be a specific security setting for instance or anything else , either on the PC or the router that would affect how a specific application uses the network. There are hundreds of hardware and software manufactures after all.

In fact, I am completely baffled by the need of the hosts to actually provide *any* callback port. Obviously, the hosts are connecting to the viewer, but they are only connecting to one specific IP address and one specific port.



When you use callback connection it's the Viewer that is listening and the Host that initiates a connection, not vice versa. The Host should know the Viewer's listening port in order to be able to connect (along with Viewer's IP address , of course).

They don't have any need for a local port setting, as any traffic should go over the connection they initiated.

In order for something to go over a connection, a connection must be initiated first. That is the point.