Is there a single click VNC/screen sharing server for OS X?

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Level 1

2 points

Is there a single click VNC/screen sharing server for OS X?

First, if this is posted in the wrong section then please forgive the error and relocate the post to the appropriate section.

I'm looking for a small distributable single click screen sharing system for tech support purposes. I generally support Windows users but sometimes need to quickly gain access to remote OSX systems from fairly clueless users. Every minute I spend explaining something that the user does not want to know or does not need to know is a waste of our mutual time. Thus I'm looking for something similar to UVNC single click for OSX. That is a distributable VNC server reduced to about 250KB or less that can be configured to automatically connect to a listening viewer on launch.

Is there a program or perhaps an executable script file that will initiate such a connection?

custom, Mac OS X (10.5.2)

Posted on May 8, 2008 10:15 AM

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Answer 1

May 8, 2008 11:05 AM in response to SuRoot

Sure. Have them go to System Preferences, click on the "Sharing" icon, and check the box marked "Screen Sharing". If you don't have an account on their machine, ask them to click "All users" so you can access their machine, and then be sure to disable it when you're done.

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Answer 2

SuRoot Author

Level 1

2 points

Jun 29, 2008 5:26 PM in response to J D McIninch

yes osx has a vnc client/server built in but if the user has to double click more then once it does not work. period.

for windows clients it is literally that simple. double click once on a file I emailed to them and I am in. done. stop.

I need something that simple for the mac users.

does the mac have a system that simple or can you only get simple vnc on windows? sorry but i've been looking everywhere for this and have become a bit frusterated by the whole exercise. if the client has to do anything more then launch a single preconfigured program or script then it is not a solution.

it is for that reason that the built in vnc is likely of no use in this instance.

has anyone figured this out because I can't be the only one.

(this post was made from a cellphone, so forgive small errors)

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Answer 3

BobHarris

Level 9

56,921 points

Jun 29, 2008 6:38 PM in response to SuRoot

iChat Screen Sharing. Start an iChat conversation (could be text, audio or video chat). Then the customer clicks the screen sharing iChat icon and you are seeing their screen. iChat can use .Mac accounts, free AOL Instant Messenger accounts, or Jabber based IM accounts, such as gTalk.

LogMeIn.com has a service to allow remote support. This works cross platform. There are other services similar to LogMeIn.com.

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Answer 4

SuRoot Author

Level 1

2 points

Jun 30, 2008 10:17 PM in response to BobHarris

So it's single click after the user signs up for .mac/aol, starts ichat, and then either the user or the support tech contacts the other?

That is at least 5 or 6 clicks and 2 to 5 minutes just to set up the .mac/aol account.

Perhaps two or three clicks to start ichat unless it's on the desktop in which case it's just one... I'll be generous and say it's one.

Then another click to start the conversation followed by typing in my user name... or then spelling their user name to me over the phone.

Then after that another click to start screen sharing and probably another click after that to confirm the connection for security reasons.

Lets add that up:
Roughly EIGHT clicks and lots of typing to set up accounts and then relay account information.

...

See... I'm looking a distributable application or script with my IP and port number already keyed into it so that when launched it immediately contacts my system and I am given access.

One shot and I'm in. That's what I need. That is what is professional. I'm happy to pay money for a product that will do this but I won't pay for a service (recurring monthly fees).

On windows there is a great program that will do this for free. Is anyone good enough with the apple script (Something that for example starts the OSX VNC server, contacts my IP, and then lets me in... a confirmation screen on the user's machine is fine.) or know of a program capable of establishing such a connection automatically on launch that is distributable. The program should not exceed 3 MBs. The UVNC single click is about 250 KB uncompressed and about 150KB in a zip file.

Ideally I'd like OSX equivalent of the same program.

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Answer 5

MacNC

Level 1

20 points

Jul 1, 2008 6:52 AM in response to SuRoot

TeamViewer FTW! 🙂 For Windows and Mac platforms:

http://www.teamviewer.com/index.aspx

It's a really nice little app that requires no complicated installation. There are some video demos on the site and best of all it's free for personal use. You can try it before you decide to buy it for your business.

All the user that you are trying to help has to do is click on the icon on the dock, read you the 8 digit ID number and the 4 digit Password, and whamo - you have control 🙂

I use it for my parents because BTMM and Apple Remote Desktop is so flaky in Leopard!

null

Message was edited by: MacNC

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Answer 6

SuRoot Author

Level 1

2 points

Jul 1, 2008 9:11 PM in response to MacNC

It looks like you need their servers operating for the software to work. While I agree that I can probably rely upon that company to continue to exist for the foreseeable future. I don't like paying over 600 dollars for software that could at any time become entirely useless.

Am I correct in assuming that the software relies upon their servers or can be configured such that all it needs is the client software and my system active on the other end?

This would be an acceptable system if it were free but paying for something I don't really ever own is a problem I hope you can appreciate.

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Answer 7

MacNC

Level 1

20 points

Jul 1, 2008 10:42 PM in response to SuRoot

You do indeed use an international net of servers to use Team Viewer. It solves many connection issues, so that it is painless for clueless clients to use the service.

Only you can determine the value of this software/server solution. Just trying to help, as I am not affiliated with Team Viewer in any way, I just use it to support my parents 🙂

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Answer 8

SuRoot Author

Level 1

2 points

Jul 2, 2008 8:51 PM in response to MacNC

actually, they do that to help out clueless people on both ends. See what they've provided is a properly port forwarded routing server on the internet. That is fine. However, if your home or office system is already port forwarded properly and has the firewall set up correctly there is no need for that on "your" end.

Effectively what you've given up is reliability and independence for a feature you could and should be able replicate in about 1 to 2 minutes.

I'm not saying this to be contrary here but I will not be supporting my parents with this but a broad base of users that employ me to keep things working properly. As such I can't rely upon a third party to be professional as if they fail the only reputation to suffer will be my own.

Currently, I am setting up VNC servers on these users systems if I need to access them frequently but it is much more time consuming and there are also security issues.

Why is there no simple distributable single click screen sharing app for OSX? This is silly. I mean, even a script file would be ok. Just have the script file turn on the VNC server and contact my IP... If I have to figure out how to write it myself that is also ok. But someone toss me a friggin bone here. Direct me to a help file that will after several hours of work let me construct a script that does the job.

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Answer 9

BobHarris

Level 9

56,921 points

Jul 3, 2008 5:12 AM in response to SuRoot

Start with Applications -> Automator. You can have it "Record" the setting up of the VPN server of your choice.

Then there is AppleScript, but for me that generally requires a book and Google searches to find examples close to what I want to do.

It may be possible to do some stuff via Unix shell scripts (sh, bash, awk, perl, python, ruby, etc...) and then invoke this via an Automator action, an AppleScript command, or just wrap the shell script using Platypus (search Platypus at VersionTracker.com).

If you need to configure the customer's Mac OS X firewall, that might also be an Automator action, or since the firewall is really the Unix ipfw (man ipfw), that could be a use for shell scripting.

If you need to fetch stuff from the web as part of your installation, you could use something like /usr/bin/curl in a shell script.

Setting up automation can be difficult and I'm not making light of the task. What might look like a good approach may find that the last 5 inches just can be done and you have to back track and use something else. And then there are the variables created by the fact that every customer will be different and you will find that some expected situation doesn't exist because the customer has customized something.

NOTE: The Vine Server (aka OSXvnc) can be setup to make a reverse connection. It may even be possible to use an Automator script to setup that connection for you, specifying the address.of.your.VNC.client and port number you are using.

Or create an AppleScript (which might be more robust than Automator).

Or establish an example reverse setup, then using "ps -axlww" see what the actual server command line looks like, then create a shell script wrapped by Platypus to do this for the customer.

OK, your turn to go chasing down dead-ends and practice backing out. After all you are the one that is going to get paid, I'm just doing this for fun 🙂

However, if you need to configure a customer's router that could be a problem as every darn one of them is different.

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Answer 10

Jul 27, 2008 7:39 PM in response to SuRoot

Have you had any success on this journey? I have the same needs and also am searching for an easy way to do remote support.

I came across this page: http://www.tinyapps.org/docs/vnc/

And this one: http://www.ozonehouse.com/mark/blog/code/Reverse_VNC.html

It contains some good information.

Anyway, please keep us posted about the results you got.

Andre

Message was edited by: Andre Ruiz

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