DameWare Remote Support (DRS)
I have always liked the idea of dealing with end-users' computers from the comfort of my own desk rather than making that long walk to their noisy, dusty room.
These days tech support also needs to support laptops remotely, and there are always servers which need checking.
Evaluation of Dameware Remote Support
There are two related aspects to DRS:
There are also two products:
Remote Desktop Control
While I deal with Windows desktops and servers, my colleagues can look after Macs and Linux using this wonderful DRS from the SolarWinds family.
As you take control of the user's computer, so you can chat with the person about what might be wrong. You can explain how you are going to transfer drivers, or employ other techniques that can fix their problem. You can reassure them that by taking control you can get their machine working again.
I encourage the users to take a break while I fix the problem; if necessary I can use DRS's wake-on-lan facility if their machine is sleeping or turned off. My colleagues use a button on DameWare's console to take screenshot, I always seem to forget this feature and use the old Ctrl PrtScr to take my screenshots.
Get started by installing the DameWare Remote Support agent. To help you the DameWare MSI Builder guides you through configuring the Client Agent Service with your preferred settings. Then you can roll-out the agent using Group Policy. I like to spend time selecting which users have permissions to make the remote connection.
Remote Server Administration
Many organizations buy DRS for its ability to access their servers. Yes Microsoft provides remote tools, but DameWare's console is better at keeping all the server components, from AD to hardware, in one easy to navigate tree. In truth, the only way to see if DameWare Remote Support is right for you is to download the free trial.
Active Directory Tasks
- Reset passwords.
- Update names and addresses.
- Also configure attributes such as photos and logos.
- Add joiners and disable leavers' accounts.
- Setup Exchange mailboxes.
- If necessary, manage multiple domains.
Windows Server Admin
- Check the eventlogs for suspicious activity.
- Troubleshoot slow running servers with Windows Performance Monitor.
- Reboot the server after a Windows security update.
- Manage the data file storage.
For those IT professionals researching remote support software, DameWare's Remote Support product offers all of the tools and capabilities they are looking for.
DameWare Remote Support Guided Tour
Here is a great way to evaluate Dameware remote support:
DameWare Remote Support
Troubleshooting server problems can be time-consuming. Under the pressure of fixing the servers before the users complain, or the boss finds out, you don’t want to waste time connecting to the servers, and then loading tools to fix the problem. Thus it’s best to just launch the DRS and start collecting information.
- Issue: Users in human resources cannot connect to their people database.
- Problem: Share and Active Directory permissions conflict.
Solution: Call for DRS and adjust the permissions in AD groups and server shares. - Problem: No internal email is being delivered.
Solution: Connect to your Exchange Server 2007, check the queues, and perhaps restart the SMTP Virtual server. - Problem: Server running slowly.
Identify cause: Memory problem.
Solution: Reschedule backup at a different time. - See also Review of DameWare Mini Remote Control.
Summary: Review of DameWare Remote Support
Remember that there are two aspects to DRS, Remote Desktop Control of users' computers, and Remote Server Administration. There are numerous ways of making these machine-to-machine connections, but none provide greater clarity or easier configuration than DRS.
If you are looking for remote support software, then search no further than the tools supplied in DameWare's Remote Support product.
Download your free DRS trial now.
More Free and Trial Network Software
Here are Guy’s reviews, recommendations and download links for additional handy utilities. Many of these programs are completely free, while others are fully-functional, but time limited. One common theme is that SolarWinds give you a free specialist tool ideal for testing, and then supply a more comprehensive suite for bigger networks. To let you into a secret, for small networks, the free tool is all you’ll ever need.
• Free Real-Time Network Monitor • Review SNMP Enabler • Review Network Traffic Analyzer
• Review of DameWare Mini Remote Control • DameWare Utilities • Diagnostic Tool for WSUS Agent
• Dameware Remote Support • SolarWinds LEM • Review of SolarWinds Patch Manager • Home