Carbon Copy contains both a Web-hosted console and a Microsoft Windows utility console for remote control. The Web console is backward-compatible with Altiris Carbon Copy programs running on 16- or 32-bit versions of Windows, and Compaq's Carbon Copy 5.0 to 5.5. With the Web console, Carbon Copy utilities are downloaded on demand without requiring a separate installation. This gives helpdesk personnel mobility, but administrators are limited to one connection at a time. If you need multiple outbound connections, like those available from NetSupport Manager or pcAnywhere, you need to use the Windows utility (256 simultaneous connections). However, the Windows utility does not include the deployment, configuration and reporting features. C'est la vie.
Notification Server 5.5 is a free download from Altiris. We installed Notification Server and MSDE 7 onto a Windows 2000 Server (SP2) running on a Dell PowerEdge 2450 and created and configured a default database, AeXNS. After configuring an SMTP server and an administrative e-mail account to receive alerts, we were ready to plug in Carbon Copy.
But we first needed to deploy the Notification Server client on each machine. A push or pull deployment method can be used, but because the push method required us to browse the domain for eligible clients, we opted to pull the code from an ASP (Active Server Page) located on the server. We could then install Carbon Copy using a policy package. Policies define how (automatic reboot or no reboot) and when Carbon Copy is deployed. Standard reports analyze Carbon Copy events and inventory data; you can also create your own reports.
Once the software was deployed, we browsed to a host and could connect and authenticate using Active Directory, NTLM or local authentication. Once connected, we could control the host machine, chat (audio and text) and transfer files. Unique to this roundup, Altiris provides an asynchronous and synchronous mode for remote control.
The Carbon Copy solution is not a mover and a shaker. But as a component of Altiris Express, it adds an important feature set to a full line of Web-enabled solutions. Although it costs more than other remote-control programs, the capability to manage a Carbon Copy deployment and configuration from a Web-based central location is key. Administrators can monitor events like connection status, remote utility usage and security status and receive e-mail alerts of critical events.
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