Remote Desktop Management Software for MSPs

General

1. Which market segment does Desktop Central MSP target?
2. How it differs from Desktop Central?
3. What are the system requirements for Desktop Central MSP?
4. What operating systems does it support?
5. What are the ports used by Desktop Central MSP?
6. Will I get free technical support during evaluation?
7. Will there be data migration between Beta and GA release versions?
8. What would be the pricing structure?
9. Will the Desktop Central Agent, captured during OS Imaging recognize computer name changes?

Remote Control

1. Which ports must I open to use the Remote Control feature?
2. Which ports must I open to use the File Transfer feature during a remote control session?
3. Can I view multiple monitors of a remote computer simultaneously?
4. The page rendering while using the Remote Control feature is slow. How can I improve its speed?
5. What is the difference between Fast and Best Compression levels?
6. On which browsers can I use the Remote Control feature?
7. Is it possible for multiple users to login remotely to a computer at the same time?
8. How to lock a keyboard or a mouse or blacken the display on a remote computer?

General

1. Which market segment does Desktop Central MSP target?

The target market for Desktop Central MSP are the Managed Service Providers (MSP's) who would offer Desktop Management services for their customers. It can be used by MSPs of any size viz. Small, Medium or Large MSPs. You can manage up to 10000 computers with a single installation.

2. How it differs from Desktop Central?

While Desktop Central MSP is meant for managing Desktops and Servers of multiple customers with a single installation, Desktop Central is for managing computers of a single customer.

3. What are the system requirements for Desktop Central MSP?

Hardware Requirements for Desktop Central MSP Server

No. of Computers Managed	Processor	RAM	Hard Disk Space
Upto 250 Computers	Single processor Intel P4 ~1.5 GHz	1 GB	2 GB*
251 to 500 Computers	Single processor (Intel P4 or Xeon 2.0 Ghz (Dual Core), 800+ Mhz FSB, 4 MB cache)	2 GB	2 GB*
501 to 1000 Computers	Single processor (Intel Xeon ~2.4 Ghz Dual Core, 800+ Mhz FSB, 4MB cache)	4 GB	3 GB*
1001 to 3000 Computers	Dual processor (Intel Xeon ~2.0 Ghz Dual Core, 1000 Mhz FSB,4 MB cache)	4 GB	5 GB*
3001 to 5000 Computers	Dual Processor (Intel Xeon processors Quad-Core at 2 ~ 3 GHz, 1000+ MHz FSB, 4 MB Cache)	6+ GB @ 667 Mhz. ECC	20 GB (HDD speed @ 7200 ~ 10,000 rpm)
5001 to 10000 Computers	Quad Processor (Intel Xeon processors Quad-Core at 2 ~ 3 GHz, 1000+ MHz FSB, 4 MB Cache)	8+ GB @ 667 Mhz. ECC	50 GB (HDD speed @ 7200 ~ 10,000 rpm)

* May dynamically grow according to frequency of scanning

When managing computers above 1000, it is advisable to install Desktop Central MSP on a Windows 2003 Server Enterprise Edition

For more details, refer to System Requirements page.

4. What operating systems does it support?

Desktop Central MSP supports the following operating systems:

• Windows 2000 Professional
• Windows XP Professional
• Windows Vista
• Windows 7
• Windows 2000 Server
• Windows 2003 Server
• Windows 2008 Server
• Virtual Servers (VM Ware)

5. What are the ports used by Desktop Central MSP?

Here is a list of ports that is used by the Desktop Central MSP Application. You will need to open the following ports for a hassle-free communication between the Agent, Desktop Central MSP Server and the Distribution Server.

Ports to be opened on the Desktop Central MSP Server machine to enable Desktop Central Agent/Distribution Server communication with Desktop Central Server machine:

• 8040: Used to connect to the Web console
• 8041: Used for communication between the agent and the distribution server (secure mode)
• 8047: Used to share remote computers (secure mode)
• 8053: Used to transfer files(secure mode)
• 8057: Used to complete on-demand tasks like inventory scanning, patch scanning, remote control, remote shutdown and moving agents from one remote office to another

Ports to be opened on the Distribution Server machine to enable Desktop Central Agents to communicate with the Distribution Server:

• 8044
• 8045 (Secure mode)

6. Will I get free technical support during evaluation?

Yes, you can get a free technical support during evaluation. You can contact our support team at msp-desktopcentral-support@manageengine.com

7. Will there be data migration between Beta and GA release versions?

No, data migration between Beta and GA versions will not be supported.

8. What would be the pricing structure?

While the pricing is not announced yet, as it is still in Beta, the pricing would be based on the total number of computers that will be managed using the product and the number of technicians using the product, irrespective of the number of customers you might have. This means that the pricing would be the same if you have 2 customers with 50 computers each or 5 customers with 20 computers each.

9. Will the Desktop Central Agent, captured during OS Imaging recognize computer name changes?

In case your client is building an OS image from a PC that has Desktop Central Agent installed on it, then the OS Image will get captured along with an image of the agent. Also if you change the computer name, the Desktop Central agent will automatically recognize the change and update the server.

Remote Control

1. Which ports must I open to use the Remote Control feature?

You must open the the following ports to use the Remote Control feature:

• 8443 for secure connections
• 8444 for normal connections

By default, the Remote Control feature uses a secure connection. These ports have to be opened on the Desktop Central server.

2. Which ports must I open to use the File Transfer feature during a remote control session?

You must open the following ports to use the File Transfer feature during a remote control session:

• 8031 for secure communication
• 8032 in case of normal communication

These ports have to be opened on the computer on which the Desktop Central server is installed.

3. Can I view multiple monitors of a remote computer simultaneously?

Yes, you can view multiple monitors of a remote computer simultaneously by using the Remote Control feature. You can switch between monitors using the multi-monitor icon available in the ActiveX viewer. Viewing multiple monitors simultaneously is currently not supported in a Java viewer. For more information, see How to switch between multiple monitors during a remote session?

4. The UI-rendering while using the Remote Control feature is slow. How can I improve its speed?

You can set the compression level to Fast, when using the Remote Contol feature, to improve the page-rendering speed. The bandwidth consumption will be comparitively higher when compared to best compression level, however the page-rendering will be comparatively faster.

5. What is the difference between Fast and Best Compression levels?

When you set the compression level to Fast, the compression ratio is lower, resulting in an increase in the speed of the rendering of the UI. This is recommended when the computer that you are connecting remotely to is in the same LAN as the computer you are connecting from.

When you set the compression level to Best, the compression ratio is higher, resulting in a decrease in the cosumption of the bandwidth. However, the rendering of the UI will be comparitively slower. This setting is recommended when the computer that you are connecting to remotely is at a different geographical location.

6. On which browsers can I use the Remote Control feature?

You can use the Remote Control feature on the following browsers:

• Internet Explorer
• Mozilla Firefox
• Google Chrome

7. Is it possible for multiple users to login remotely to a computer at the same time?

Yes, it is possible for multiple users to login remotely to a computer at the same time. However, only one of the users who has logged in can take control. The other users can only view the changes that are being made.

8. How do I lock a keyboard or a mouse or blacken the display on a remote computer?

You can lock a keyboard or a mouse to ensure that you can make changes effectively. To lock the remote computers keyboard and mouse, click the Lock Keyboard/Mouse icon from the viewer.

Similarly, you can blacken the monitor of a remote computer when you do not want the user to view the changes that you are making. To blacken the remote monitor, click on the Blacken Monitor icon from the viewer.