Server and Desktop Management Software

This set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Desktop Central answers queries that you may have about Desktop Central. Send us an e-mail message, if you have any questions that remain unanswered. General What are the system requirements for Desktop Central? Which operating systems does Desktop Central support? What is the difference between the various editions of Desktop Central? Do I have to write scripts to use Desktop Central? What is Scope of Management (SoM)? Can I group and define configurations or do I have to define them individually? When are configurations applied? How do I access the User Interface (UI) of Desktop Central from a remote location? What do I use the Define Target feature for? My free trial expired before I could complete my evaluation of Desktop Central. Can I receive an extension? How is Desktop Central licensed? Why are configurations in Desktop Central created using a Web interface? Will a Desktop Central agent, which is captured while building an image of an operating system, recognize changes in the name of a computer? Which ports are used by the Desktop Central application? Which database does Desktop Central support to store data? Which Web server does Desktop Central use? I have an IIS installed on the computer. Can I configure the settings in Desktop Central to use this IIS instead of its own? Can I install a software application if the User Account Control (UAC) setting is enabled? Remote Control Which ports must I open to use the Remote Control feature? Which ports must I open to use the File Transfer feature during a remote control session? Can I view multiple monitors of a remote computer simultaneously? The page rendering while using the Remote Control feature is slow. How can I improve its speed? What is the difference between Fast and Best Compression levels? On which browsers can I use the Remote Control feature? Is it possible for multiple users to login remotely to a computer at the same time? How to lock a keyboard or a mouse or blacken the display on a remote computer?

General

1. What are the system requirements for Desktop Central?

The system requirements for Desktop Central are as follows:

Hardware Requirements

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 grow dynamically depending on the frequency of scanning

Note: While managing more than 1000 computers, it is advised that you install Desktop Central on a Windows 2003 Server Enterprise Edition.

Software Requirements

This section gives you information about the software requirements for distribution servers, Desktop Central servers and agents.

Supported Operating Systems

You can install a Desktop Central server, distribution servers and Desktop Central agents on computers which have any of the following supported operating systems installed on them:

Desktop-related Operating Systems

• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional
• Microsoft Windows Vista
• Microsoft Windows 7

Server-related Operating Systems

• Microsoft Windows 2000
• Microsoft Windows 2003
• Microsoft Windows 2008
• Microsoft Windows 2008 R2

Note: Desktop Central can also be installed on virtual computers, running any of the supported operating systems specified above, and terminal clients.

Supported Browsers

You are required to install any of the following browsers on your computer to run the Desktop Central console:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and later versions
• Netscape 7.0 and later versions
• Mozilla Firefox 1.0 and later versions

Note: The screen resolution should be 1024 x 768 pixels or higher.

For more information, see System Requirements.

2. Which operating systems does Desktop Central support?

Desktop Central supports the following operating systems:

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

3. What is the difference between the various editions of Desktop Central?

Desktop Central has four editions:

• Free: This edition allows you to manage upto 25 desktops for free. You can upgrade to either the standard, professional or enterprise editions whenever you want by buying a valid license from ManageEngine.
• Standard: This edition provides users with limited features like Remote Control, Configurations, Tools and Reports. You can get a consolidate report for all users in this edition.
• Professional: This edition allows you to manage a certain number of computers. This is specified when you buy the license. It comprises all the features of Desktop Central except the bandwidth management feature for remote offices.
• Enterprise: This edition has the same set of features as the Professional edition. However, it has the bandwidth management feature for remote offices with distribution servers.

For more detailed comparison, refer to the Compare Editions section on our Web site.

4. Do I have to write scripts to use Desktop Central?

No, you do not have to write scripts to use the predefined configurations provided by Desktop Central. You have to select a configuration, specify the required inputs, and deploy it.

5. What is Scope of Management (SoM)?

Scope of Management is a feature in Desktop Central that is used to specify which computers you can manage using Desktop Central. You can add and manage computers that are from an Active Directory, a workgroup or any other directory service like Novell eDirectory. The computers can either be in the same Local Area Network (LAN) or in a remote location connected through a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection or through the Internet. For more information, see Defining the Scope of Management.

6. Can I group and define configurations or do I have to define them individually?

Desktop Central has predefined configurations available for users and computers. These configurations can be grouped and defined into collections if they are meant for the same user or computer. However, if they are meant for individual users or computers, they have to be defined and deployed individually.

For example if you want to deploy a custom wallpaper to a client computer and prevent the user of that computer from changing it, you will use a collection of the Display and Security Policies configurations for a user. However, if you want to deploy a custom wallpaper to 5 out of 10 client computers and prevent only 2 users from changing the wallpaper, you will have to deploy the Display and Security Policies configurations to the computers, individually.

7. When are configurations applied?

Configurations are applied during:

• User logon or system startup: All user configurations, except the Custom Script configuration, are applied when a user logs on or when a system is started.
• System startup or shutdown or user logon or logoff: The Custom Script configuration is applied when a user logs on or logs off. This also takes place when a computer is switched on or switched off.
• 90-minute refresh cycle

For more information, see Windows Configurations.

8. How do I access the User Interface (UI) of Desktop Central from a remote location?

To access the Desktop Central UI from a remote location, follow the steps given below:

1. Open a supported browser
2. Enter http://<host name>:<port number> in the address bar
   
   Note: Here <host name> refers to the name / IP Address of the machine running Desktop Central, <port number> refers to the port where the product is started, the default being 8020. For example, 192.168.100.110:8020.
3. Press Enter

You can now login to the Desktop Central UI.

9. What do I use the Define Target feature for?

The Define Target feature is used to identify targets, also called users or computers, to apply configurations to. The targets can be all the users or computers belonging to a site, domain, Organizational Unit (OU) or a group. They can also be a specific user or computer. For more information, see Defining Targets.

10. My free trial expired before I could complete my evaluation of Desktop Central. Can I receive an extension?

Customer satisfaction is our primary goal. During the trial period of 30 days, you can manage an unlimited number of desktops using Desktop Central. After the trial period is over, Desktop Central automatically switches to the free edition using which you can manage only 25 desktops.

However, if your trial period is complete and you want to use the software application to manage more than 25 computers, contact us. You will receive a temporary license with a validity period to suit your requirements. The transition from the free edition of Desktop Central to the temporarily-licensed edition is smooth with no loss of data or configurations.

11. How is Desktop Central licensed?

Desktop Central is licensed on an annual-subscription basis depending on the number of computers you want to manage. You can get the price for a specific number of desktops from our online store. You may also buy a permanent license by paying an one-time fee. Contact us with the following details to get a quote from our sales team:

• Number of computers you want to manage using Desktop Central
• Edition that you are interested in buying

12. Why are configurations in Desktop Central created using a Web interface?

Desktop Central, with its Web-based interface, enables desktop administrators to access the application from anywhere within a network to complete various tasks; for example, to create configurations. This facilitates easy management of computers without being required to be present in any specific location.

13. Will an agent that is captured while taking an image of an operating system recognize changes in the name of a computer?

When you capture an image of an operating system in a computer and deploy it to a new computer, all the settings like communication-port settings, registry settings, configurations, operating system settings and the name of the computer are automatically captured and updated in the new computer.

The agent scans the settings of a computer during every 90-minute refresh cycle. Therefore, it will detect any changes in the name of a computer during the 90-minute refresh cycle and report the same to the Desktop Central server.

14. Which ports are used by the Desktop Central application?

You must open the following ports for effective communication between an agent, the Desktop Central server and a distribution server:

On the computer on which the Desktop Central server is installed

To enable a Desktop Central agent or distribution server to communicate with a Desktop Central server, open the following ports:

Normal Mode

• 8020 - For communication between the agent or distribution server and the Desktop Central server
• 8444 - For sharing remote desktops
• 8032 - For transferring files
• 8027 to complete on-demand tasks like inventory scanning, patch scanning, remote control, remote shutdown and moving agents from one remote office to another

Secure Mode

• 8383 - For communication between the agent or distribution server and the Desktop Central server
• 8443 - For sharing remote desktops
• 8031 - For transferring files

On the computer on which the distribution server is installed

To enable communication between a Desktop Central agent and a distribution server, open the following ports:

• 8021
• 8384 (secure mode)

On the computers on which Desktop Central agents are installed

To enable the Desktop Central server to communicate with the Desktop Central agents (LAN Agents) while completing on-demand tasks, open the following TCP ports:

• 139 and 445 to enable sharing of files and printers
• 135 to enable remote administration

All the ports mentioned above are default ports used by Desktop Central. You can opt to use your own port numbers. If you use your own port numbers, ensure that you specify the HTTPS ports as mentioned above.

 

15. Which database does Desktop Central support to store data?

Desktop Central supports both MySQL and MS SQL database to store data.

16. Which Web server does Desktop Central use?

Desktop Central uses the Apache HTTP Server to enable remote access to it's Web console.

17. I have an Internet Information Services (IIS) application installed in my computer. Can I configure the settings in Desktop Central to use this IIS instead of its own?

No, currently Desktop Central does not support ISS.

18. Can I install a software application if the User Account Control (UAC) setting is enabled?

Yes, you can install a software application when the UAC feature is enabled if you are not required to enter information during installation.

However, if you have to enter information during the installation of a software application, you must create a user configuration without selecting the Run As option. When you use the Run As option in a user confguration, use the Default Administrator account.

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.