C H A P T E R

Introducing Symantec pcAnywhere

Whether you are a telecommuter working from home, a business professional who travels frequently, or an information technology (IT) professional who supports other computer users remotely, chances are you will need to access another computer from a remote location. You might be working on a presentation at home and realize you need information from a file on your office computer hard drive, or perhaps you are trying to help a customer in another city with a software problem and need to see what is happening on that person’s computer screen.

Symantec pcAnywhere lets you remotely connect to another computer, open any file or program that you have permission to access, and work as though you are sitting at that computer.

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This chapter contains the following:

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What you can do with pcAnywhere

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How pcAnywhere works

What’s changed in this version

Where to find more information

What you can do with pcAnywhere

Some common uses for pcAnywhere include:

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Troubleshooting computer problems

Helpdesk operators, network administrators, and other IT professionals use pcAnywhere to remotely connect to another computer and solve computer problems. pcAnywhere lets you view another person’s

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Introducing Symantec pcAnywhere

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■ computer screen, check and modify settings, and restart the computer—all from your computer.

Supporting and maintaining servers

Network administrators can use pcAnywhere to connect to servers within their organizations and perform routine maintenance, assess performance, and troubleshoot network issues.

Retrieving files from home or office

With pcAnywhere, you can connect to your home or office computer to quickly get the files you need.

Working from a remote location pcAnywhere lets you connect to another computer and perform your work as though you were sitting in front of that computer. You can view and edit files, access network resources, and run programs that you have permission to access. You can also print files located on another computer to your default printer.

How pcAnywhere works

pcAnywhere uses remote control technology to let you connect to another computer or local area network (LAN) and work as though you are sitting in front of the other computer. To make a connection, both computers must be running pcAnywhere. One computer must be configured as a host, and the other computer must be configured as a remote.

If you are a new user, you should understand the difference between a host and a remote before you begin.

Understanding the terms host and remote

The relationship between a host computer and a remote computer is similar to a television set and a remote control device. Using a remote control device, you can adjust the volume, change channels, or turn the television on or off without leaving your chair. Using pcAnywhere, a host computer waits for and accepts connections from remote computers and performs the functions that are requested, much like a television set accepts signals from a remote control device.

Before two computers can connect with each other, one must be configured as a host and the other as a remote. The host computer waits for connections from a remote computer and allows itself to be controlled.

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How pcAnywhere works

When you configure a host computer, you control who can connect to your computer and what level of access the remote user should have. For example, you can restrict a remote user from restarting your computer.

For more information, see

“Setting up a host computer” on page 45.

The remote computer connects to the host computer and specifies the actions that should be carried out. Although the actual work is performed on the host computer, anything that happens on the host computer screen is displayed on the remote computer screen as well. This exchange between the remote and host computers is called a remote control session.

For more information, see

“Setting up a remote connection” on page 55.

Understanding remote control

Remote control technology lets you connect to a host computer from your remote location and use the host computer as though you are sitting in front of it. If you are connecting to a host computer that is on a network, you can access any file that the host computer has permission to access.

Remote control is faster and more efficient than other forms of remote networking, especially if you need to use a software program on the host computer. When you run a software program during a remote control session, the actual processing is performed on the host computer. Only the input and output information (for example, keyboard, mouse, and screen information) are exchanged between the remote and host computers. For example, if you are using a spreadsheet program to update your monthly expense report, the mathematical computations are performed on the host computer, and only the results of the computations are sent to the remote computer. Because only minimal data needs to be transferred between the two computers, remote control results in faster performance and minimizes the risk of losing data.

How remote control differs from remote networking

Remote networking lets you connect to a network by dialing into a network server, if you are using a modem and do not have the ability to connect to a network directly. It is often referred to as dial-up networking on Windows 9x and Windows ME systems or remote access service (RAS) on Windows NT and Windows 2000 systems.

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Introducing Symantec pcAnywhere

During a remote networking session, the remote computer works as though it is directly connected to the network. You can access only the files and programs on the network that the network administrator has given you, the remote user, permission to access.

When you run a software program during a remote networking session, the processing occurs on the remote computer. All of the information and data required by the program must be communicated over the telephone line to the remote computer. Even with high-speed modems, telephone lines are much slower than direct LAN connections—especially if you need to access a large file or program.

What’s changed in this version

pcAnywhere includes a number of new features and administrator tools, designed to increase security, optimize performance, and make the software easier to use and to customize.

Security enhancements

pcAnywhere has strengthened its focus on security, to help users protect their computers from unauthorized access and to help network administrators and security professionals identify and prevent security holes.

New security features include:

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New authentication methods for Microsoft-based, Novell-based, and

Web-based platforms

The new authentication methods include: Active Directory Service

(ADS), FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, Lightweight Directory Access Protocol

(LDAP), Novell Bindery Service, and Novell Directory Service (NDS).

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Host security now requires passwords for logging on to the host

The host user must choose an authentication method and set up caller accounts for remote users or user groups.

The ability to track files and executables opened during a host session, for additional security

Users on Windows NT and Windows 2000 can also track pcAnywhere log events in the Event Viewer.

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What’s changed in this version

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Remote Access Perimeter Scanner (RAPS)

This new administrator tool scans for unsecured hosts on the corporate network and detects the presence of many popular remote access products to identify potential security risks. This tool is available only in the Corporate version of pcAnywhere.

For more information, see the

Symantec pcAnywhere Administrator’s

Guide.

The ability to lock a configuration set to prevent tampering with pcAnywhere configuration files, executables, and registry settings

For more information, see the

Symantec pcAnywhere Administrator’s

Guide.

The ability to protect the security of pcAnywhere configuration, using policy management

Policy management lets administrators choose which user interface items users can view or modify. This feature is available only for

Windows NT and Windows 2000.

Increased customization

pcAnywhere gives administrators more flexibility in customizing pcAnywhere.

New customization features include:

■ pcAnywhere Packager

Using pcAnywhere Packager, administrators can create and deploy custom installation sets to enhance security or performance or reduce the amount of disk space needed to install or run pcAnywhere. This feature is available only for Windows NT and Windows 2000.

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Symantec Web Deployment Tool

The Symantec Web Deployment Tool lets administrators deploy pcAnywhere on the Internet or on a corporate intranet.

Pre-configured installation packages

Administrators can install these packages or use them as templates for building their own custom installation packages.

Object linking and embedding (OLE) automation

OLE automation lets administrators write applications to automate certain functions within pcAnywhere.

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Introducing Symantec pcAnywhere

Improved performance

pcAnywhere’s main window has been modified to make it easier to navigate and differentiate between host and remote modes.

Performance enhancements include:

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Optimization Wizard

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The Optimization Wizard walks users through the steps of optimizing a connection, highlighting the options that are available for improving performance and informing users of trade-offs between performance and security.

pcAnywhere File Manager enhancements that make it easier to find and select files and folders for file transfer

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The Go menu lets you quickly navigate to recently visited files and folders. Tagging features let you quickly select files or folders for file transfer or synchronization. You can also use wild card patterns to tag files and folders.

The ability for ISDN CAPI users to select channel bonding when using the host callback feature

This version also addresses performance issues involving CAPI channel bonding.

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What’s changed in this version

Removed features

To keep pace with the latest technologies, some features are no longer supported in pcAnywhere. If you are upgrading from a previous version of pcAnywhere, consult this table for guidance.

Removed feature Reason for removal pcA Config and

AWCustom32 pcAnywhere Packager replaces these administrator tools. Packager provides administrators with more flexibility and stronger security options for building and deploying customized installations.

For more information

See the

Symantec pcAnywhere

Administrator’s Guide.

Scripting

Virus scanning pcAnywhere+ for

Tivoli

Gateways

Extended OLE automation replaces the need for scripting. Existing scripting functions are included in the

OLE classes.

To improve performance, pcAnywhere no longer scans for viruses during file transfers.

See the

Symantec pcAnywhere OLE

Automation Guide

installation CD.

on the

Not supported in this version.

If you need to use this feature, install the previous version of pcAnywhere, located on the installation

CD.

No longer supported.

If you do not have an antivirus program, visit the

Symantec Web site

(www.symantec.com/ downloads) to download a trial version.

Online services No longer supported.

If you need to use gateways, install the previous version of pcAnywhere, located on the installation CD.

If you need to use online services, install the previous version of pcAnywhere, located on the installation CD.

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Introducing Symantec pcAnywhere

Removed feature Reason for removal

Banyan and IPX protocols

No longer supported.

DOS and

Windows 3.X backwards compatibility

No longer supported.

For more information

If you need to use these protocols, install the previous version of pcAnywhere, located on the installation CD.

If you need to connect to a computer that uses one of these operating systems, install the previous version of pcAnywhere, located on the installation CD.

Yahoo! Pager No longer provided.

Where to find more information

In addition to the technical support options that are described in the back of this manual, pcAnywhere includes features designed to assist you in using the software. You can access some of these features, like the online

Help and software wizards, while running pcAnywhere; however, some features are available only on the Symantec pcAnywhere CD.

Information on the Symantec Web site

Check the Symantec Web site (www.symantec.com/pcanywhere) for answers to frequently asked questions, troubleshooting tips, online tutorials, and the latest product information.

Information on the pcAnywhere CD

If you need more technical information, the Symantec pcAnywhere CD includes the

Symantec pcAnywhere Administrator’s Guide.

This document contains information specific to network administrators, IT, and information security (IS) professionals. Refer to this guide for information on advanced procedures.

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Where to find more information

Using pcAnywhere software wizards

pcAnywhere software wizards help guide you through some of the more complicated tasks.

Software wizard

Data Encryption

Optimization

Helps you For more information, see

Set up data encryption for the host and remote computers.

Determine which settings help you achieve optimum performance.

“Using encryption to protect data” on page 105.

“Improving performance” on page 37.

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Introducing Symantec pcAnywhere

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