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Fallback RU server
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Links used in this discussion
Mike B, User (Posts: 4)
Jun 14, 2020 12:31:56 pm EDT
Support level: Free or trial
Is it possible to for RU Host & Viewer to have a 'fallback' server configured? I want to setup and run my own private RU server (local to where the viewer is usually based), as I believe that will improve latency, among the other private server advantages. However, in the event that my private server goes offline, I'd like it to be possible that the connection falls back to the public server. It doesn't matter if the Internet ID has to be different for each server (which I'm guessing will be necessary).
For the same reasons, I'd like to be able to do the same using the Agent host as well. Also, I like to have the Agent and the preinstalled host available on a remote terminal (again as a backup), but it appears that the Agent won't launch if the Host service is already running.
The remote terminals don't have mice or keyboards connected, and the users don't have access to the windows desktop or taskbar, so I can't ask them to make changes/stop the host. I can give them a button on their screen to launch the Agent. I guess one work around for the Agent tool specifically would be to us the MSI configurator to build multiple Agent packages - one with the public server preset, another with my private server?
For the same reasons, I'd like to be able to do the same using the Agent host as well. Also, I like to have the Agent and the preinstalled host available on a remote terminal (again as a backup), but it appears that the Agent won't launch if the Host service is already running.
The remote terminals don't have mice or keyboards connected, and the users don't have access to the windows desktop or taskbar, so I can't ask them to make changes/stop the host. I can give them a button on their screen to launch the Agent. I guess one work around for the Agent tool specifically would be to us the MSI configurator to build multiple Agent packages - one with the public server preset, another with my private server?
Conrad Sallian, Support (Posts: 2953)
Jun 14, 2020 4:10:05 pm EDT
Hello Mike,
Thank you for your message.
For example, antivirus software may all of the sudden decide that our Host is dangerous and start blocking it. We know that this is not true and we are very quick to report this to the a/v vendor. Yet, it may take some time for them to remove the detection (and for your a/v endpoint software to update their database). Fortunately, false positives of this sort are very rare nowadays.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you for your message.
Unfortunately, there is no fallback server functionality in RU. The reason is that the effort and complexity of implementing such feature (the more complex a feature the more likely it may fail) far exceeds potential gains. RU server is supposed to be used under direct command of the user/customer. If the server doesn't respond the user can simply restart the server - whether it's the machine itself or the RU Server service and it'll be back up and running in a couple of minutes.However, in the event that my private server goes offline, I'd like it to be possible that the connection falls back to the public server. It doesn't matter if the Internet ID has to be different for each server (which I'm guessing will be necessary).
Host and Agent are mutually exclusive. In the future we'll add the ability to "convert" one to the other, though. But this is not a solution to this problem. If you want to be 100% sure that you have a back up remote connection method, you should use another remote software. Unlike some of our competitors we never claim that our program is necessarily "the best" or "the fastest" and that there may not be a possibility of something going wrong. So you can use Remote Utilities as your primary tool and yet have another tool as secondary backup tool for emergency.For the same reasons, I'd like to be able to do the same using the Agent host as well. Also, I like to have the Agent and the preinstalled host available on a remote terminal (again as a backup), but it appears that the Agent won't launch if the Host service is already running.
For example, antivirus software may all of the sudden decide that our Host is dangerous and start blocking it. We know that this is not true and we are very quick to report this to the a/v vendor. Yet, it may take some time for them to remove the detection (and for your a/v endpoint software to update their database). Fortunately, false positives of this sort are very rare nowadays.
It is possible. In this case each running Agent instance will overwrite the registry settings of its predecessor on the computer where it is run (see more about Agent settings here here ). I recommend that you experiment with different configurations.I guess one work around for the Agent tool specifically would be to us the MSI configurator to build multiple Agent packages - one with the public server preset, another with my private server?
Let me know if you have any questions.
Mike B, User (Posts: 4)
Jun 15, 2020 7:29:50 am EDT
Support level: Free or trial
That's a shame, it would be a really useful feature. I want to host my own server (locally, on my vdsl broadband), but don't like the idea of my remote connection being totally dependant on it. If I'm in the office near the RU server, then obviously rebooting it isn't an issue, and if my broadband is down, then it doesn't matter that the server isn't online anyway.
But I need to be able to dial into my hosts from anywhere - when out on the road working, if I go away for the weekend, from my laptop or my phone. If I'm away and my private server is offline, there's nothing I can do to get it going again.
So I can't do unattended access in that situation, which is a bit of a pain. But worse than that - I can't even ask the user to start Agent and initiate a connection using the public server - because the RU host service is already running in the background and the user can't stop it. So in that respect Host and Agent are not mutually exclusive - they can't coexist together.
Using another remote desktop software as a backup is a hassle - means I've got to double up all the configuration, installation, and management of two separate systems. I'm actually trying to get away from another product (vnc), and I like the aspect of not having to setup port forwarding for hosts (mainly because it gets broken every time someone resets or replaces their router).
But I need to be able to dial into my hosts from anywhere - when out on the road working, if I go away for the weekend, from my laptop or my phone. If I'm away and my private server is offline, there's nothing I can do to get it going again.
So I can't do unattended access in that situation, which is a bit of a pain. But worse than that - I can't even ask the user to start Agent and initiate a connection using the public server - because the RU host service is already running in the background and the user can't stop it. So in that respect Host and Agent are not mutually exclusive - they can't coexist together.
Using another remote desktop software as a backup is a hassle - means I've got to double up all the configuration, installation, and management of two separate systems. I'm actually trying to get away from another product (vnc), and I like the aspect of not having to setup port forwarding for hosts (mainly because it gets broken every time someone resets or replaces their router).
Conrad Sallian, Support (Posts: 2953)
Jun 17, 2020 4:19:44 pm EDT
Hi Mike,
In this case we recommend that you use our default servers. We monitor them 24/7.
In this case we recommend that you use our default servers. We monitor them 24/7.
* Website time zone: America/New_York (UTC -4)
