I have been using remote utilities for sometime with computers with monitors.
Then I started introducing a set of computers which I expected to be "headless"
I had all kinds of rashes of problems that were masked because I cleverly was sharing a monitor
from one station with the rest of the computers that were headless when I * really needed * a screen.
The monitor had both VGA and DVI, and I was moving a DVI cable around for weeks I chased problems
of some these computers refusing to connect. You see, they are online, but they they will not finish the
connect without a screen. Usually I was behind the computers moving the cable around and didn't notice
the behavior change right away when I plugged it in. One day I just happen to be able to see the screen when
I shoved the cable into the connecting computer and saw the other computer instantly connect.
So my recommendations are 1) plan to have some indication that a computer that is ONLINE does not
in fact have a screen attached. Surely the host knows this, or else it would be connecting! Can't it say back to
the viewer, I'd like to connect but there is no screen? Can't the viewer even know this as part of recognizing the
host is online? OK, so that's a code change. So in the meantime, or if you do not intend to change the behaviour,
then you must at least mention in the getting started that the remote machines must maintain have a monitor attached in order to function. And in the Knowege base, under the section "problem connecting with an Internet ID" (which is misnamed because there are a rash of items there not related to Internet IDs) One of thiose bold items needs to be "DO YOU HAVE A MONITOR ATTACHED?"
My post mortem on this whole debacle on how I wasted so much time chasing my time is because this
fact was ommited from these sections and the software didn't include the smarts to let me know that a basic
requirement for the system to function - a monitor- was not present.
There. Have at it. and watch a lot of noise go away from your Community. :)