Systems administrators have many options for connecting to another Windows system and working with it as if they were sitting right at the keyboard. These include the Remote Desktop feature in Windows, as well as VNC and its remote control software derivatives, which often include features developed using VNC's code base.
A recent VNC derivative is CrossLoop. CrossLoop deploys VNC in a way that makes it possible for any two PCs to talk to each other without an administrator or user having to change firewall settings or open ports on routers. This is done by using servers provided by CrossLoop to "kick-start" the connection between the two machines, which is done through a tunneling protocol secured with 128-bit Blowfish encryption.
CrossLoop's workings are straightforward: Installation is lightweight and the program works on all versions of Windows, including Vista. If you run the program as a host, it generates a random per-session 12-digit access code, which you provide to whoever needs access to the system. Taking remote control of a system without the other party's explicit authorization is impossible.
Wallpapers on the host are automatically disabled (and then restored) to speed up the connection. This means that when you connect to the remote computer over a Crossloop connection, the wallpaper used by the remote user is not echoed on the local machine,so it's that much less information to transmit.
CrossLoop features that are not supported in Remote Desktop include file transfers or the switching of control from the host to the server.
Note: The first time you host access to your system, you might need to grant permission to CrossLoop to work with any software firewall installed on that machine. However, hardware firewalls will not need to be set up in any way. If for some reason you want to confine all traffic to port 80, simply hold down the Alt key when clicking "Connect" in the client.
The application's licensing structure is a twofold one. The VNC components are licensed under the GNU GPL, but the CrossLoop networking components are proprietary and closed-source, although free for use. Put another way, you can use CrossLoop freely without paying at this point, but the key components of the program are not open source.
About the author: Serdar Yegulalp is editor ofWindows Insight (formerly the Windows Power Users Newsletter), a blog site devoted to hints, tips, tricks and news for users and administrators of Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Vista. He has more than 12 years of experience working with Windows, and contributes regularly to SearchWinComputing.com and other TechTarget sites.
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