Question : Desltop Remote Control: GoToMyPC or eBLVD

My apologies if this question is not in the right topic but i thought many of you guys could help...

Has anyone had any experience with either of these two software products (www.gotomypc.com and www.eblvd.com).  I need something that is very firewall friendly.  There is a big price difference between the two but both seem fundamentally the same. GoToMyPC seems a little faster.  So,

1) Which is better?
2) What problems could i expect?  Management issues? Client issues? Speed issues?
3) Are there similar alternatives?

Cheers
Andrew

Answer : Desltop Remote Control: GoToMyPC or eBLVD

I can answer the third portion of that question for you.  Unfortunately, I have not had experience with GotoMyPC or eBlvd, the two you mentioned.  However, I would highly recommend a VNC (Virtual Network Computing) client.  This software was developed by AT&T Labs and has become quite popular.  It works in a fashion more similar to PCAnywhere, but I have had great success with it.  The project is open-source, so there has been a lot of good development.  Also, since its open-source, ITS FREE!  So there will be no setup fees/monthly fees as you may see with your two examples.

I have seen two versions with particular promise, those being RealVNC and TightVNC (www.realvnc.com and www.tightvnc.com, respectively).  RealVNC is a little more true to the original, but TightVNC has incorporated some really nifty features, including JPEG compression for low-speed connections.

Both of the above-mentioned packages provide things like changing of ports, so you can tunnel the program through a port that your firewall would not object to.  Right out of the box, it runs at port 5900, which I have had good success with considering the average firewall.  However, it also offers a listening viewer mode, which basically allows you to reverse the connection process.  This means that if your server is behind a firewall, you can actually have it call out to the client to form the connection, usually bypassing the whole firewall issue entirely.  This might help, depending on your setup.

As far as issues go, I personally view any computer to which has this software installed as insecure.  That is to say that if I am setting up my PC so that GotoMyPC (or VNC, or whatever) has the ability to fully control it, I consider that a substancial security risk.  Personally, I think usefulness far outweighs the security risk, but I know many organizations strictly ban the use of such software.  Be warned...  :-)

Otherwise, your only concern is speed.  Whatever you go with should probably offer some kind of compression feature if you are worried that you may be accessing your desktop using some dial-up connection or something equally awful.  :-)

Good luck!

-- Aaron
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