Remote Sessions are connections through the Axeda® Platform to remote deployed assets configured to support Remote Sessions (as part of the related Axeda® Gateway or Axeda Connector Agent project or in the Axeda Agent Embedded agent). As opposed to desktop-sharing access connections, these remote access sessions support "headless" computers (without monitors). There are four types of remote sessions: Remote Terminal, Remote Application, Remote Browser, and Remote Desktop.
o Remote Terminal sessions are connections from the local computer to a specific "interface" exposed by the asset. These connections are based on the standard protocols (Telnet and SSH). All communications to and from the asset are shown in a Terminal Emulation applet window. You type standard Telnet commands for the asset, and the applet window shows responses echoed back from the asset.
Exclusive vs. non-exclusive sessions - you can connect to sessions in an exclusive manner, such that no one else can join, or in a non-exclusive manner, such that any other users with Remote Terminal privileges to that asset may join the session. If there are multiple users in a Remote Terminal session, you (the session initiator) have control of the session and all other users have view-only privileges. You can "pass" control to another user, at which point you have view-only privileges until you take control again. Users can request control. These control options are available in the Telnet applet window.
o Remote Application sessions are connections from the local computer to a selected application running on the related asset. The applications available for sessions must be defined in the project configuration for the Axeda® Connected Product Management Applications Agent running on the asset. The Remote Application tool uses Axeda Application Bridge technology to provide a virtual bridge between your local network and the network behind the asset's firewall. The Application Bridge, AppBridge.jar (a Java applet) enables remote access sessions through the Platform and must be installed and running on your computer to complete the connection. When you start the Application Bridge (from the command line), you provide the remote access session ID (generated by the Platform when you request the session). The Application Bridge displays the number of the port (or a range of ports) defined for communications from the asset to the Axeda Platform. You then provide this port number and the name of the computer hosting the Application Bridge (for example, "localhost" or an IP address), to connect to an application actively running on the target asset.
Notes: As of the Summer '11,
Upgrade 2, release, the Application Bridge supports a range of port numbers
for Remote Application sessions that require a range of ports (for example,
an application that uses dynamic ports). ALL of the ports in the range
must be available for the application on the asset for the remote session
to succeed. If any of the ports are in use by another application, the
Application Bridge ends the session.
If you use the <$HOST> variable in the Model
Remote Interface definition and want to use a range of ports for a
Remote Application type of session, make sure that you have cleared the
Java Plug-in cache. Refer to the topic, Clearing
the Java_Plug-in_Cache.
o Remote Browser sessions are browser-based
connections from the local computer to an asset running an Axeda Agent
and configured to support remote browser sessions. These assets contain
web browser-based user interfaces, for example a printer containing a
web server. All Remote Browser sessions are secure and do not expose the
web server to the Internet.
The browser applications available for sessions must be defined in the
project configuration for the Axeda Agent running on the asset. In addition,
the particular asset must be set to support browser sessions. This asset
has a built-in web server to enable remote users to configure and maintain
the asset. Since the asset is hidden behind a firewall, there is no way
to access it through a standard web browser.
o Remote Desktop sessions enable you to share a remote asset's screen or desktop, for example to permit remote administration or operator education using that remote asset. Remote Desktop sessions can be started on a remote asset with ("attended") or without ("unattended") operator intervention. Unattended sessions can be started on an asset when it next communicates with the Platform. The Quick Launch feature available through the Axeda® Service application allows technicians to establish remote desktop sessions with assets and launch the appropriate viewer application for the asset automatically. For example, if the asset is running Axeda Desktop Server, the Platform launches Axeda Desktop Viewer automatically and also stores it on the computer of the user requesting the session. Quick Launch will keep the user's viewer application up-to-date when a new version of the application is copied to the Platform.
Notes: For organizations that require it, the Platform and the Axeda Agents support authentication by RADIUS authentication servers. For this authentication to occur, Service Technicians must use the Axeda® Deployment Utility to configure the Axeda Agent to communicate with the authentication server. The only activities currently supported for this type of authentication are Remote Sessions.
For details about how agent-side authentication works, refer to the user guides for the Axeda Gateway and Axeda Connector agents and also to Troubleshooting Remote Sessions: Agent-side Authentication.
For assistance in configuring agent-side authentication, refer to the online help for the Axeda® Deployment Utility.
For assistance in configuring remote sessions for the Axeda Agents, refer to the online help for Axeda® Builder.
For assistance in starting remote sessions using the Service application, refer to the following topics:
Service application - Remote Sessions - Starting a Remote Application session,
Service application - Remote Sessions - Starting a Remote Browser session,
Service application - Remote Sessions - Starting and Joining a Remote Terminal session,
Service application - Remote Sessions - Starting a Remote Desktop session
If you are using one or more Axeda® Global Access Servers (GAS server) for remote sessions and your IT department requires that only one URL be used for remote sessions, you can assign a GAS server to an asset by clicking the Assign Servers link in the Remote Sessions module of the Asset dashboard. Refer to Assigning Remote Servers to an Asset for details. Similarly, you can assign one or more assets to a particular GAS server from the Administration application. Refer to Assigning assets to a remote (GAS) server for details.