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View Full Version : VNC and Active Sync & Bluetooth


Gareth Lock
12-01-2004, 11:56 PM
Here's the problem. I have a 2210 without Wifi card, I have Pocket VNC 3.3.2 installed which works fine to connect to a VNC Server on my laptop if I connect through GPRS on my Orange V600. However, it is very slow and expensive when all I want to do is control my desktop such as change the volume or track in Media player or online radio. I sync through Bluetooth and Active Sync and can download email and surf with pass-through but I cannot get VNC to connect.

I launch VNC, enter the same IP address and display as if I was connecting through GPRS but nothing happens, no password prompt, VNC just closes and nothing happens. I have to relaunch VNC to get it to the front and the same happens again.

I have tried TSC but the laptop logs off my user name and I cannot connect because the Active Sync and Bluetooth connections have been closed.

There must be an easier way to remote control my laptop from my 2210....please....

Thanks

Gareth
www.imagesoflife.co.uk

Dave Beauvais
12-02-2004, 07:26 AM
I have tried TSC but the laptop logs off my user name and I cannot connect because the Active Sync and Bluetooth connections have been closed.
If you log in remotely as the same user that's logged in locally on the host PC, you'll just be connected to the currently logged-in session. A problem arises if the logged in user doesn't have remote access rights. All members of the local Administrator group can log in via Remote Desktop, but aside from that, you (or an admin) would have to grant Remote Desktop access rights to other groups or individual user accounts.

Remote Desktop (Terminal Services) is, in my opinion, far superior to VNC in terms of performance, reliability, and security. Because RDP uses performance-enhancing features such as bitmap caching, far less data is transferred from server to client for screen updates and refreshes, whereas VNC must transfer the entire display when there's a major screen update.

The drawback to Remote Desktop using the Pocket PC's Terminal Services Client is that the host system is reduced to 640x480, 8-bit color, which can screw up icon placement and window sizes/positions. Depending on how anal-retentive you are, this could be annoying. :) Still, it's far better than VNC, as far as I'm concerned.

Gareth Lock
12-02-2004, 07:58 AM
I am user 'Gareth' and have configured 'Gareth' to have remote access by going through My Computer>Properties>Remote>Advanced and added 'Gareth' to a remote access user.

I think the problem arises (not that I know much about TSC) because I am logged in on my laptop as 'Gareth' when I try to login as 'Gareth' using TSC on the PPC. Do I have to create another user, say 'Gareth Mobile' which will allow me to connect to the laptop without loggin off 'Gareth'?!

After reading some guides about TSC you should log off the user before trying to access the workstation using TSC, is this correct, or can you login to the workstatio (laptop) while another (or same) user is logged in?

Thanks

Gareth

Dave Beauvais
12-02-2004, 08:33 AM
Here is how Remote Desktop works for me. If I am logged into the PC as user Dave and log in via Remote Desktop as Dave, the PC behaves as though I simply unlocked the workstation. All programs that were running continue running, dialog boxes open are still open, etc.

However, if I'm logged in as Dave on the PC but login via Remote Desktop as, say, the local user Administrator, a dialog pops up stating that user Domain\Dave is currently logged in and warns that if I continue logging in as Administrator, user Dave will be logged out and any unsaved data will be lost. If I choose to continue, Dave is "forcefully" logged out and any unsaved data in programs that were running is lost and user Administrator is logged in.

If you are logged in as Gareth on the host PC and log in via Remote Desktop as Gareth, I don't know why your PC would behave differently than all of mine do. It should simply log you in and display apps that happen to be running, albeit at a somewhat lower resolution than normal.

Is the host PC a member of a domain or just a workgroup? If it's a domain member, do you have both a domain user account named Gareth as well as a local user on that PC named Gareth? It's possible that if you're logged in as the domain user, the host PC thinks you're logging in as the local user via Remote Desktop.

Gareth Lock
12-02-2004, 08:49 AM
What medium do you use to connect to the PC? I am trying to use Bluetooth and Active Sync which means I must be logged in on the alptop to maintain the connection. If I connect using TSC on the PPC via Active Sync, I am logged out of 'Gareth' which then drops the Bluetooth/Active Sync connection and I cannot continue. This maybe where the problem is, I am tryingt to access via a protocol which requires me to be logged in.

Thanks for your help

Gareth

Gareth Lock
12-02-2004, 02:03 PM
Further to this I have created an account 'GarethRemote' and tried to login to that while the laptop was logged in as 'Gareth'. The laptop then returned with 'Gareth' is logged in, if you connect to 'GarethRemote' 'Gareth' will be logged out. Yes/No. Tick Yes, back to square one, tick no and the window disaapears.

There must be an easy way to use PocketVNC across Bluetooth and ActiveSync becuase it looks like I can't use TSC across it.

Anyone else any ideas?

Thanks

Gareth

ziggurat29
12-02-2004, 04:25 PM
I'm successfully doing what you describe (or my interpretation of it) as I write this. Am I understanding you? I am:

1) PocketPC running VNC
2) connected via Bluetooth to PC
3) ActiveSync session via Bluetooth
4) make VNC session to PC and can control it

(This sentence laboriously entered on connected PPC)

Anyway, it does work if I am understanding you desires correctly. One thing I noticed, though, is that when you press OK on Pocket VNC, then it

appears that the VNC client has ended. In fact, however, the password dialog is misplaced and you have to find it. Once you do, and have entered your password, things proceed as expected. E.g., I used Start->Programs, which opened the full-screen Programs listing. Then I selected the VNC icon to start VNC and entered my host as 192.168.1.22:0 and pressed OK. Then it appeared VNC had ended. I closed the full screen Programs listing and, voila, my password dialog was there. After entering the password, the desktop tray icon indicated connection and what you would expect on the PPC came up.

This should work fine for Internet accessible VNC servers as well, but I don't have one handy right now to test. Maybe I will when I get to work.

Regarding TSC (Remote Desktop), yes, this is higher performance than VNC. But also, yes, it will log off your local user, thereby breaking your ActiveSync connection. This is a deliberate implementation decision made by Microsoft. If you want multiple connections, you have to pay for Terminal Services. That's why your interactive session is logged off automatically when you do the RDP session.

ziggurat29
12-02-2004, 04:29 PM
Oh, yes. I almost forgot. If you use TSC(remote desktop) you will have the icon squishing effect Dave Beauvis mentioned. You may wish to search for a program called 'DIPS' on the Internet. It was a sample program but it's purpose was to save icon position so it can be restored. I have to do this all the time when I use TSC....

Gareth Lock
12-02-2004, 05:22 PM
That is exactly (or so I think) it is setup. However, I can't get the VNC viewer to come back so that I can enter the password. When I get all the way back to desktop/today there is nothing. If I click on the VNC icon under programs it starts from scratch again.

There must be something fundamental that I am doing wrong, can't work out what the hell it is though. The IP address I am entering is the one that is displayed when I hover over the VNC icon in the system tray, that is correct or should there be another IP address. I have been to 'Running Programs' after I have selected VNC Viewer and it does not show up in there either so VNC is not running. I have 10MB of memory spare so haven't a clue as why it isn't running.

I have even tried installing the 2003 version of the ARM viewer but that hasn't worked either!! I will not give up!!

The order I do is:

1. Start VNC Server on the desktop
2. Initiate a BT Active Sync sesssion
3. Note the IP address from the icon in the system tray. 81.178.85.82
4. Launch VNC Viewer on the PPC
5. Enter 81.178.85.82:0 into the screen on the PPC
6. Don't change any options
7. Click OK
8. Screen disappears.
9. If I then close 'programs', I get returned to the today screen with no password dialogue visible.
10. If I go to Settings, Medmeory, Running Programs the only program running is Active Sync

Are there any selections that must be done in Active Sync or BT to allow this connection to work as I have just successfully connected to VNC on the desktop using my GPRS V600 and BT - rather slow though. The password dialogue is not hidden when this connection is made.

This might also expalin why I cannot see my PC from within Resco Explorer 2003.

Thanks again and thanks for the tip on rearranging icons.

Gareth

Gareth Lock
12-02-2004, 07:39 PM
Finally got it sorted, can't get a network view through Resco but that isn't my highest priority at the moment.

Found the solutions here http://en.pdamobiz.com/en/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=74 and followed the steps.

Thanks for all your help

Gareth

ziggurat29
12-03-2004, 03:01 AM
Sure. Interesting I never had to go through the network setup described in the link you gave, but maybe we're using different devices. Who knows. The VxUtil referenced in the article is a handy thing to have on hand, btw. Klunky UI, but the price is right.

Good luck on your Resco problem.