Security
You can integrate pcANYWHERE32 8.0 with NT’s security so that you can maintain user and group permissions through User Manager. You can use either public key or symmetric key schemes to encrypt communications between host and remote. Because pcANYWHERE32 uses the Microsoft Crypto API, integration with NT is seamless.
Another important security issue is what to do with the host machine, while the remote machine is accessing it and after the remote machine disconnects. Because the remote user logs on to the host, you need to see that the host is not left vulnerable when the remote machine disconnects. The software will log users off when they disconnect or lock the workstation while it waits for another connection.
Dial-up lines are not perfect, so Symantec has built in a security feature. When an abnormal disconnect occurs, you can have the host accept another logon only by the same user or by an administrator. During my testing, I tried to get into the host by ringing in immediately after a manual disconnect and found that this security feature works.
In another laudable bit of NT integration, pcANYWHERE32 reports incidents to the NT event logs. Symantec clearly has put a lot of effort into NT compatibility.
The pcANYWHERE32 software lets you restrict access to host resources through user or group privileges. You can also allow (or prohibit) remote printing to route print jobs on the host to a printer on the remote machine. Although this feature is handy, it poses security problems; pcANYWHERE32 lets you decide whether to enable the feature.
Another connection option that pcANYWHERE32 offers is TCP/IP over the Internet. Because pcANYWHERE32 usually advertises its existence, administrators can also control this feature. I did not try a remote session over the Internet.
Other Conversations
The pcANYWHERE32 software lets you switch between voice and data conversations over a standard data/fax modem. This feature is handy for remote support operations in which only one phone line is available. The old pcANYWHERE I used had a chat feature that would let host and remote operators converse through text windows. This scheme was adequate, but many times I wished I could pick up the line and talk to the other operator. Now I can. In addition, pcANYWHERE32 comes with a copy of CU-SeeMe video-conferencing software. I don’t think the standard audience for a remote control product will find video conferencing useful, but it is a nice add-on.
Another slightly different feature of pcANYWHERE32 is single host, multiple remote. By using TCP/IP Multicast, you can hold a conference or training session over pcANYWHERE32.
Other Voices
Not only will pcANYWHERE32 run on NT and Windows 95, it also will run on Window 3.x and DOS. Version 8.0 comes with a parallel cable for directly connecting two computers. You can use infrared ports to connect two notebook computers. Despite this broad base, pcANYWHERE32 is limited to Intel platforms. The software supports Symantec's Live Update, which lets you connect to the Symantec server over the Internet and automatically download the latest updates to the software.
Symantec's pcANYWHERE32 is every bit as useful as it was 10 years ago, when it had no peer. Although it has to deliver more functionality than it did in the past, pcANYWHERE32 is up to the task.