Thanks for the good information. I am excited to get started developing automated access with VNC through routers to various PCs.
Dale Eshelman Kansas City, MO On Jul 6, 2009, at 2:00 PM, Philip Herlihy wrote: > EDIT is pretty old stuff. I just use notepad, or maybe an advanced > programmer's editor like ConText or Crimson Editor (which can > highlight keywords, both free). Sometimes I use Vi on Windows for > the "Regular Expression" support! Just create the text anyhow and > save with either .cmd (preferred) or .bat extension (see here for > differences) - then run it. > > The VB family (VB, VBA, VBS) are different. They need a "runtime" > to provide library functions. In Excel VBA, the runtime is built > into Excel (VBA scripts don't run in isolation). In full-blown VB, > you have to provide a runtime as part of the installation package. > With VBS, you can use Cscript.exe or Wscript.exe to provide the > necessary environment within the NT command-line environment. See > http://support.microsoft.com/kb/232211 > for more, or see > http://technet.microsoft.com/en-gb/scriptcenter/default.aspx > for tons of stuff. Do understand that vanilla NT scripting is > considered really old hat these days. > > After my signature I'll paste in a recent (crude) example NT > script. Copy into Notepad and save as PingMonitor.cmd and run it. > All it does is loop, pinging an IP address (set in a variable), in > this case the BBC. When it responds, it plays a sound (your path > may vary, as may your file association for *.wav files), changes the > colour of the text in the window and sets the window's title to "### > UP ###". You can leave it running in the background, minimised, and > if you glance at the taskbar icon it tells you the connection status > of the remote machine - that's if you don't notice Windows Media > Player popping up to play the TADA sound! If you need to stop it, > use Control-C in the command window. > > If you have VNC running on remote machines which get their addresses > from DHCP, then you have two options. Run a listening client at > your end, and manage your own incoming port forwarding for port > 5500. Then the client simply has to right-click their VNC server > icon and enter your IP or domain address, and it'll connect. To > speed this up, you can leave a command script on their desktop (etc) > which runs: > WinVNC4.exe -connect YOURADDRESS > I've wrapped mine up in all sorts of VBS which pops up an > information panel and checks for a running server - this now needs > work to cope with Vista. If you're trying to initiate a connection > from a Vista box running VNC as a service you need to add "-service" > in the line above. Here the user is connecting to you, of course. > > The other option is to use Dynamic DNS. I use DynDNS.com. You > register for an account, and add a (free) Dynamic DNS hostname. It > picks up your current IP address, and links that with a third-level > domain name you invent, choosing from a range of second-level > domains available. To maintain the connection when the IP address > changes, you should download, configure and run the updating client > available on the DynDNS site (under support). Works a treat - > usually propagates within 5 to 10 minutes after the new address is > detected by the update client. Then, if port forwarding is > configured (or unnecessary) at the remote end, and firewalls are > appropriately set, you can simply give the DynDNS domain name as the > remote (server) address in the VNC client. DynDNS have paid-for > services which you might need, depending on your requirements. > > If you're reaching a number of machines through one (reasonably > sophisticated) router, you can set up "rules" to accept VNC > connections on other ports (add a double-colon and the port number > after the address in the client's address box) and have the router > configured to route it to the preferred machine, translating the > port to 5900, the standard one for VNC. If your router can't do > that, then you can configure VNC to respond on a different port, and > route that port to the particular machine. > > Hope that helps. > > Philip Herlihy > : > : > : > : > > Here's that example NT script: > ============================= > > set addr=212.58.254.252 > echo off > title down > color 0C > :loop > ping -n 1 -w 10000 %addr% | grep -i "TTL" > if errorlevel 1 GOTO :loop > color 0A > title ### UP ### > C:\WINDOWS\Media\tada.wav > pause > > From: Dale Eshelman [mailto:eshelm...@gmail.com] > Sent: 05 July 2009 17:12 > To: Philip Herlihy > Subject: Re: Command-line connection to listening client from Vista > machine? [now SCRIPTS] > > Thanks > I have wondered how to do this in Windows. I have written DOS batch > files, UNIX scripts, written COBAL programs, written al lot of Excel > macros in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Have heard IT people > talk about writing SCRPTS but did not know what that meant. > I have gone to start-run and typed EDIT. Entered DOS commands and > saved the file with and extension BAT. Did not know there is a > command line in Windows and I guess that is cscript.exe. But not > sure how to open a blank window to enter script. Or do you just open > a text editor and start typing, save with an extension CMD, type the > name of the script you just saved and it runs? Not sure. > Definitely need to find out more about it so I can work on it. Gee I > can not believe I have used windows all this time and not learned > about this. > > Any guidance would be appreciated or even samples. Very interested > in the VNC thing as we have a number of users with DHCP that we need > to come up with a fixed IP by registering to track (although not > sure how this works) and set up a script to have them run so we do > not have to spend a long time walking them through finding the IP > and starting VNC. > > > Dale > > On Jul 5, 2009, at 10:31 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote: > >> Sorry it's taken so long to respond - inundated with email lately! >> >> From the way you frame your question it sounds as if scripting >> would be a >> new avenue for you. I'll give a brief summary here (for fear of >> exasperating experienced scripters). If you want more information, >> contact >> me direct. >> >> "Scripting" simply means storing a series of commands in a file and >> then >> running the file in one go. It's a close cousin to "programming" - >> loosely, >> programs are normally converted into a binary program by a >> "compiler", while >> scripts are usually "interpreted" line by line by some other running >> program. >> >> There are several "interpreters" available for Windows NT and its >> descendents. If you click Start, Run, then type CMD and click OK >> you'll get >> the familiar DOS-like command interpreter. With a few adjustments, >> anything >> you type in there can be stored in a script and run. If you put the >> following lines in a text file: >> >> DIR >> PAUSE >> >> .. and save that as mytest.cmd (not mytest.txt) you can double- >> click it and >> you'll see the black window appear with the output of the DIR >> command (which >> lists files) and a line inviting you to press any key to continue >> (at which >> point the screen disappears, which is why many of my scripts end with >> PAUSE!). If you Google for "NT Command Line" or "NT Command >> Scripting" >> you'll find loads of resources, and I rather like the book on NT >> Shell >> Scripting by Tim Hill (Macmillan 1998). I tend to use plain NT >> scripting >> for simple scripts. >> >> Other "interpreters" include "Windows Scripting Host" (usually >> already >> installed as part of Windows) which can interpret Visual Basic >> Script (VBS) >> commands, which are much more powerful than the rather creaky NT >> command-line interface. I tend to use VBS for more complex >> scripts, as the >> error-handling in NT scripting is rudimentary. VBS can also >> interact with >> Excel and other Office programs in a sophisticated way. >> >> More recently another interpreter has become available, and this >> promises >> something like the (awesome and underused) power of Unix scripting: >> PowerShell. Non-trivial, but immensely powerful. Some of >> Microsoft's >> flagship server products are expected to be administered mainly by >> Powershell scripting in their most recent versions. I got through >> two >> chapters of the book (still next to my workstation) before other >> work blew >> that away... >> >> How does this affect RealVNC users? Well, I provide the people I >> support >> with a simple script which they click to connect to my "listening >> client". >> I've set up port-forwarding at my end to allow port 5500 through to >> my >> preferred machine, and all Uncle Joe has to do to get my help is >> double-click the script's icon on their desktop. The advantage of >> this >> arrangement is that I can deal with firewall problems at my end >> without >> having to get them to fiddle with such mysteries at their end - it >> just >> works. I think it would also be possible to create a script which >> would >> check regularly for a working connection and reconnect if none >> existed, but >> that's for another day/month/year. >> >> In the past (XP and earlier) I've used a script which pops up an >> explanatory >> message box first (giving the option to cancel in case of a finger- >> fumble), >> then checks for a running server and then connects to my hard-coded >> address. >> I'll be happy to send you (or anyone else interested) a copy of >> this on >> request. The essential line is: >> >> WinVNC4.exe -connect <phils-domain-address> >> >> .. where phils-domain-address is a domain name provided by my ISP, >> although >> an IP address will do. If you have a dynamic IP address, you can use >> DynDNS.com (free) to set up a domain name which will track your >> changing IP >> address (assuming you run the update client on at least one running >> machine). >> >> My original question was about Vista. I've found that including >> the term >> "-service" in the line above allows the connection to work (in the >> configurations I've set up), but I need to modify my script to >> check whether >> a server is running as a service or in user-mode, or not at all. >> Nevertheless, if you get the person needing support to check >> manually if the >> server is running (task manager or spot the icon) then that one >> line may be >> all you need in a simple script. Lord knows when I'll get round to >> doing >> the modification to my script, but I doubt it'll turn out to be any >> more >> difficult than what worked well for XP. >> >> I must say that the documentation for Command Line use of RealVNC >> is rather >> inadequate (or is it just hard-to-find?). >> >> Hope that's useful. >> >> >> Philip Herlihy, London >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: vnc-list-boun...@realvnc.com [mailto:vnc-list-boun...@realvnc.com >> ] On >> Behalf Of Dale Eshelman >> Sent: 21 June 2009 06:11 >> To: Philip Herlihy >> Cc: vnc-list@realvnc.com >> Subject: Re: Command-line connection to listening client from Vista >> machine? >> >> I would be interested to know how to create a script in WXP Pro as I >> have never done it. >> Can you provide more information on how to create a script to use and >> how then to use the script? >> >> On Jun 20, 2009, at 8:10 AM, Philip Herlihy wrote: >> >>> On XP machines I've set up a script which invokes a connection to a >>> listening client: >>> >>>> vinvnc4.ext - connect MyClientHost.MyDomain.com >>> >>> - very useful. This doesn't work on Vista. Can anyone advise on >>> how I'd do >>> the equivalent from a command-line or command-file? The Vista box >>> has VNC >>> running as a service. >>> >>> Phil, London >>> >> > > > Dale Eshelman > eshelm...@gmail.com > > ShopToEarn (Dist ID 105985) > http://www.ShopToEarn.net/DaleEshelman > > MonaVie (Distr ID 1316953) > http://www.monavie.com/Web/US/en/product_overview.dhtml > > The closer I get to the pain of glass in Windoz, the farther I can > see and I see a Mac on the horizon. > Dale Eshelman eshelm...@gmail.com ShopToEarn (Dist ID 105985) http://www.ShopToEarn.net/DaleEshelman MonaVie (Distr ID 1316953) http://www.monavie.com/Web/US/en/product_overview.dhtml The closer I get to the pain of glass in Windoz, the farther I can see and I see a Mac on the horizon. _______________________________________________ VNC-List mailing list VNC-List@realvnc.com To remove yourself from the list visit: http://www.realvnc.com/mailman/listinfo/vnc-list
