A Remote Supporter's Dream
- Remote View
OK, I admit it, I've been in this industry
long enough to see many things and get bombarded from
numerous angles. And the one thing that never ceases
to amaze me is just how unknowledgeable some users and
system operators can be. If I had a dollar for every
time someone called me and said, "My computer is
down," when they're really talking about their
5250 terminal, or said, '"What should I do?--I
just got some strange message on my screen, " I
could retire early.
So, what's the first thing I do when I get this kind
of call? I generally ask them to read aloud what's on
their screen, or ask them to tell me what they entered
on the screen. Generally, this is stuff that can't be
gleaned remotely from a job log. How many users can
really tell you what you want to know? Probably not
many. What if you could, in a flash, see exactly what's
on the user's screen? Enter Remote View from Precosis
(www.precosis.com.au), an Australian company.
INSTALLATION
The load was simple--download the Web file
from Precosis's Web site (it's an automatic demonstration
version that blocks out parts of the screen), unzip,
FTP, and install. Here's a pointer: For those still
learning how to do file transfers from/to the Web from
a Web-PC-AS/400 environment, take a look at the Word
document that's in the zip file you just downloaded.
This has some examples on how to get the SAVF from a
PC world to the AS/400. Frankly, I'm keeping the install
document around for reference, because there are times
when the morning coffee just isn't strong enough to
jolt my old memory cells.
The install went without a hitch. Be aware that I'm
running my test box at security level 30, but I'm told
there are no problems running all the way up to security
level 50. If you're taking yours to a higher level,
you should test first to make sure that you get all
you're looking for at your security level.
EASE OF USE
To tell the truth, I haven't seen a product
in a while that's easier to use. Keep in mind, Remote
View is not a very complex product, but this is falling-off-a-log
simple. I recommend going through the Web-based demo
before conquering your system.
If the user is somewhere on the other side of
Inner Mongolia, this is the next best thing to being
there.
For those who want to watch what's going on in real
time, the information is available as quickly as you
can hit the enter key.
DOCUMENTATION
The documentation is all in the Word document
that's downloaded with the *SAVF from the Web. Also,
you can go through a nice, short demo on the Web before
you download. The Web demo is done well enough that
you won't need to call Down Under to get a walk-through.
CERTIFIABILITY
Easily a no-brainer. The product worked as advertised
the first time.
FUNCTIONALITY/USEFULNESS
Remote View can be a major league time-saver.
Also, if the user is somewhere on the other side of
Inner Mongolia, and you don't have the time or budget
to jump on the Concorde and travel thousands of miles
to see what they've got on their screen, this is the
next best thing to being there. Actually, you are there.
It's also a really nice training tool as well as a debugging
tool.
If you're one of those people who think they should
have the need and right to randomly monitor what's going
on in someone's e-mail or on their screen, this product
does that, as well. I was able to randomly watch screens,
without the knowledge of the target. Talk about the
ultimate snoop! Personally, I'd rather watch my 2-year-old
daughter, but some organizations have a need for that
capability.
SUPPORT
This group is a startup from Australia. Support
is generally by e-mail or voice mail due to the time
difference from the United States. But I didn't need
support. I received my access code quickly by e-mail.
Because we're not really talking mission-critical software,
I wasn't too set back. However, I've set the precedent
in this column, so I feel I have to say Precosis should
offer some kind of regional support.
WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE IN THE
NEXT RELEASE
Start service job and debug options--Once
you're in a job, being able to initiate the debug functionality
would be nice, because many times that's the reason
you've been called in the first place.
Automatic refresh--Automatically refresh the image
each time the other screen changes. This would allow
one to monitor the target job in as close to real time
as possible.
Allow the monitored terminal to drive the refreshing
cycle--This would allow you to remotely watch what's
going on as the user hits the buttons, rather than waiting
for your view to be refreshed.
SUMMARY
I'd like to know how they do this. Remote
View is a remote supporter's dream. You have no idea
how many times I would have liked to have seen what
was really on a user's terminal rather than deciphering
what they were trying to describe. Now I can. Do you
have any idea what this does to lower my blood pressure?
By the way, I don't usually mention prices, but this
one's affordable.
Once you get past the voyeuristic tendencies and back
to real computing, this is a nice tool to have in your
toolbox. When you get a break, download the file and
give it the smoke test. And let me know what you think.
The Report Card
Category
|
Points
|
Weighting
|
Overall
Score
|
Certifiability
|
4.0
|
.100
|
.400
|
Installation
|
3.9
|
.150
|
.585
|
Ease of use
|
3.9
|
.150
|
.585
|
Documentation
|
3.8
|
.150
|
.570
|
Functionality
|
3.9
|
.150
|
.585
|
Usefulness
|
3.8
|
.150
|
.570
|
Support
|
3.7
|
.150
|
.555
|
Total
|
27/28.0
|
100
|
3.85
|
Points given are on a scale of 0 to 4, with 4 being
the highest.
Each category is assigned its own weighting from the
total of 100 percent.
--DON RIMA has 16 years of
experience with IBM midrange systems, in positions
ranging from programmer to MIS. For the past eight years,
he has owned a consulting group. Don has held several
offices in the Washington Area Midrange user's group.
He can be reached at dr2 AT cssas400 DOT com.
|