01-12-2018 08:42

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VNC Viewer is a program for remote access to the desktop of your home or work computer. We will look at how to install it, how to use it and where you can download it.

Based on the name of the VNC Viewer application, many users can immediately guess what class of software it belongs to, for example, by drawing an analogy with the well-known TeamViewer package. However, ordinary users may encounter such a utility for the first time, so it is worthwhile to dwell separately on some issues related to how and what modification of the program is best to install, how to configure the application for optimal operating mode, how to use VNC Viewer, “squeezing” the maximum out of the application opportunities.

A long-standing analogue of this program is Radmin, which is known to almost everyone who has worked in system administration before.

What does VNC even mean?

Virtual Network Computing (VNC) is a system for remote access to a computer desktop using the RFB protocol (English: Remote FrameBuffer, remote frame buffer). Control is carried out by transmitting keyboard keystrokes and mouse movements from one computer to another and relaying screen contents through a computer network.

The VNC system is platform independent: a VNC client, called VNC viewer, running on one operating system, can connect to a VNC server running on any other OS. There are client and server implementations for almost all operating systems, including Java (including the J2ME mobile platform). Multiple clients can connect to one VNC server at the same time. The most popular ways to use VNC are remote technical support and access to a work computer from home.

Story

VNC was created at Olivetti & Oracle Research Lab, which at the time was owned by Olivetti and Oracle Corporation. In 1999, the laboratory was acquired by AT&T, which closed the development department in 2002. The original source code is available under the GPL license, as are many of the VNC variants that currently exist.

The name originated from the Videotile thin client computer network, which was an LCD display with pen input and a fast ATM network connection. Essentially, VNC is a software implementation of the "ATM Network Computer".

VNC consists of two parts: client and server. Server is a program that provides access to the computer screen on which it is running. Client (or viewer) is a program that receives a screen image from the server and interacts with it via the RFB protocol.

RFB protocol

RFB (English remote framebuffer) is a simple client-server application-level network protocol for remote access to a computer’s graphical desktop, used in VNC. Since it works at the framebuffer level, it can be used for graphical window systems, for example X Window System, Windows, Quartz Compositor.

At the beginning of its development, RFB was a relatively simple protocol based on graphics primitives: “place a rectangle of pixel data at a position specified by coordinates.” The server sends small rectangles to the client. This scheme in its primitive form consumes significant traffic. Various methods are used to reduce channel load. There are various encodings - methods for determining the most efficient way to convey these rectangles. The RFB protocol allows the client and server to "agree" on what encoding will be used. The simplest encoding method, supported by all clients and servers, is “raw encoding” (Russian raw encoding), in which pixels are transmitted in order from left to right, top to bottom, and after transmitting the original state of the screen, only changed pixels are transmitted. This method works very well for small changes to the screen image (mouse movement on the desktop, typing under the cursor), but the channel load becomes very high when a large number of pixels change simultaneously, for example, when watching a video in full screen mode. During its development, the protocol has acquired various additional functions and options, such as file transfer, compression, and security.

By default, RFB uses the TCP port range 5900 to 5906. Each port represents a corresponding X server screen (ports 5900 to 5906 are associated with screens:0 to:6). Java clients, available in many implementations that use a built-in web server for this purpose, such as RealVNC, communicate with screens in the same way, but on the port range from 5800 to 5806. Many Windows computers may use only one port due to the lack of multi-user properties inherent in UNIX systems. For Windows systems, the default screen is :0, which corresponds to port 5900.

It is also possible to connect back from the server to the client. In this case, the client is switched to listening mode and the connection is initiated by the server on the client’s TCP port 5500.

Ports can be changed.

Initially, VNC does not use traffic encryption, but in the authentication procedure the password is not transmitted in clear text, but uses a challenge-response algorithm with DES encryption (the effective key length is 56 bits). In many implementations, there is a limit of 8 characters on the length of the password, and if its length exceeds 8 characters, the password is truncated and the extra characters are ignored.

If you need to securely encrypt the entire VNC session, it can be established via SSL, SSH or VPN tunnel, as well as over IPsec. IPsec technology is supported by the vast majority of modern operating systems and is used both when connecting via the Internet and in local networks. SSH clients allow you to create SSH tunnels for all major platforms (Linux, BSD, Windows, Macintosh, etc.), as well as for less popular ones.

Also, many modern versions of VNC support extensions to the standard protocol that implement encryption and/or compression of VNC traffic, ACL access lists, and various authentication methods.

General information about VNC Viewer

To begin with, let's briefly look at what this software product is and consider what it is intended for. Based on the above analogy, we can say that the VNC client is a universal application that allows you to organize access to a remote computer in a matter of minutes.


That is, this program can be classified as a class of RDP applications designed to connect to a remote desktop. However, the matter is not limited to access to remote computers, since the program itself has many additional features:

  • Full control of settings without restrictions in full screen or windowed mode.
  • File transfer.
  • Ability to send messages via built-in chat.
  • Blocking peripherals if necessary (mice, keyboards, etc.).
  • Ability to access connected PCs via browser.
  • Organization of connection with several terminals at the same time.

It’s worth noting right away that Virtual Network Computing (VNC) technology has another undeniable advantage when compared with analogues. The fact is that it has the ability to install server and client parts (depending on what type of connection will be used in the future), plus fine-tuning the software for each installation option in order to ensure maximum performance.

Features of choosing an installation distribution

Before proceeding with the installation, you need to decide on the choice of modification of the VNC client that you intend to install. Firstly, the program itself is cross-platform and can be installed on almost all known desktop and mobile operating systems. Secondly, for the same Windows OS you can find versions of the program RealVNC, TightVNC, UltraVNC and a lightweight modification of UltraVNC SC (all versions are compatible with each other, but some functions may not be available), for Mac OS X - Chicken and JollysFastVNC. Thirdly, you should decide on the type of client to be installed (the server part is used to organize connections from the central machine to child terminals, and the client part is used to connect from child machines to the central server).


Fourth, directly on the developer’s official resource, you can select your preferred VNC Viewer installer file format for Windows (EXE, MSI) or download the distribution package as a packed ZIP archive. The last point is at the request of the user.

Download VNC Viewer

You must download this program for any platform only from the official website using this link: .

Do not download this program from other sources, because... there it may be infected with a virus, especially problematic if it is a ransomware virus that will encrypt all the data on your computer and which is very difficult, and often even impossible, to recover.

Installing VNC Viewer

Now let's proceed directly to the installation of the selected software product. Note that for almost all modifications the installation process looks the same.


To start the installation in Windows versions 7 and higher, the VNC client installer file is launched exclusively with administrator privileges (in the RMB menu, select Run as administrator). There is nothing unusual in the installation process itself.


The user needs to select the preferred language, accept the terms of the license agreement, specify the installation path (it does not need to be changed), add an icon to the “Desktop” at one stage, and then simply click the start installation button.

First launch of the application

Let's assume that the program is installed and the user is launching it for the first time. Initially, VNC Viewer settings are not very complicated. At the first start, a window will be shown in which you can select the desired action. But we will proceed from the fact that we need to make the connection ourselves.

How to use VNC Viewer?


First, through the file menu, select the New Connection item, and then in a new window enter the IP address of the remote terminal or the full name of the computer (the address can be found on the connected machine using the properties of the Internet connection or the command line by entering the ipconfig command, and The computer name can be viewed in system properties). After this, a password request window will appear in which you need to enter the required combination. If the combination matches the password set on the remote computer, the remote “Desktop” will appear.

We figured out how to use VNC Viewer to create a connection. Now a few words about the preferred settings.


If you look carefully at the connection creation window, you will find a tab for experts. If in these settings you select, for example, your preferred compression algorithms for transmitted and received data, you can significantly reduce the load on the central processor and optimize the use of Virtual Network Computing technology even for networks with a bandwidth of 256 kbit/s. For graphics, it is recommended to set a high compression level (Compression Level) with minimal quality (JPEG Quality), and, as an additional optimization, activate a reduction in the number of colors (Restricted Colors or bgr233).

Also, it's worth noting that a single terminal can use a connection to multiple machines based on the 5900 base port via the display option. By default, the main display is set to "0", and for all others it is incremented ("1", "2", etc.). Accordingly, the port will change (5901, 5902, etc.), which will need to be specified after the address separated by a colon (for example, 192.168.0.5:5901). In the case of dynamic (rather than static) addresses, you can additionally use dynamic DNS, for example, based on DynDNS. You can set this setting on your router or register on the service portal on the Internet. In this case, the service will transmit to the installed client all information related to changes in the IP of the connected computer.

Video: how to use VNC Viewer

Possible malfunctions in the program

Basically, failures can only be due to the fact that at the moment there is simply no Internet connection on the computer or the corresponding port used by the program by default is occupied. Sometimes you may notice blocking by antiviruses and firewalls. But these problems can be solved quite simply.

Some common troubleshooting methods

Among the main methods for eliminating possible failures when trying to establish a connection, we recommend the following:

  • Add the installed program to the list of applications that are allowed to use the Internet connection in Windows Firewall.
  • Create new rules for port 5900 for outgoing and incoming connections.
  • If the previous solution does not help, forward port 5900 on your router.
  • Add the program to the antivirus exclusion list.
  • Check that the static address and password for accessing the remote terminal are specified correctly.

Results

That's briefly all that concerns the question of how to use VNC Viewer. As you can see, there is nothing particularly complicated here. In conclusion, it is worth noting that in some cases it is advisable not to use passwords set directly in operating systems, but to log in to the registration record in the client itself in advance, having previously created it on a special resource. In this case, you will not depend on Windows accounts.

There are situations when the functionality of the RDP client for Windows may not be enough. For example, when you need to connect to a user session without interrupting it. It may not always be rational to buy commercial versions of such programs. In this case, UltraVNC, a free open-source program for remote desktop access, will help.

Installing UltraVNC server

The first step is to install UltraVNC server on the computer to which you want to connect remotely. Launch the distribution and leave the UltraVNC server ticked.


If you need the server to start when Windows starts, then in the next step you can install it as a system service.

When connecting to UltraVNC server via the Internet, it is recommended to use an encryption module. The fact is that by default the VNC protocol does not encrypt data and it is transmitted in clear text. Consequently, data can be intercepted by attackers. The link to the encryption plugin can be found on the program page. The plugin should be copied to the folder with the installed program, by default: C:\Program Files\uvnc bvba\UltraVNC.
After installing the server, find the UltraVNC server icon in the tray next to the clock, right-click and select “Admin Properties”.

Here you need to set a password for the connection “VNC Password” and a password for the viewing mode. The passwords must be different, otherwise only view mode will be available. To use a secure connection, check the “DSM plugin use” box and select SecureVNCPlugin.

To configure the plugin parameters, click the Config button. Here you can select appropriate connection encryption technologies. It is not necessary to generate keys; they are created automatically when a connection is established.

Setting up UltraVNC client

To install the client during installation, check the UltraVNC Viewer checkbox. If the server uses an encryption plugin, the client must also have it installed. Copy SecureVNCPlugin to the client folder: C:\ProgramFiles\uvncbvba\UltraVNC. After that, launch the client and check the “Use DSMPlugin” box. Next, enter the server’s IP address or its name on the local network. To save the settings as permanent, check “Save connections settings as default” at the bottom.

To connect to a remote desktop via the Internet, you need to open the port and configure NAT address translation. By default, TCP port 5900 is used. However, it can be changed in the server settings.

VNC Viewer is a program for remote access to the desktop of your home or work computer. We will look at how to install it, how to use it and where you can download it.

General information about VNC Viewer

You will be interested:

To begin with, let's briefly look at what this software product is and consider what it is intended for. Based on the above analogy, we can say that the VNC client is a universal application that allows you to organize access to a remote computer in a matter of minutes.

That is, this program can be classified as a class of RDP applications designed to connect to a remote desktop. However, the matter is not limited to access to remote computers, since the program itself has many additional features:

  • Full control of settings without restrictions in full screen or windowed mode.
  • File transfer.
  • Ability to send messages via built-in chat.
  • Blocking peripherals if necessary (mice, keyboards, etc.).
  • Ability to access connected PCs via browser.
  • Organization of connection with several terminals at the same time.

It’s worth noting right away that Virtual Network Computing (VNC) technology has another undeniable advantage when compared with analogues. The fact is that it has the ability to install server and client parts (depending on what type of connection will be used in the future), plus fine-tuning the software for each installation option in order to ensure maximum performance.

Features of choosing an installation distribution

Before proceeding with the installation, you need to decide on the choice of modification of the VNC client that you intend to install. Firstly, the program itself is cross-platform and can be installed on almost all known desktop and mobile operating systems. Secondly, for the same Windows OS you can find versions of the program RealVNC, TightVNC, UltraVNC and a lightweight modification of UltraVNC SC (all versions are compatible with each other, but some functions may not be available), for Mac OS X - Chicken and JollysFastVNC. Thirdly, you should decide on the type of client to be installed (the server part is used to organize connections from the central machine to child terminals, and the client part is used to connect from child machines to the central server).

Fourth, directly on the developer’s official resource, you can select your preferred VNC Viewer installer file format for Windows (EXE, MSI) or download the distribution package as a packed ZIP archive. The last point is at the request of the user.

Installing VNC Viewer

Now let's proceed directly to the installation of the selected software product. Note that for almost all modifications the installation process looks the same.

To start the installation in Windows versions 7 and higher, the VNC client installer file is launched exclusively with administrator privileges (in the RMB menu, select Run as administrator). There is nothing unusual in the installation process itself.

The user needs to select the preferred language, accept the terms of the license agreement, specify the installation path (it does not need to be changed), add an icon to the “Desktop” at one stage, and then simply click the start installation button.

First launch of the application

Let's assume that the program is installed and the user is launching it for the first time. Initially, VNC Viewer settings are not very complicated. At the first start, a window will be shown in which you can select the desired action. But we will proceed from the fact that we need to make the connection ourselves.

How to use VNC Viewer?

First, through the file menu, select the New Connection item, and then in a new window enter the IP address of the remote terminal or the full name of the computer (the address can be found on the connected machine using the properties of the Internet connection or the command line by entering the ipconfig command, and The computer name can be viewed in system properties). After this, a password request window will appear in which you need to enter the required combination. If the combination matches the password set on the remote computer, the remote “Desktop” will appear.

We figured out how to use VNC Viewer to create a connection. Now a few words about the preferred settings.

If you look carefully at the connection creation window, you will find a tab for experts. If in these settings you select, for example, your preferred compression algorithms for transmitted and received data, you can significantly reduce the load on the central processor and optimize the use of Virtual Network Computing technology even for networks with a bandwidth of 256 kbit/s. For graphics, it is recommended to set a high compression level (Compression Level) with minimal quality (JPEG Quality), and, as an additional optimization, activate a reduction in the number of colors (Restricted Colors or bgr233).

Also, it's worth noting that a single terminal can use a connection to multiple machines based on the 5900 base port via the display option. By default, the main display is set to "0", and for all others it is incremented ("1", "2", etc.). Accordingly, the port will change (5901, 5902, etc.), which will need to be specified after the address separated by a colon (for example, 192.168.0.5:5901). In the case of dynamic (rather than static) addresses, you can additionally use dynamic DNS, for example, based on DynDNS. You can set this setting on your router or register on the service portal on the Internet. In this case, the service will transmit to the installed client all information related to changes in the IP of the connected computer.

Possible malfunctions in the program

Basically, failures can only be due to the fact that at the moment there is simply no Internet connection on the computer or the corresponding port used by the program by default is occupied. Sometimes you may notice blocking by antiviruses and firewalls. But these problems can be solved quite simply.

Some common troubleshooting methods

Among the main methods for eliminating possible failures when trying to establish a connection, we recommend the following:

  • Add the installed program to the list of applications that are allowed to use the Internet connection in Windows Firewall.
  • Create new rules for port 5900 for outgoing and incoming connections.
  • If the previous solution does not help, forward port 5900 on your router.
  • Add the program to the antivirus exclusion list.
  • Check that the static address and password for accessing the remote terminal are specified correctly.

Results

That's briefly all that concerns the question of how to use VNC Viewer. As you can see, there is nothing particularly complicated here. In conclusion, it is worth noting that in some cases it is advisable not to use passwords set directly in operating systems, but to log in to the registration record in the client itself in advance, having previously created it on a special resource. In this case, you will not depend on Windows accounts.

Installing and configuring UltraVNC.

UltraVNC is designed for remote connection to computers, servers on a local network or the Internet. You need a direct static IP address, or a DNS name of a computer with a direct connection to the network, without a proxy and with a properly configured firewall. In case of using routers, etc. devices with NAT enabled need to forward the port to be able to connect to the UltraVNC server from the outside. (Standard/default port: 5900). In the case of complex configurations with proxies or indirect addresses, it is possible to use a repeater, but it is not considered here.


This brief article describes the basic steps for installing and configuring the UltraVNC server, add-ons (drivers, encryption libraries) and Viewer.

So part 1 - installation:
First, we install the server-viewer kit. We launch the installation file in accordance with the bitness of the operating system (32-64):

We agree to the license agreement:

We select the components we need, in this case we are installing them for the first time, so we select the server and viewer. If there was a need to update an older version, then it would be necessary to check the box below. The top item is most likely responsible for the “silent” installation of the server, i.e. Most likely, no further questions about configuration will be asked.

In this dialog box, check all the boxes, because It is necessary for the server service to register as a system service and start; shortcuts to the server and client are also created on the desktop and file associations are made.

This completes the installation of UltraVNC.

But as you know, everything is not so simple, so you need to install another set of extensions (Addons). If this is not done, there may be problems with displaying the transmitted image from the server, as well as if you need to carry out encrypted communication with the server (if you are paranoid).
Run the UltraVNC Addons file with the appropriate bitness:

We agree to the license agreement and continue:

We select the set of components we need, usually these are the first 3 checkboxes, but if you have Windows 8, then most likely instead of 1 checkbox we put the last 2.

This completes the installation of additional components. Now you need to configure the server part, and then create connection files to the servers on the client computer to simplify the access process.


Part 2 - setting up the VNC server and driver.
We find the UltraVNC server icon in the lower right part of the screen in the taskbar, usually it is a blue eye, right-click on it, a menu will open in which you need to select the Properties item.

After which we see a window with server settings related to display. Here you need to check the boxes, as in this image. Because We have installed additional components, we need to use them, to do this we check the boxes System HookDll and Mirror Driver, this is the so-called mirror driver, which is responsible for the process of capturing an image from the server screen. It is also better to uncheck the Low Accuracy item because The picture will be transmitted jagged if the server is heavily loaded. True, it may be necessary if the server load is very critical, but in the general case it is better to disable it. You can also configure the maximum allocated processor resources for the UltraVNC server as a percentage. Next, you need to check whether the driver was installed correctly and whether it is used in the system; click the Check the Mirror Driver button.

The following window will appear. Which should show the same thing. Driver found. The version is ok. The driver is not active (because more than one client is not connected). This completes the program settings, let's move on to setting up access.

To set administrator parameters, again find the UltraVNC server icon in the taskbar, right-click and select Admin Properties in the menu that opens.

The administrator settings window opens. Here, in a typical situation, the following configuration will work as in the image; you need to check the boxes accordingly. And also enter the password twice, enter it carefully and first check the keyboard layout. Also note that the second password is for clients who are only allowed to view! If your passwords are the same in both fields, then you will always connect with the ability to perform any action. If you need to connect to the server without using the UltraVNC client, then you can check the JavaViewer box, then you can connect to the server via a browser using the selected port. In this option, the ability to connect several clients to the server at the same time is selected; if you need only 1 person to work at a time, select the item in the Multi viewer connections -> Disconnect all existing connections block. Here you can select a plugin, for example, to encrypt all connections, but on the client side you will have to use the same plugin. You can also specify what to do if the last client disconnects from the server, and also prohibit input from the client and input from the server.

At this point, all settings are completed, the server is operating in normal mode, you can try to connect using a client on the same server to check the connection, or on any other. When using the client, there are some nuances in setting up the image and input, the next paragraph is about this.

Part 3 - setting up the UltraVNC client.
We launch the client using a shortcut on the desktop. Green is the client, blue is the server, it can be deleted immediately, because the server always hangs in the control panel and all settings are made from there. After launching the client, we see the following window. Here you need to enter the IP address of the UltraVNC server, in this case we can even connect to ourselves. Usually in auto mode on a local network, everything works well, but there may be nuances, either the network channel is busy, or the connection is via the Internet, or the server is installed on old equipment, this is where additional settings come in handy; you can select them by experimenting with different variations. It also lists the encryption plugin if your server uses it. It is possible to use a proxy/repeater UltraVNC. You can save the current settings as "default". We are interested in the settings, click Options...

The connection settings window opens. Usually in the Format and Encoding block, the auto mode gives acceptable results; if not, select it. Below in the Misc block you can prohibit the transfer of data from the clipboard and prohibit the display of a sponsor banner. Setting up the cursor may be an important point, because... It has been noticed that on some systems (for example, when using a Windows 2000 virtual machine on an UltraVNC server) it produces a black square around the mouse cursor, which is inconvenient when working. In such cases, I usually set the radio point to item 2 - Let remote server deal with mouse cursor. Also, for ease of use, immediately check the Full-screen mode checkbox and you can remove the button bar and uncheck the Show Buttons Bar checkbox, but for beginners it will be difficult not knowing the options, so we leave it by default. Now the settings are complete, click OK.

Attention! A new version of UVNC has been released - 1.0.9.2. Declared support for Windows 7, Vista and Aero!

Consider the following situation. Remote office, there is a local network for several computers, a NAT router. One of the computers must be accessed remotely to provide remote assistance. The computer runs Windows 7.

Launch the UltraVNC installer. The first few screens are the usual blah blah, getting acquainted with the license, etc. The important points start with the installation type selection screen:

Several options are available:

  • Full installation – complete installation. The server + client is installed.
  • UltraVNC Server Only – only the server is installed.
  • UltraVNC Server Only “silent” – only the server is installed in “no questions asked” mode.
  • UltraVNC Viewer Only – only the client is installed.

Our choice is UltraVNC Server Only.

Next, we are invited to download add-ons for Windows Vista (they are also relevant for Seven). The most important of them: cad.exe - without it, the client will not be able to send the CTRL+ALT+DEL command to the remote computer. Check the “Download Vista addons files now” option.


In the next window we will be prompted to download the capture driver. Personally, I prefer to install the driver manually, so we DO NOT check the Download mirror driver option:


Next screen:


Check the options:

  • Register UltraVNC Server as a system service – register the UltraVNC server as a system service.
  • Start or restart UltraVNC service – start/restart the UltraVNC service.
  • Create UltraVNC desktop icons – create shortcuts on the desktop.
  • Associate UltraVNC Viewer with .vnc file extension – open files with the .vnc extension using UltraVNC Viewer.

Click Next after downloading the add-ons to complete the installation. Reboot if necessary.


The driver.zip archive contains several folders corresponding to different OS versions. To install under 32-bit Windows 7, open the Vista folder (this driver also works fine under Seven). Next, run the install.bat file. When asked by the system: “Do you want to install software for this device?” We answer Install.

Now you can proceed to setting up the basic parameters of the UltraVNC server.

Setting up UltraVNC.

In the tray, right-click on the UltraVNC icon and select Admin Properties:


Read more about settings. Section Incoming Connections – incoming connections.

  • Accept Socket Connections – accept incoming connections. For normal operation, this item must be checked.
  • Display – display number.
  • Ports – ports. Main – port for connecting a uvnc client. Http – port for connecting a java client. It's best to leave it at Auto.
  • Enable Java Viewer (Http Connect) – allow java client connections.
  • Allow Loopback Connections – allow reverse connections (connections to addresses in the 127.х.х.х range). It should be noted if a repeater is installed on this computer.
  • Loopback Only – allow only reverse connections.

Section When Last Client Disconnects – when the last client is disconnected.

  • Do Nothing - do nothing. We leave this option.
  • Lock Workstation (W2K) – lock the session (you will need to enter a password to log in).
  • Logoff Workstation – end the session.

Query On Incoming Connection section – display a query when a new incoming connection is received.

  • Display Query Window – show the query window.
  • Timeout – time before performing the default action.
  • Default action – default action. Refuse – reject, Accept – accept.

Keyboard & Mouse section – keyboard and mouse.

  • Disable Viewers Inputs – disable input from the client.
  • Disable Local Inputs – disable input from the server.
  • Japanese – ??? Perhaps this means support for the Japanese keyboard... Sometimes it helps with glitches with the Russian keyboard.

Multi Viewer Connections section – simultaneous connection of several clients.

  • Disconnect all existing connections – disconnect all current connections. Only one client can be connected at a time. The last one to connect wins.
  • Keep existing connections – maintain current connections. Several clients can be connected at the same time.
  • Refuse the new connection – ???. The meaning is unclear. When this option is selected, multiple clients can connect...
  • Refuse all new connections – prohibit all new connections. Only one client can be connected at a time. The first one to connect wins. We choose this option.

Authentication section – authentication.

  • VNC Password – login password. After installation, you must come up with a new password, otherwise you will not be able to connect.
  • View-Only Password – password to enter in view mode. With this password, the client will connect in browsing mode (client and server settings are ignored).
  • Require MS Logon – use Windows authentication (computer and user must be in the same domain).
  • New MS Logon – activates MS-Logon II (cross-domain authentication).

Section Misc. - miscellaneous.

  • Remove Aero (Vista) – disable Aero (3D, transparency and other gadgets of the Vista interface). Recommended.
  • Remove Wallpaper for Viewers – remove desktop wallpaper. Recommended.
  • Enable Blank Monitor on Viewer Request – at the client’s request, turns off the server monitor (the picture is displayed on the full screen). Strange, but the option also covers the client screen with a picture. This bug can be circumvented if you disable the use of the capture driver (Properties -> Video Hook Driver).
  • Disable Only Inputs on Blanking Request – prohibits only input from the server console, but the screen does not close.
  • Enable Alpha-Blending Monitor Blanking is another option for disabling the server monitor. Use if there are problems with the first option.
  • Capture Alpha-Blending – enabling this option allows IN SOME CASES the client to “see” the video running on the server in a video player, for example in Windows Media Player (depending on the codecs installed on the server computer).
  • Disable Tray icon – remove the icon from the tray. If the user is curious, it is better to remove it.
  • Forbid the user to close down WinVNC – prohibit the user from closing the uvnc server. Recommended.
  • Default Server Screen Scale – default screen scale.

File Transfer section – file transfer.

  • Enable – allow file transfer.
  • User Impersonation (for Service only) – ???

DSM (Data Stream Modification) Plugin section – connecting plugins (several plugins are currently available for encrypting data streams).

Logging section – creating a log file.

  • Log Debug infos to the WinVNC.log file – recording data about the functioning of uvnc to a log file.
  • Path – path to save the log file.

After setting the parameters, click Apply and then OK. Each time Windows will ask you to confirm the changes.

The next step is screen capture settings. Right-click on the UltraVNC icon and select Properties.

  • Poll Full Screen (Ultra Fast) – ??? I didn’t notice much difference when turning it on/off.
  • Poll Foreground Window – ??? When using this and the next three options, some parts of the screen may freeze and stop updating. This information is just my guess...
  • Poll Console Windows Only -???
  • Poll Window Under Cursor – ???
  • Poll On Event Only – ???
  • System HookDll – this option makes sense on Windows 9x.
  • Video Hook Driver – use the video hook driver. Provides best performance on Windows XP/Vista/7. This option provides the best performance.
  • Low Accuracy (Turbo Speed) – gives an increase in speed at the expense of a decrease in accuracy (personally, I did not notice any changes, perhaps this option is for slow connections).
  • Share only the Server Window Named: – show not the entire screen, but only the window with the specified name. No matter how hard I tried, it never worked...

The Check the Video Hook Driver button is used to check the functionality of the capture driver. It should only be used if at least one client is connected to the server. Otherwise, a message will always be displayed that the driver is not active. This is what the message looks like that the driver is installed and functioning:

This completes the basic setup of the UltraVNC server.

In order for the server to be accessible via the Internet, the router must be configured to forward tcp port 5900. This port must also be open in the server’s firewall. If you are using only the built-in Windows firewall, then no additional steps need to be taken; the necessary permissions have already been created during installation.

Connecting to the server

Launch UltraVNC Viewer (client):

Basic parameters of UltraVNC Viewer:

  • VNC Server – server address.
  • AUTO, ULTRA, LAN, MEDIUM, MODEM, SLOW, MANUAL – depending on the speed of your channel, the program optimizes quality settings.
  • View Only – connect in viewing mode. Interaction with the console is prohibited.
  • Auto Scaling – automatic scale adjustment. Check to prevent scroll bars from appearing.
  • Confirm Exit – confirm exit. When closing the client window, a dialog box will be displayed.
  • Use DSMPlugin – use the plugin.
  • Proxy/Repeater – use a repeater. Here you must specify the repeater address.
  • Save connection settings as default – save the current settings as default settings.

Additional uvnc client parameters (Options button):


I won’t describe all the options, I’ll only mention the most important ones:

  • Track remote cursor locally – show the cursor/mouse pointer.
  • Don’t show remote cursor – do not show the cursor/mouse pointer.
  • Show button’s bar (“Toolbar”) – show or not the toolbar.
  • Full-screen mode – full screen mode.
  • Viewer Scale – scaling settings.
  • Disable clipboard transfer – disable clipboard synchronization.
  • Number of times the reconnect is attempted – number of reconnection attempts.

Repeater installation and configuration.

Download repeater.zip. There is only one file in the archive – repeater.exe. I recommend immediately moving it to the C:\Program Files\UltraVNC\Repeater folder.

Launch repeater.exe. An icon will appear in the tray. Right-click on it and select Settings from the menu:


You should check the values ​​of the following options:

  • Listen port Viewer – value 5901.
  • Enable Proxy(443) – disable.
  • Enable Mode I – enabled.
  • Enable Mode II – disable.

We leave the remaining options unchanged. Save – save the settings and close the window.

The next step is to open tcp port 5901 in the firewall. In the router settings, you need to create a rule to forward tcp port 5901 to the computer where the repeater is installed.

To connect via a repeater, you must do the following in the client settings:

  • In the VNC Server field, specify not external, but internal address servers on the local network.
  • Check the Proxy/Repeater option and specify the external address of the router with the port on which the repeater is configured (for example 83.45.67.8 :5901 ).

Finishing touch. In order for the repeater to be constantly available, it must be run as a system service. To do this, open the command line as an administrator and run repeater.exe with the -install parameter. The repeater_service service will be created (it is not started by default, so start it manually or just reboot).
To remove a service, run repeater.exe with the -uninstall parameter.

UltraVNC SC (Single Click) – remote assistance without first installing the UltraVNC server.

How it works. On your computer, you launch UltraVNC Viewer in listen mode. Send (via email or something else) an archive with a pre-configured UltraVNC SC server to a remote computer. The user unpacks the archive, launches the program and makes a connection. As a result, you gain access to the console of the remote computer. Because the connection is initiated by the remote computer, there is no need to configure a firewall and router on the remote network.

Now let's talk more about the setup. First you need to configure UltraVNC SC.

We will need the following files: winvnc_SCII_100.exe and custom.zip. Next, create a folder with an arbitrary name (for example, UltraVNC SC). It contains a subfolder data. Move winvnc_SCII_100.exe to this subfolder and unpack the contents of custom.zip there.

Now you need to edit the helpdesk.txt file. This file is responsible for the connection manager interface:


Each section of helpdesk.txt is responsible for a text field (see screenshot below):


Here is an example of my helpdesk.txt:

Remote help website maxbond.no-ip.org -connect test.no-ip.org:5500 -noregistry // instead of test.no-ip.org you must specify your IP address or domain, port 5500 is better not to change Select connection Use a double click to start connecting to the site https://www.... The connection is established!

If you create your own helpdesk.txt based on mine, do not forget to remove comments starting with “\\”.

We do not delete the rc4.key file, it is needed for encryption.

Let's return to the UltraVNC SC folder. So that the user does not get confused, we will create a shortcut to launch winwvnc_SCII_100.exe directly from it. To do this, right-click on winwvnc_SCII_100.exe and select “Create shortcut”. We transfer the created shortcut to a higher level, in UltraVNC SC. Now open the shortcut properties. Clear the “Working folder” field; it should be empty. Enter the following command in the field:

%windir%\system32\cmd.exe /C start /B /D .\data .\data\winvnc_SCII_100.exe

All this magic is necessary to ensure that the shortcut uses a relative path to launch winvnc_SCII_100.exe, and not an absolute path as is the default.

In the end, we pack the UltraVNC SC folder into an archive and send it to the user.

All that remains is to prepare your computer to receive the connection. UltraVNC Viewer must be launched in listen mode. To do this, use the shortcut Programs -> UltraVNC -> UltraVNC Viewer -> Run UltraVNC Viewer (listen mode) or run vncviewer.exe with the -listen parameter. Also, don’t forget to open the tcp 5500 port in the firewall and configure forwarding of the same port on the router (if, of course, there is one on your network).

Please note that connection parameters (quality, etc.) are still configured in UltraVNC Viewer (right click on the uvnc icon in the tray -> Default connection options...).

  • How to save connection settings to a file?
    Connect to the server (you can save settings only while connecting), then click CTRL+ALT+F5.

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