REVIEW

Remote Control Software Makes Right Connection

by Kevin D. Cooke

R emote control is ideal for running applications over phone lines. Unlike remote node technology, the only things you have to wait around for are screen updates.

And the technology keeps progressing to make running remote applications even faster. Just as important, vendors keep adding features to make the technology that much more attractive--from bidirectional drive mapping to file synchronization, and the ability to run remote control over LAN transports as well as over remote node connections. It just keeps getting better.

We tested six products in our Syracuse University lab: Symantec's pcANYWHERE for Windows 2.0, Traveling Software's LapLink for Windows 6.0, Triton Technologies' CoSession for Windows 2.0, Avalan's Remotely Possible/Dial 4.0, Norton-Lambert's Close-Up 6.0 and Microcom's Carbon Copy for Windows 2.5. Stac Electronics' Reachout is notably absent. It was in between releases during our testing, and so we include a Sneak Preview of their beta software along with this review.

While all of these products have matured dramatically during the past few years, it's clear that Symantec and Traveling Software have nearly flawless offerings, matching feature-for-feature, and both scoring extremely well in our performance testing. Neither will lead you astray.

Symantec Corp. pcANYWHERE 2.0 for Windows

Symantec Corp.'s pcANYWHERE 2.0 gives you plenty of bang for your buck. It packs in features everywhere without sacrificing useability or performance.

Wit h exceptional performance on file transfers and remote application launching, Symantec's remote control software is a joy to use. We tested pcANYWHERE's File Synchronization--a bidirectional file sync--and File Cloning. Cloning is a one-way file synchronization that will actually remove files from the target if they do not exist on the source--a nice feature, but use it with caution.

pcANYWHERE's user interface is rich with features, yet it's still intuitive and user friendly. The simple on-line menu provides access to many functions including the ability to reboot the host and save a screen shot. pcANYWHERE also includes the Norton Assistant, a walk-through configuration utility we found to be a cross between an on-line tutorial and the Microsoft Wizards found throughout the Microsoft Office suite. Symantec also built administrative functions into pcANYWHERE. For instance, the administrative installer lets you install the software onto a shared space from which you can manage or launch it--a real plus if you want to administer pcANYWHERE centrally.

Traveling Software. LapLink for Windows 6.0

Traveling Software hit the streets running with LapLink for Windows 6.0. The product combines great performance with an equally great user interface.

Like pcANYWHERE, LapLink is packed with features. In addition to dial-up modem support and LAN access via IPX, LapLink has recently added modem pooling in an interim release (dubbed 6.0a). That release also improved modem support, reduced the video capture footprint, resolved some video driver problems and improved file transfer speeds.

File transfers were fast, but we were floored with LapLink's SpeedSync technology. This feature, employed during modem file transfers, can actually look inside a file and transfer only those portions that have changed. Traveling Software builds this technology on top of its third-generation Universal Communications Object (UCO) technology. Let's just say that we were impressed and that it's fast. Very fast.

LapLink for Windows had impressive caching and remote application launching speeds as well. First-time or precached bitmap speeds were unparalleled. Also worth noting was the speed at which LapLink was able to display Microsoft Word 6.0 across a modem connection--just under five seconds slower than launching Word locally.

Microcom. Carbon Copy for Windows 2.5

Microcom's Carbon Copy for Windows 2.5 combines the familiarity of Windows with solid file transfer performance. Its easy-to-use file transfer utility employs the same look and feel of the ever-familiar Windows File Manager.

Like Symantec's pcANYWHERE and other products, Carbon Copy packages both modem and LAN connectivity options in one box. Additionally, Microcom provides INT 14, NASI and NCSI support for modem pooling.

We found remote application launching to be a bit sluggish with Carbon Copy. This assumes, of course, that you'll be launching your applications across the wire, rather than locally. If all you require is access to your data files, Carbon Copy's file transfer speeds are fine.

Carbon Copy was a bit lacking on the installation side and was the only product that replaced Windows drivers with its own: It replaced the keyboard, mouse and video driver. Although we did not experience any problems with this in our testing, this practice can cause some compatibility problems.

Triton Technologies. CoSession for Windows 2.0

Triton Technologies' CoSession for Windows 2.0 was an average performer. It held its own in file transfers and remote application launching, but it didn't make the cut in our caching test.

Initially, the poor caching performance struck us oddly, since CoSession 1.0 did not suffer from these symptoms. We later found from Triton's technical staff that caching over the LAN was improved in this product at the cost of dial-up or modem caching. Triton disclosed that there are plans to reintroduce optimized caching for modem connections without effecting the current improved LAN caching.

CoSession for Windows does a good job wit h bidirectional drive mapping and login access. It works very well with LAN connectivity. For example, we tested CoSession's drive mapping by saving a Word document to our network drive letter "H" while attached to our LAN. Next, we dialed into our CoSession host and mapped that network drive as "H" on the remote machine. Opening Word and loading our saved document was totally seamless.

For LAN connectivity, CoSession supports NetBIOS and SPX-based networks. That's right, CoSession employs SPX as its stack. Triton feels that SPX's connection-based communications provide faster remote control over the LAN.

If you need an additional level of security, Triton says it can provide you with a "locked copy" of CoSession for Windows. This locked copy is encrypted and will only function with remote clients and hosts matching this encryption scheme.

Avalan Technology. Remotely Possible/DIAL 4.0

If you're looking for elegance and simplicity, Avalan's Remotely Possible/ DIAL fits the bill. With this Windows application, we found that when it comes to the user interface, less is definitely more.

Although Remotely Possible is missing features such as drag-and-drop file transfers and file synchronization, it does provide some good usability features. For instance, a simple gray square in the upper left corner of your screen clearly tells you that you are the viewer and not working locally--a feature not found in either of our top products.

Remotely Possible/DIAL can control PCs across a modem link as well as over your NetBIOS or IPX LAN. Link here to information on Avalan's Remotely Possible/SOCKETS solution.

Initially, this product had some difficulty with our cache performance testing. We found that the viewer was unable to determine successfully that our bitmap was a cache hit and would reload it with each successive launch of the BMP file--a painful process when you expect the image to be cached. Avalan's technical staff was able to resolve this problem wi th a simple upgrade of one of the programs DLL files; we were impressed with the responsiveness, and Avalan assured us that this fix will appear in next interim release.

Norton-Lambert Corp. Close-Up 6.0

We had mixed feelings about Close-Up 6.0 from Norton-Lambert. On the one hand, Close-Up had one of the smoothest installs, as well as average overall performance. On the other hand, Close-Up still has one foot firmly planted in the DOS world.

The Close-Up install set up everything except the modem's make and model. It recognized our 16550 UARTs and determined the best modem speed for reliable communication. Norton-Lambert describes this as an expert-system install and claims it can determine potential problems before they happen.

Once installed, Close-Up begins with a useful Windows icon and promptly hides behind a DOS main menu that badly needs an update. Additionally, if a movable cursor is important to you when navigating the Windows GUI, be prepared to load a TSR mouse driver on the remote machine prior to launching Windows.

Close-Up was also lacking in Windows as well. Supporting a maximum resolution of 800 x 600 and only 16 colors, this release is destined to surely frustrate users with larger monitors running at higher resolutions.

Kevin D. Cooke works for the Network Systems Group at Syracuse University. He can be reached at kdcooke@syr.edu.

Our Remote Control Testing Procedure