Command-line connection to listening client from Vista machine? [now SCRIPTS]

Mon Jul 6 05:44:17 BST 2009

Nope - I am not looking for that. I am looking for the Windows  
scripting utility and how to utilize it with VNC Free Edition.

All these years and I did not know and have heard no discussions on  
Windows scripting utility, how it works and the commnad language.

Dale

On Jul 5, 2009, at 12:07 PM, Steve Bostedor wrote:

> Hello,
>
>  It sounds like you're looking for the remote scripting features  
> found in
> the VNCScan Enterprise Network Manager (www.vncscan.com).  It is a VNC
> manager that also allows you to run scripts on the remote computers.
>
> Thanks!
>
> Steve
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: vnc-list-bounces at realvnc.com [mailto:vnc-list-bounces at realvnc.com 
> ] On
> Behalf Of Philip Herlihy
> Sent: Sunday, July 05, 2009 11:31 AM
> To: 'Dale Eshelman'
> Cc: vnc-list at realvnc.com
> Subject: RE: Command-line connection to listening client from Vista  
> machine?
> [now SCRIPTS]
>
> 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-bounces at realvnc.com [mailto:vnc-list-bounces at realvnc.com 
> ] On
> Behalf Of Dale Eshelman
> Sent: 21 June 2009 06:11
> To: Philip Herlihy
> Cc: vnc-list at 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
>>
>
>
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Dale Eshelman
eshelmand at gmail.com

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The closer I get to the pain of glass in Windoz, the farther I can see  
and I see a Mac on the horizon.