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User Manual
Chapter 3
Using the Client
The PC-Duo Client application must be installed on all the PCs you want to access using PC-Duo.
Displaying the Client Application Window
The Client application should load automatically when Windows starts, and is usually displayed in the Taskbar's system tray. However, you can display the Client application window to access it in a similar way to other desktop applications.
To open the Client Application window, use one of the following methods:
- Double-click the Client icon in the Taskbar's system tray
- Right-click the Client icon in the Taskbar's system tray and choose the Open command from the shortcut menu.
The Client Application window (consisting of a Title bar and menu bar) is displayed and a Client Application button is displayed in the Windows Taskbar. (The Client icon in the Taskbar's system tray remains displayed.)
- You do not need to display the Client window to use most of the features described in this chapter. The shortcut menu that appears when you right-click the Client icon in the Taskbar's system tray enables you to perform the same tasks as the Commands menu in the Client window.
Requesting Help
The PC user with the PC-Duo Client installed can request help using the Client application.
To Request Help:
- Right-click the Client icon in the Taskbar's system tray to display the shortcut menu, and choose the Request Help command.
- In the Request Help dialog, enter your name in the text field, then type your Help Request in the Message box.
- If you want to refresh the list of known Controls, click the Refresh button. To select one of the listed Controls, click on it. (If you don't want to send the Help Request to one of the listed Controls, click the Hide Controls button.)
- Click the OK button to send your Help Request.
Click the Cancel Previous Request button in the Request Help dialog to erase your last help request, irrespective of whether a Control has received it.
Calling a Control
Client PC users can now call a Control. This feature enables Clients to establish a connection across a firewall or proxy server. It only works for TCP/IP connections.
To Call a Control:
- Double-click the PC-Duo Client icon in the taskbar's system tray.
- From the Commands menu, choose Call Control. The Call Control dialog is displayed.
- Enter the hostname or IP address of the Control you want to call, then click OK.
Alternatively, you can select a Control from the drop-down list. This list shows the Controls which have recently connected to the Client.
The Control PC is prompted to accept or reject the Connection. If accepted, you can use the Chat facility to communicate with the Control (for more information, see "Using the Chat Feature").
If the Client cannot call a Control, it may be because the Control application is not running on the Control PC.
Using the Chat Feature
PC-Duo enables a Client to engage in a two-way text conversation with a connected Control. The conversation takes place in a dedicated window.
To Start A Chat Session:
- Make sure a Control is connected to you, then right-click the Client icon in the Taskbar's system tray to display the shortcut menu.
- Choose the Chat command. The Chat window is displayed.
Chatting to a Control
When you or a Control start a Chat session, a Chat window is displayed on your PC and the Control PC. The current participants are displayed in the Members list.
You can chat to all participating Clients using the large discussion box, and the Message box:
- Type your messages in the Message text box, and click the Send button to broadcast it to members of the discussion.
- Your messages and the messages of the Clients are displayed in the discussion box.
To end the Chat session, click the Leave button.
Receiving Messages from a Control
Client PCs can receive messages from Control PC users. These messages are automatically displayed on a Client's screen in a message box.
The Title Bar of the message box includes the name of the Control which sent the message, and the date and time when the message was sent.
After reading a message sent by a Control, click the OK button to close it.
Disconnecting a Control
To Disconnect from a Control:
- Right-click the Client icon in the Taskbar's system tray.
- In the shortcut menu, choose the Disconnect command. A dialog is displayed listing the Controls to which you are currently connected.
- Select the Controls which you want to disconnect from.
Using a Client as a Bridge
As well as enabling Client PCs to be accessed by a Control PC on the same local network, PC-Duo also enables Client PCs to be dialed into and accessed by a Control PC.
This is achieved by loading the PC-Duo Bridge module on the Client PC which a Control PC needs to communicate with.
If the Bridge module is loaded on a networked PC-Duo Client PC, all the Clients on that network can be accessed by a PC-Duo Control which is running the Remote module.
Once the Bridge module is loaded on a Client PC, a Control PC can connect to it. For more information, see "Connecting to Remote Clients and Networks".
Loading the Bridge on a Client
To load the Bridge module on a Client, you must have already installed the Remote Comms component. You must also configure the Client's Dial-in Bridge settings using the Client Configurator. For more information, see "Configuring Clients".
To Load the Bridge on a Client:
- Double-click the Client icon in the Taskbar's System Tray to display the Client Application window.
- Choose the Commands, Load Bridge menu command. The Client icon is shown with a red background to indicate the Bridge is loaded.
When you have finished using the Client as a Bridge, display the Client Application window and choose the Commands, Unload Bridge menu command. The Client icon is shown with a blue background.
Resetting a Client Video Driver
If you change the display configuration on Windows 95 or Windows NT, this can disconnect the intercept driver that PC-Duo uses to capture the Client's display updates. Use the Reset Video Driver command to reinstate it.
In Windows 95, the PC-Duo intercept is in SYSTEM.INI. However, when you reset the video driver, you can change how the information is stored. If you choose to store the information in SYSTEM.INI, you may need to reset the video driver when you change screen resolution or other video driver settings.
To Reset a Client Video Driver on a Windows NT4 Client:
- Close the PC-Duo Control application.
- In the Windows Start menu, choose Programs, PC-Duo, Client, Reset Video Driver. A message box is displayed, asking you to confirm the action.
To Reset a Client Video Driver on a Windows 95 Client:
- Close the PC-Duo Control application.
- In the Windows Start menu, choose Programs, PC-Duo, Client, Reset Video Driver. A message box is displayed, asking you to confirm the action.
- Read the Information, then click the SYSTEM.INI or Registry button to choose where you want to store the driver information and reset the video driver.
Deactivating a Client
When necessary, you can deactivate the Client application so that the Client PC is no longer accessible to Control users.
When you deactivate a Client, the Client application will not automatically load the Next time you restart Windows.
After deactivating a Client, you can re-activate it at a later time to resume normal PC-Duo operations.
To Deactivate a Client:
To Activate a Client:
Restarting the Client Application
To Restart the Client Application:
 Vector Networks http://www.vector-networks.com Voice: +44 (0) 1827 67333 Fax: +44 (0) 1827 67068 info@vector-networks.co.uk |
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