What You Need:
- Two computers
- UltraVNC (Free from www.uvnc.com)
- Logmein Hamachi (Free from www.logmein.com)
Step 1: Create a Virtual Network
If you’re planning to connect to a remote computer. You first need to know where it is. No, “in the house” is not the right answer. Every computer that is connected to the internet is bestowed upon it by their Internet Service Provider, an IP address. That’s plain and simple if you’re not running behind any router and using a system that is connected to the internet via LAN cable. However, the situation gets slightly more complicated, since what we are trying to do here is connect remotely to another computer from the one you are currently using.
This is where the (free) program Hamachi comes into the picture. Simply put, it simplifies things. A lot.
Instead of having the fiddle with a bunch of complex settings, forwarding ports and options, and other technological thaumaturgy, all we have to do now is to install Hamachi on each machine you want to include into the connection loop. What it does is it will create a Virtual Private Network on top of your current configuration. It is your one stop solution to creating a VPN. No fiddling, no fuss.
Installation of the client is clean and easy, just run the executable file. Once that is done, you will be directed by onscreen prompts to create your first (password-protected) private network.
It is advisable to setup Hamachi to run on Windows startup, that way you will never leave home, try to access your desktop at home, only to remember that you did not run Hamachi on your desktop before leaving home.
It is also highly advisable to give all your systems descriptive descriptions if you intend to include multiple rigs into your network “Adam-desktop” and “Adam-desktop2” are by no means descriptive descriptions.
Step 2: Install UltraVNC
Now that you have Hamachi up and running, its time to install UltraVNC. This nifty program gives you a better grip over the remote interface that most people will have trouble with without the program. Again, installation is quick and easy, no more than a few mouse clicks. If you want it to start when Windows starts up, select the option to register UltraVNC as a system service.
You’ll see an icon in the lower right corner of your taskbar when UltraVNC is running. Right-click it and select UltraVNC’s Administrative Properties. Leaving the settings at their defaults is perfectly fine, though tweaking is possible and advisable in some cases. One setting you will want to tweak is UltraVNC’s password – without one, all anyone needs to take over your machine is the IP address of your machine.
Step 3: Get connected
To connect your UltraVNC Server computers, you’ll also need the UltraVNC Viewer included in the initial installation. However, before you run this program, start Hamachi, and connect to your private network. Now look at your Hamachi window and copy the IP address of the machine you’re connecting to into the UltraVNC viewer window.
You’re now connected. Easy huh?
Step 4: Tweak your connection settings
Through the UltraVNC viewer, you can view various ways of manipulating your faraway system. For more information, please visit www.uvnc.com for help. There are simply too many ways to use this nifty program.
