Remote Maintenance for Windows

This is one of the options how we can help you with MoinMoin, more options see on the main support page.

If you run a Windows machine, we can support these remote maintenance options:

• RDP (builtin in many Windows versions)
• VNC (this is a free 3rd party remote maintenance software, available for Windows, Linux, etc.)

Please note that we recommend running moin on Linux (or other POSIX system). But if you have no choice, we can help you (as far as possible) on Windows, too.

General

As we are the good guys (tm), we, of course, won't do anything unrelated to the support task on your machine.

In case we see any of your data (we won't look except if needed for the support task), we will treat it confidentially.

Some of the methods mentioned below might enable you to share a screen with us, so you can even watch, if you like to.

Firewalls, Internet-Gateways

If you have some firewall between the internet and the target machine, you need to make sure that we can access the target machine from the internet.

If you have a internet router between the internet and the target machine, you need to add a port forwarding rule from some outside port number to the internal target machine IP and port. NAT means "network address translation", so that multiple internal users can share a internet connection using a single public IP address.

Below, we specify the protocols and port numbers you need to use for port forwarding (and/or opening some port on the firewall).

RDP

This usually works on all Windows versions (for non-server Windows, you need the "Pro" versions).

We need either the Adminstrator account or some other account that works with RDP and has enough privileges for the job you want us to do.

RDP uses TCP, port 3389.

Please have safe passwords on ALL accounts before you open RDP to the internet.

VNC

Alternatively, you can use some VNC server software to enable us seeing and working on your desktop.

With VNC, there are basically 2 methods for running it:

• you can run it as a windows service (this basically means it runs always)
• another option is to not use it as a service, but just start the VNC server as needed (and terminate it when not needed any more)

VNC uses TCP, port 5900.

When installing and enabling VNC server, set a safe password for it.

VNC is able to do screen sharing, so you can see same screen as we do.

Other methods

Please discuss other options with us first if you can't support the above methods.

We might be able to support other options, especially if the client software works under Linux also and it doesn't require us to buy commercial remote maintenance software licenses or install proprietary, closed-source software.

Removing supporter's access

If you don't need support any longer, do not forget to remove remote access again (e.g. change passwords, deinstall remote maintenance software).