Google account remote machine listing

[webstersx]

Similar to how Wyse Pocketcloud and Jaadu/iTeleport require a google account to facilitate connection through firewalls, I would greatly appreciate the ability to connect to machines without messing with firewall settings or on networks that I don't have access to modify the firewalls of (e.g. at work). Naturally this is going to kill the ability to WoL, but I'm happy with that as that's more of an advanced feature (i.e. requiring firewall configuation) anyway.

[raf]

This is a planned future feature. I've been looking into different ways to allow for this, and I'm going to have to have a server dedicated to to help create the connection. This is not a trivial endeavour, and so this feature will have to be an in-app purchase. If the iPhone was allowed to run code as administrator/root, this would be A LOT easier to implement.

Raf.

[CU2]

I'm going to have to have a server dedicated to to help create the connection

Would this be for merely a dynamic dns service? ..just curious.

I've not experimented much with those methods to 'work around' firewalls but it seems the part google is providing boils down to an additional authentication layer, dynamic dns service and user/data collection.
..with a desktop helper application from Jaadu and Wyse that relies on UPnP and does..? Listening?

A listening VNC server looks interesting. Seems all the opensource variety support this.

From Wikipedia:
"Listening mode: where a server connects to a viewer. The server site does not have to configure its firewall/NAT to allow access on port 5900 (or 5800); the onus is on the viewer, which is useful if the server site has no computer expertise, while the viewer user would be expected to be more knowledgeable."

[raf]

Yes, google is used simply as an authentication mechanism. A server to punch the hole trhough the firewall, and hand over the connection (not a repeater) is required separately. This doesn't involve a listening VNC (which can't be done for Mac, for instance, as the VNC server is part of the OS), bur rather a special helper service on the machine. So the solution requires: -a service running on the machine (along with the VNC server, although in theory they can be bundled together). -a server in the cloud (that would be controlled by me) that connects to the service running on the user's machine (the other way around, actually, so a hole in the firewall is "punched"), and -a client (Remoter) that connects to the server, is handed the connection over, and continues talking to the user's machine directly from that point forward.

[CU2]

It may be a hard sell since VNC is in OSx but there is RealVNC server and maybe other 'listeners' out there for the mac.

Sounds like that could relieve you of hosting a server and the additional can of worms it'd come with..

[raf]

It may be a hard sell since VNC is in OSx but there is RealVNC server and maybe other 'listeners' out there for the mac.

Sounds like that could relieve you of hosting a server and the additional can of worms it'd come with..

I'm all for simplifying the process. One of the advantages of using Remoter with a Mac is that the vnc server is included with the OS. Besides, there are no good alternatives on the Mac, unlike windows, where you have uvnc and tightvnc.
Also, making Remoter a listener, makes it so that the server would need to know the IP address of the iOS device. Not easy to do either.
Furthermore, this approach has problems in double-NATed environments.

Raf