SolarWinds DameWare Remote Support 12.0.5
A distinctive tool that excels at agentless support, with Active Directory integration a particular plus point
SCORE ✪✪✪✪✪ PRICE From £275 exc VAT for 1 technician from solarwinds.com
DameWare is an unusual support solution: it can do a great deal without requiring agent software to be installed on client systems. That means it can provide all sorts of remote services right out of the box with almost no configuration.
It’s offered in two forms: the standalone version is aimed at smaller businesses whose client systems mostly reside on the company LAN. Support tasks are generally handled from the Mini Remote Control (MRC) tool, which is launched directly from the DameWare console.
The Central Server version, meanwhile, is designed for larger organisations seeking to extend support services beyond their firewall. The package includes Proxy Server and Mobile Gateway Server components, to provide secure remote access to clients from iOS and Android mobile devices.
We tested the standalone version and found it very easy to deploy: we had it installed on a Windows Server 2012 R2 host in less than a minute. The console presents a simple Windows Explorer-style interface showing a list of all systems discovered on the local network. Even without loading agent software onto these clients, there’s a remarkable range of remote support functions that can be conducted: you can view running processes, monitor hard disks and storage properties, check the event log and much more.
We were even able to open a remote command prompt window – and if the Windows Remote Support service isn’t running on the target system, DameWare will offer to start it. Similarly, if you need to tweak the Registry, DameWare can start the Windows Remote Registry service to make this possible.
One area where DameWare doesn’t impress so much is hardware inventory: you can only audit basic information such as its CPU, memory and graphics chip. Thankfully, the software inventory is more detailed: this is rescanned each time you
“If the Windows Remote Support service isn’t running on the target system, DameWare will offer to start it”
request it, but you can export its findings as a CSV file.
Another minor niggle is that a quick-access tab opens at the top of the main window every time you select a tool. Tabs don’t automatically close when you switch tools, so it’s easy to end up with a confusing array of dozens of tabs.
Basic remote control sessions can be run over Windows’ built-in RDP system within the DameWare console; the MRC tool provides a separate user interface with an extensive set of buttons for functions such as chat, view-only mode and remote reboot. It simplifies file-transfer operations too, with menu options for copying files between guest and host.
DameWare is particularly good for Active Directory (AD) environments: the console provides direct access to containers, groups and users. When pointed at our Windows AD controller, it helpfully enumerated all objects and let us manage AD users or groups, unlock accounts and reset passwords.
Mac features are more limited, but we had no problems using MRC to connect to our macOS clients using the standard VNC service: all we needed do was enable screen sharing in the macOS System Preferences and protect access with a password.
In all, DameWare is a great choice for growing businesses. Its pertechnician licensing is very affordable, and its agentless design means many support tasks can be accomplished without the need for a hands-on remote control session.