Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?
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It really boils down to what you want for access?
Do you want continuous no third party access? or do you want to make sure that someone onsite knows you're connected?
As for what you have access to - why would you limit what you can manage remotely? Xen Orchestra isn't a replacement for iDRAC (especially if it's installed on the XenServer it's managing).
If you want to be able to remotely manage the hardware that the XenServer is running on, you'll need iDRAC or something else that provides that same level of access.
once you have that level of access inside the network, now you just have to decide how you'll gain access to the inside of the network - be it Jump Box, or TeamViewer, or ScreenConnect, etc.There is no right answer for all situations. It's more up to you and the client to decide what is best.
If you're looking to lower your personal risk, then a rescue setup like TeamViewer (fyi no free for business use) will keep you at bay until the customer grants you access to their network via the software. of course this also typically means that the computer you are connecting to is no longer usable for that employee while you are working. If this is an emergency only thing, that might be doable. But if you are going to be doing monthly maintenance for example during work hours, this might not be acceptable, so other solutions would need to be considered.
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Come to think of it, I'll probably install Xen Center on the owner's desktop. If needed I could gain remote access to that box and use XC from there. I don't suppose I would require remote access to iDRAC at all.
I guess what I was thinking is that I could install a 2nd VM as a kind of monitoring/remote control box that I could use, perhaps XO or something else. But again I don't think I should give myself absolute control like this without some action on the part of the owner. Nor do I really want to start opening ports on the router.
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XC won't give you access to the console on the server if there is a problem during say, bootup. XC and XO only work as long as XS is working.
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@Dashrender said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
XC won't give you access to the console on the server if there is a problem during say, bootup. XC and XO only work as long as XS is working.
Yes if there is some sort of boot or POST error, you are driving there.
I never used to put iDrac on servers, but after using it a few times, I'll never buy/support one without it now.
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@BRRABill said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@Dashrender said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
XC won't give you access to the console on the server if there is a problem during say, bootup. XC and XO only work as long as XS is working.
Yes if there is some sort of boot or POST error, you are driving there.
I never used to put iDrac on servers, but after using it a few times, I'll never buy/support one without it now.
Exactly - and it can generally be had for a few hundred dollars, over the life of the machine, totally worth it for me. Even more worth it if I work remotely to the hardware at all.
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@BRRABill said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@Dashrender said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
XC won't give you access to the console on the server if there is a problem during say, bootup. XC and XO only work as long as XS is working.
Yes if there is some sort of boot or POST error, you are driving there.
I never used to put iDrac on servers, but after using it a few times, I'll never buy/support one without it now.
Wouldn't you want a dedicate IP (and NIC?) for it and have to open up the firewall and everything? How do you maintain access for dynamic IPs from the ISP?
I have two servers with iDRAC, just never played with it yet. -
@guyinpv said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@BRRABill said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@Dashrender said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
XC won't give you access to the console on the server if there is a problem during say, bootup. XC and XO only work as long as XS is working.
Yes if there is some sort of boot or POST error, you are driving there.
I never used to put iDrac on servers, but after using it a few times, I'll never buy/support one without it now.
Wouldn't you want a dedicate IP (and NIC?) for it and have to open up the firewall and everything? How do you maintain access for dynamic IPs from the ISP?
I have two servers with iDRAC, just never played with it yet.You can user ZeroTier to a jump box.
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@guyinpv said
Wouldn't you want a dedicate IP (and NIC?) for it and have to open up the firewall and everything? How do you maintain access for dynamic IPs from the ISP?
I have two servers with iDRAC, just never played with it yet.It can share its IP. Or, it can have its own.
For me, I own all the systems, so I VPN to the network, then access the iDrac. But I am assuming you could also open up the firewall as well.
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@scottalanmiller said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@guyinpv said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@BRRABill said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@Dashrender said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
XC won't give you access to the console on the server if there is a problem during say, bootup. XC and XO only work as long as XS is working.
Yes if there is some sort of boot or POST error, you are driving there.
I never used to put iDrac on servers, but after using it a few times, I'll never buy/support one without it now.
Wouldn't you want a dedicate IP (and NIC?) for it and have to open up the firewall and everything? How do you maintain access for dynamic IPs from the ISP?
I have two servers with iDRAC, just never played with it yet.You can user ZeroTier to a jump box.
But how does that help a server stuck at POST?
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@BRRABill said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@scottalanmiller said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@guyinpv said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@BRRABill said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@Dashrender said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
XC won't give you access to the console on the server if there is a problem during say, bootup. XC and XO only work as long as XS is working.
Yes if there is some sort of boot or POST error, you are driving there.
I never used to put iDrac on servers, but after using it a few times, I'll never buy/support one without it now.
Wouldn't you want a dedicate IP (and NIC?) for it and have to open up the firewall and everything? How do you maintain access for dynamic IPs from the ISP?
I have two servers with iDRAC, just never played with it yet.You can user ZeroTier to a jump box.
But how does that help a server stuck at POST?
Nothing else that except for KVM or KVMoIP/OOB management tools.
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All of this is great but how does it play out?
Small business with dynamic IP.
6 workstations and a copier that use the server.
1 server running file shares and 1 business app, Windows Server, on XenServer.
Dell hardware, iDRAC available if wanted.
Always trying to stick to free stuff, of course.
I could always use TeamViewer to one of the workstations and use XC from there, or XO installed on another VM.
I could install some remote software on the individual VM though I need to deal with router/IP issues depending on the software.
I could create some kind of dedicated jump box that only I have access to which then allows me in to various things over local network. Not sure how this works. Is it Linux? Can I still use the Windows VM gui?
And all this needs set up in a way where the owner has to grant access so that I don't have any-time access for liability reasons.
TeamViewer needs license for business so maybe I can use VNC software? I could do the ZeroTier thing if that is completely safe and transparent to all operations.
I could combine the above and just use normal Windows Remote Desktop, but I would have to maintain my own user account on the server, or be given admin credentials as needed.
Lots of options. Unsure about standard practices.
This seems like such a basic use case.
Assuming my ONLY option now is to show up physically at the office. What is the very next best thing? Probably at least direct remote access to the VM itself. But if I can't leave TeamViewer on there, and can't use Remote Desktop without credentials and opening firewall. What's the next option? -
@guyinpv said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
I could create some kind of dedicated jump box that only I have access to which then allows me in to various things over local network. Not sure how this works. Is it Linux? Can I still use the Windows VM gui?
We use LInux. What is a Windows VM GUI?
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@guyinpv said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
I could combine the above and just use normal Windows Remote Desktop, but I would have to maintain my own user account on the server,
How else do you audit the access? You need a CAL regardless as you are a user.
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@guyinpv said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
And all this needs set up in a way where the owner has to grant access so that I don't have any-time access for liability reasons.
I don't agree here. I think that that is silly. Good controls and he knows if you have accessed or not. If you dont have those, you have the liability regardless. If he has to grant you access, how will he do that when things are broken? Often it'll mean that you can't get in when needed.
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@scottalanmiller said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@guyinpv said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
I could create some kind of dedicated jump box that only I have access to which then allows me in to various things over local network. Not sure how this works. Is it Linux? Can I still use the Windows VM gui?
We use LInux. What is a Windows VM GUI?
I just mean if I use Linux, Ubuntu or something, can I still use the Windows GUI or would I be stuck with command line stuff?
Do you use a GUI on Linux? Mint or something? Fedora? I just mean I want full desktop access to Windows.@scottalanmiller said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@guyinpv said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
I could combine the above and just use normal Windows Remote Desktop, but I would have to maintain my own user account on the server,
How else do you audit the access? You need a CAL regardless as you are a user.
Win Essentials here.
@scottalanmiller said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@guyinpv said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
And all this needs set up in a way where the owner has to grant access so that I don't have any-time access for liability reasons.
I don't agree here. I think that that is silly. Good controls and he knows if you have accessed or not. If you dont have those, you have the liability regardless. If he has to grant you access, how will he do that when things are broken? Often it'll mean that you can't get in when needed.
Of course true.
The liability is if his business ever suffers a data loss or data theft or even remote hacks, that nobody can point a finger at me thinking it must have come through my access. If that is just tin foil thinking, then ya, I'd much rather have full access any time, as needed.
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@guyinpv said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
I just mean if I use Linux, Ubuntu or something, can I still use the Windows GUI or would I be stuck with command line stuff?
Do you use a GUI on Linux? Mint or something? Fedora? I just mean I want full desktop access to Windows.You can but I rarely would. Just launch whatever tool you need directly. Like if you want to use Remmina to access RDP, just launch Remmina alone, not an entire desktop.
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@guyinpv said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
How else do you audit the access? You need a CAL regardless as you are a user.
Win Essentials here.
CALs are requried the same regardless. In any case, you are consuming one of their "seats", might as well take advantage of the auditing that it brings.
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@guyinpv said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
The liability is if his business ever suffers a data loss or data theft or even remote hacks, that nobody can point a finger at me thinking it must have come through my access. If that is just tin foil thinking, then ya, I'd much rather have full access any time, as needed.
Bottom line is people will lie and blame you anyway. Might as well at least be useful and have auditing. Otherwise, how do you even prove that you didn't have access? They'll just say that you did.
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@scottalanmiller said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
@guyinpv said in Best way to maintain some remote control but not absolute?:
The liability is if his business ever suffers a data loss or data theft or even remote hacks, that nobody can point a finger at me thinking it must have come through my access. If that is just tin foil thinking, then ya, I'd much rather have full access any time, as needed.
Bottom line is people will lie and blame you anyway. Might as well at least be useful and have auditing. Otherwise, how do you even prove that you didn't have access? They'll just say that you did.
This is true. The person in question is a good dude, I'm just being overly paranoid probably.
I am also a sucker for tools. I like to play with new things, especially if they are free!
Speaking of that, what's the best free option for Win Essentials anyway?
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I get the feeling that we might not be on the same page.
When you use TeamViewer or ScreenConnect, etc, to take over the owners computer, you could use that computer to access the iDRAC or any other IP services on their LAN.
You wouldn't need to worry about changing any routes or IPs, etc. The same would mostly be said if you use something like a jumpbox. This server, normally based on a free linux server, is published through the firewall onto the internet where you can access it remotely. You connect to the jump server, then use tools like RDP from linux to connect to your Windows server, or a web browser to access iDRAC, etc.
