Frederick:
Heya. I'm CC'ing your message to the EchoVNC mailing list,
which is probably a better place for this discussion:
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/echovnc-users
As to your questions...you make a good point: if a user
is running VNC within a network, they can easily create direct
VNC Viewer to VNC Server connections. While EchoVNC can help as
a "poor man's DNS" and with end-to-end encryption, it's hardly
required. In general, intra-LAN connections is really what VNC
is best at (arguably, is meant for): providing remote-desktop
capability throughout a LAN, regardless of either the Viewer or
Server operating systems.
An echoServer becomes very useful, however, when trying
to connect to VNC Servers across the Internet, in which those
servers are behind unconfigured firewalls. This is very common,
especially with Remote IT or Managed Service Providers, who are
in business to provide remote tech-support to their customers.
In this relationship, the IT provider has the network resources
to run their own echoServer that is "publicly accessible" by
their end users. By setting up the echoServer once, including
getting all of the firewalling or port-forwarding correct, they
can avoid ever having to worry about firewalling or port-forwarding
again for all of their VNC needs.
So that's the intended model: one tech-savvy person runs
a single echoServer to service a community of non-techy users.
Which, in my experience, is terrifically common among the VNC
userbase.
That's my best explanation; I hope it's reasonable. :)
cheers,
Scott
Is there any reasonable explanation for the EchoServer download? I mean, for
typical users, the computer they need to access is part of the only network
they have. What is the use of the EchoServer if you're going to install it
behind an unconfigurable firewall?
The way the EchoServer works is by relaying packets, therefore making all
connections to seem outgoing. However, if the server is installed behind a
firewall, wouldn't it only be good for internal communications, in which
case, a relay server would only slow the connection down?
To take it from a more personal point of view, let's say I felt the
demo.echoserver.com <http://demo.echoserver.com> server was inadequate or
too slow. I'd naturally want to install the server, which is advertised on
the site. But if the only physical location I had was behind the same
unconfigurable router as my other VNC servers, wouldn't it be impossible for
outside users to connect to my EchoServer without setting Port Redirect,
DMZ, etc?
The only other option is to somehow get the software onto a designated
server outside of the network, for which I'd probably have to pay, in which
case it would seem to be more efficient to use online services like
GoToMyPC.
Does anybody know of a way to run a EchoServer without paying and still
make it accessible for the outside world without setting any configurations?
Or is it impossible?
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