When ’s the last fourth dimension you regard an office desk without a calculator ? Looked kind of au naturel , did n’t it ? That ’s because computer and the Internet have become essential tools for doing line of work .
accord to a 2003 study by theBureau of Labor Statistics , 84 per centum of American prole with a college degree use a information processing system at work . Even back in 1999 , a survey by theEnergy Information Administrationfound that the average commercial-grade building had seven calculator for every 10 place actor .
We increasingly rely on figurer to cooperate with coworkers and communicate with clients . However , that no longer means that workfellow are in the same locating . More workers are punch in from the road or from home . In 2004 , 20.7 million Americans did some or all of their work from house , and the popularity of teleworking is direct some to predict that the home will become the " office of the future " [ germ : Bureau of Labor Statistics , Careers ] .
That ’s why a technology like desktop sharing is so muscular . Desktop sharing use simple package to share files , presentations and program over the cyberspace – in real prison term – with colleagues and clients around the mankind . Desktop communion is a key portion ofWeb seminarsand Web conferences , enhancing our power to interact and collaborate over retentive distances .
Desktop sharing has many applications programme .
background sharing software works by sending packets of information from a host computer to a remote computer describing what ’s on the horde computer ’s screen at any kick in time . The inscribe data jaunt over the Internet . Some data point arrives as image files ( JPEGs and GIFs ) , while others arrive as single pel assigned to a particular X and Y coordinate . screen background sharing software is smart enough to only send out info update on the sections of the screen that have changed and to compact the data significantly , understate the amount of necessary bandwidth [ source : GoToMyPC].
In this HowStuffWorks article , we ’ll explain the technology , lotion and features of desktop sharing , including remote logarithm - in , real - metre collaboration , demonstration sharing and covering sharing .
Remote Login
Let ’s say you ’re preparing a vast PowerPoint display for a big encounter on Friday . All of the PowerPoint Indian file and PDFs and image that you want to use in your presentation are write on the hard drive of your body of work estimator . Thursday rolls around and you stir up up with a filthy venter computer virus . You do n’t feel well enough to go to the office , but you ask to finish that introduction . Here ’s where distant login can facilitate .
Until recently , practical private internet ( VPN)were the only direction to remotely get at work files from place . But VPN access is n’t the same as enter the heavy thrust of your work estimator . VPN gives you access to the local area net ( LAN ) at your business office . With VPN , you ’re only able to access your PowerPoint presentation files if you ’ve saved them on the electronic connection , not just on your estimator ’s hard drive .
Remote login , however , uses simple desktop sharing software to give you a " remote control " for get at your computing machine – and all of its software and hard drive files – from any Internet - connect gadget anywhere in the world .
Remote login work exactly the same path as desktop share-out . In screen background share-out , there are two disjoined parties : the host computer and the remote exploiter . To share a desktop , the host computer allows a removed substance abuser to reckon the depicted object of the legion computer ’s background over the net . The host computer can also hand over keyboard and mouse control to the remote user . With remote logarithm - in , your home base or workplace computer is the host and you ( in this case ) are the remote user .
Remote login requires three canonical component :
[ informant : GoToMyPC ]
For remote login to work , both the server computing machine and all remote user have to download and deploy the same desktop communion software . Desktop sharing package typically includes two distinguishable programme :
removed login will only work on if the master of ceremonies computer is power on , connected to the Internet and running the screen background sharing package . Each time you open up and consort the screen background sharing software on the server computer , the software starts a unexampled academic session . Each academic session has a particular ID and/or password that ’s required to remotely lumber in to the legion computer . Once the sitting has been set up , most desktop communion software softly runs in the background of the host figurer until a outback login postulation is made.
To lumber in to the innkeeper computer from home ( or while traveling ) , you ’ll necessitate to run your version of the same background sharing software and recruit in the right session ID or password . Or some services set aside you to lumber in through a Web site . Once you ’re sign in , both computer will pass on with each other over a safe desktop share-out net . accession to this web can be barren or subscription - based , depend on the armed service . While link , you ’ll have access to keyboard control , black eye controls , all package and all files on the server machine .
For security department intent , all packets of information that are send out over the meshwork are typically encrypted on each close with untroubled shell ( SSH ) or 128 - bit advanced encryption standard ( AES ) encryption . For added security system , no session Idaho or countersign are stored on desktop partake in servers ; they ’re automatically generated by the horde machine .
Now have ’s wait at real - clip collaboration through desktop sharing .
Real-time Collaboration
One of the most common uses of background sharing is for real - time collaboration . Real - time collaboration is when two or more coworkers , classmate , colleagues or friends habituate desktop communion software system to simultaneously lick on the same undertaking , portion file and work through problems as a squad .
For example , let ’s say you ’re still adhere at dwelling with that stomach grippe and you need assist coming up with the textbook for your PowerPoint introduction . Your coworker Nancy is a whiz with word , but she ’s at the office.
Using desktop sharing , you and Nancy can log into a academic term and she can see the contents of your computer desktop . you may spread out up PowerPoint and show her the pages where you need help . you could even hand over mastery of your computer to Nancy so that she can type her textual matter directly into the document , rather than just telling you over the phone or sending it to you in an e - mail .
A helpful feature article of many desktop communion programme is real - time annotating of documents . Whoever is in control of the host information processing system has access to the draftsmanship and annotating tools , whether it ’s a removed user or the person sitting at the host computer . vulgar annotating tools are a highlighter , a freehand draught creature and a cursor [ source : GoToMeeting ] .
One of the most utilitarian coating of real - time collaboration is for remote proficient support [ rootage : genuine VNC ] . You do n’t have to be a professional tech support operator to field frequent requests for electronic computer help . If you ’re the extremity of the family with the most computer experience , you might get several claim a week from your grandma trying to access her e - ring armour , your dad hear to do video calls through Skype , or your sister trying to download music data file .
Rather than trying to realize their computer questions over the phone ( and decipher their vague descriptions of their background ) , screen background sharing allows you to see incisively what they ’re doing , and in some cases do it yourself .
Professional technological supporting staff member have been using similar technology for the past few years to remotely diagnose hardware and software problems . Instead of walking the caller through the solution step by step ( " shut down all other applications . restart the computer . Go to the Start menu and click ' Run ' … " ) , tech bread and butter can practice desktop communion to bound into the number one wood ’s seat and pay back the problem immediately .
On the next varlet , we ’ll babble about apportion presentations .
Presentation Sharing
Another useful lotion of desktop sharing engineering science is introduction share-out . Like remote login and material - time collaboration , presentation share-out apply the same technology as canonical screen background sharing . In demonstration sharing , the conferrer shares his or her desktop with a chemical group of distant users to show a PowerPoint presentation or a Flash demonstration , to display photos or screen a video . presentment communion is inherently less collaborative and implies a one - to - many or few - to - many social organization .
Other terms for intro sharing areWeb seminarsor online demonstration . In a Web seminar or on-line introduction , a donor send out an e - mail invitation to a grouping of attender that includes a link and an access code . When the attendees press the connectedness and enter their accession codes , they ’re log into the practical presentation .
In a World Wide Web seminar , there can only be one presenter at a time . The donor can share his desktop , divvy up presentations with programs like PowerPoint or Flash , or apportion other app and package on the host computer . With Web seminar software , it ’s easy to switch presenters . Each presenter can then portion out his or her own background and file . But since World Wide Web seminar are one - to - many or few - to - many occasion , there normally is n’t much changing of presenter .
Some real - universe applications of presentment share-out and Web seminar are for salesmen who want to manifest a unexampled software package to clients , for onlinecontinuing education classesand for onlineemployee preparation .
As with other forms of desktop sharing , audio is usually separate from the connection demonstration itself . The most vulgar solution is to useteleconferencing . When the donor sends out his invitation for the Web seminar , he can include a conference call dial - in number and an approach codification . attendee would have to dial into the conference call , then access to the Web seminar , or vice versa . Some subscription Web seminar service propose an option for bundling sound into the World Wide Web seminar usingVoIP[source : Kolabora ] .
Now let ’s look at one of the coolest uses of desktop sharing : software sharing .
Application Sharing
Like the other kinds of screen background share-out we ’ve discussed in this article – distant login , real - time collaboration and presentment sharing – applications programme communion relies on the same basic screenland - partake technology . app share-out uses the Internet to remotely take in and control a particular software diligence on someone else ’s computer .
The greatest benefit of software sharing is that a outside drug user can hunt software program that is n’t put in on his computer , even computer software that is n’t compatible with his operating system or that postulate much more processing power than his computer can usually handle . This is because the removed user is n’t really launch the software on his calculator , he ’s just viewing and controlling the screen background ( and therefore the software ) of the emcee computer .
For model , an designer want to present his designs for a magnanimous apartment construction to his firm ’s collaborator . One of the partners is on vacation in the Bahamas and only has his sometime laptop computer computer with him . The architectural plan were created with a advanced computing machine aided design ( CAD ) program that requires a lot of processing exponent – too much for the vacationing collaborator ’s short laptop . With lotion sharing , the designer can share his screen background with the cooperator and the pardner can work with the CAD computer software remotely , never having to launch the practical program on his laptop .
app sharing is particularly useful for software salesmen and representatives . Traditionally , the only way for likely client to test aim a software program program was for the salesmen to travel to the client or for the client to wait on a great trade wind show . But with app communion , the salesman can go under up practical sales agreement engagement with the potential guest . Not only can he make his pitch with an engaging Web demonstration , but he can pass on over desktop controls to the customer so the client can have the package for himself .
For lots more information about background share-out and related to topics , gibe out the link on the next page .