Based on the name of the VNC Viewer application, many users can immediately guess which class of software it belongs to, for example, drawing an analogy with the well-known TeamViewer package. However, ordinary users may encounter such a utility for the first time, so it’s worthwhile to dwell separately on some issues related to how and what modification of the program it is better to install, how to configure the application for optimal operation, how to use VNC Viewer, “squeezing” the maximum out of the application of opportunities.
VNC Viewer Overview
To begin with, we will briefly dwell on what this software product is, consider what it is intended for. Based on the above analogy, we can say that the VNC client is a universal application that allows you to organize access to a remote computer in a matter of minutes.
That is, this program can be attributed to the class of RDP applications designed to connect to a remote "Desktop". However, the matter is not limited to access to remote computers, since the program itself has many more additional features:
- Full control of settings without restrictions in full screen or window mode.
- File transfer.
- Ability to send messages through the built-in chat.
- Block peripheral devices, if necessary (mice, keyboards, etc.).
- Ability to access connected PCs through a browser.
- Organization of connection with several terminals simultaneously.
Immediately it is worth noting that the Virtual Network Computing (VNC) technology has another indisputable advantage when compared with analogues. The fact is that it has the ability to install the server and client parts (depending on which type of connection will be used in the future), plus, fine-tuning the software for each installation option in order to ensure maximum performance.
Features of the choice of installation distribution
Before proceeding with the installation, it is necessary to decide on the modification of the VNC client that is supposed to be installed. Firstly, the program itself is cross-platform, can be installed in almost all known stationary and mobile operating systems. Secondly, for the same Windows OS you can find versions of RealVNC, TightVNC, UltraVNC and a lightweight modification of UltraVNC SC (all versions are compatible with each other, but some functions may not be available), for Mac OS X - Chicken and JollysFastVNC. Thirdly, it is necessary to determine the type of client to be installed (the server part is used to organize connections from the central machine to the child terminals, and the client part is used to connect from the child machines to the central server).
Fourth, directly on the official resource of the developer, you can choose your preferred VNC Viewer installer file format for Windows (EXE, MSI) or download the distribution package in the form of a packaged ZIP archive. The last item is at the request of the user.
Install VNC Viewer
Now we proceed directly to the installation of the selected software product. Note that for almost all modifications, the installation process looks the same.
To start the installation on Windows versions 7 and higher, the VNC client installer file is launched exclusively with administrator privileges (in the PCM menu, the launch item is selected as administrator). There is nothing unusual in the installation process.
The user needs to choose their preferred language, accept the terms of the license agreement, indicate the installation path (you can not change it), add an icon to the “Desktop” at one of the stages, and then simply click the installation start button.
The first launch of the application
Suppose that the program is installed and the user starts it for the first time. Initially, VNC Viewer settings are not very complicated. At the first start, a window will be displayed in which you can select the desired action. But we will proceed from the fact that we need to connect independently.
How to use VNC Viewer?
First, through the file menu, select the New Connection item, and then in the new window enter the IP address of the remote terminal or the full name of the computer (the address can be found on the connected machine using the properties of the Internet connection or the command line with the ipconfig command, and the computer name can be viewed in the system properties). After that, a password request window will appear in which you need to enter the desired combination. If the combination matches the password set on the remote computer, the remote “Desktop” will appear.
Recommendations for choosing the optimal operating mode
How to use VNC Viewer to create a connection, we figured out. Now a few words about the preferred settings.
If you carefully look at the connection creation window, you can find a tab for experts in it. If you select, for example, your preferred compression algorithms for transmitted and received data, then you can significantly reduce the load on the central processor and optimize the use of Virtual Network Computing technology even for networks with a bandwidth of 256 kbps. For graphics, it is recommended to set a high compression level (Compression Level) with a minimum quality (JPEG Quality), and as an additional optimization, activate the reduction in the number of colors (Restricted Colors or bgr233).
In addition, it is worth noting that on one terminal, a connection to several machines based on the 5900 base port can be used via the display parameter. By default, the main display is set to “0”, and for all others, it increases (“1”, “2”, etc.) Accordingly, the port (5901, 5902, etc.) will change, which will need to be specified after the address through a colon (for example, 192.168.0.5:5901). In the case of dynamic (rather than static) addresses, you can additionally take advantage of obtaining dynamic DNS, for example, based on DynDNS. You can set such a setting on the router or register on the service portal on the Internet. In this case, the service will transmit to the installed client all information related to changing the IP of the connected computer.
Possible program malfunctions
In general, crashes can only be due to the fact that at the moment the computer simply does not have an Internet connection or the corresponding port used by the program by default is busy. Sometimes you may notice a block by antiviruses and firewalls. But these problems are solved quite simply.
Some common troubleshooting methods
Among the main methods for resolving possible failures when trying to establish a connection, the following can be recommended:
- Add the installed program to the list of applications that are allowed to use the Internet connection in the Windows firewall.
- Create new rules for port 5900 for outgoing and incoming connections.
- If the previous solution does not help, forward port 5900 on the router.
- Add the program to the antivirus exclusion list.
- Verify that the static address and password for accessing the remote terminal are correct.
Summary
That’s briefly and everything regarding the question of how to use VNC Viewer. As you can see, there is nothing particularly complicated here. In conclusion, it is worth noting that in some cases it is advisable to use not the passwords set directly in the operating systems, but to pre-log into the registration record in the client itself, after creating it on a special resource. In this case, you will not be dependent on Windows accounts.