How do you connect to a remote PC?

[anoble1]

Hey guys,
How do you connect to a remote PC in MS ACCESS? I am trying to write a program where I can input a computers name that is on the network in a form, and have it pull that computer up. Not remote desktop, but just connect to it. Once connected I wanted to pull data from it via WMI.
But, I can not find the code to search for a computer name and connect.
Example, if you go to cmd prompt and type in: shutdown -i, you get a popup box that lets you type in the computer name and then come simple commands that can shutdown, restart the remote PC. But, like I said. I was just looking for the part of code that can connect to the PC.

Any Ideas?

[DataMiser]

Well it really depends on what you mean by connect. And if you are trying to do this in Access then you are really in the wrong area of the forum as this section is for Visual Basic 6 and earlier. There is a different section for Office development. While Access does use VBA it is different and far more limited than VB.

[Bobbles]

What DataMiser said (is 100% of what I nearly said)

[dilettante]

I don't think "searching for a computer" and then twiddling it via WMI is a fit topic here either. Too much potential for abuse.

People should harden their systems against WMI attacks anyway:

To enable or disable WMI traffic using firewall UI

In the Control Panel, click Security and then click Windows Firewall.
Click Change Settings and then click the Exceptions tab.
In the Exceptions window, select the check box for Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) to enable WMI traffic through the firewall. To disable WMI traffic, clear the check box.

[Bobbles]

I have XP Pro SP3
I cannot see WMI in my list of Exceptions ?

[dilettante]

Ahh, Great Auntie XP. Wasn't she a quaint old duck of an OS?


The problem here is that prior to Vista the Windows Firewall was a lot simpler. In XP the firewall has no way to handle granular firewall rules.

This leaves you with a choice: disable networking (file and printer sharing) which will shut down all of DCOM and RPC, or else leave yourself vulnerable to Remote WMI exploits (Remote WMI uses DCOM).


Connecting to WMI Remotely Starting with Windows Vista

Starting with Windows Vista, WMI settings for Windows Firewall settings enable/disable only WMI connections, rather than other DCOM applications as well.

[DataMiser]

There is another choice of course.... use a 3rd party firewall

[ThEiMp]

To Upload/Download to the Remote PC, try the: INET Control.
For chatting, etc to the Remote PC, try the: Winsock Control.

[Doogle]

Notwithstanding Dilettante's comments regarding WMI and the potential security implications, it should be remembered that WMI was designed to be used by System Administrators to assist in the Management of computers. As such, it already has the capability to interrogate and alter things on remote machines (if the System Administartor has enabled WMI remote access on those machines.)
Whether it's 'clunky', 'resource greedy' and the 'best' tool to use, is a different matter (personally, having played around with it, I wouldn't touch it again with a barge pole)

[ThEiMp]

Same here, cause I was once a System Adminstrator and then given rights to all of the Local Area Network, then just saying that Remote Desktop, etc are very bad ways of doing things, indeed they are. Believe you me that I cannot touch anything like that again, far too much responsiblity to handle and far too much data at stake...