User`s guide

Getting Started with VCM Remote
8
Getting Started with VCM Remote
Getting Started with VCM Remote
Many workstations come and go from the network. This transient behavior is especially true of mobile
workstations, such as laptops. From a mobile workstation, you can connect by dialing in, connect from a
client site via a Virtual Private Network (VPN), or connect from an alternate location via a DSL line or
cable modem. In these scenarios, these devices may connect over networks with variable available
bandwidth such as:
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Broadband: DSL and cable connections can be 156Kb to more than 1Mb
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Dialup: A dial-up connection could be 56Kb or less
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LAN: A local area connection to the network equal to or greater than 1Mb. A VPN connection may be
at LAN speeds but connected over the Internet
Machines may not be, and often are not, on the network when the Collector initiates a collection. Consider
patch management. You need up-to-date information to perform the Assessments to ensure your
machines and production networks are protected from the latest vulnerability. Relying on data from
mobile workstations can be risky.
The VCM Remote client provides support for mobile Windows workstations. VCM Remote is a service-
based agent that “announces” itself when it is online. The agent sends this announcement over HTTP to a
server-side component residing on the VCM Internet Information Services (IIS) server. Based on user-
defined settings on the IIS server, the Collector creates immediate requests, such as collections, for the
machine that just came online. The server-side processing is smart enough to batch work at periodic
intervals. This technique avoids the problem of having 15,000 clients come online within ten minutes of
one another and creating 15,000 individual requests.
Workflow Diagram
The basic sequence of actions is represented in the following diagram.
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