How would you approach managing around 200 remote PCs? The network they’re in changes, the only (almost) constant thing is that they’re connected to internet.
I don’t expect something super fancy - the most important thing for me is a way to install / remove software on those (can be via winget / choco - thus it would require some remote scripts distribution and execution).
I work at the local Fablab … and we’ve grown a bit. We’ve also started a mobile fablab initiative where we basically have a bus packed with equipment (3d printers, laptops, laser cutter etc) that goes to schools etc in remote locations where we run labs and workshops.
So from time to time there’s a need to deploy apps on those. With the number of devices we have remotely connecting to each (RustDesk / Anydesk etc) is no longer an option.
As this in non-profit the budget is pretty tight. I’m looking at some of the EMS systems available, but they tend to be on a pricey side and I’m looking for a cheaper options. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Would setting up a vpn between all those machine and you be somthing you can do ?
This plus RDP for manual intervention or SSH for automated deployement (may i recommand setting up ansible or saltstack on scale like this ?) Sound to me like the best way.
Add client isolation to the vpn for safety
If this sound like something you want more info on, do ask i can elaborate a more.
Welcome to the forum! If you are looking for an anydesk replacement, look no further than RustDesk.
Set up your own relay in a VPS or your main data center and open it up to the internet, then configure the clients to use it instead. No VPN required.
If you can have the boxes connect to a VPN, or if they have other monitoring software that pings one of your servers, so you can find their IPs and remote to them through the internet, you can use SSH. On newer releases of Windows, OpenSSH Server is a thing, so you can run powershell commands via SSH, so you can use chocolatey or winget or whatnot. That means a potential to automate the deployment with other tools (ansible, chef, puppet, etc.).
So in short - I’m not looking for a remote access replacement. It would mean that I’d have to “do stuff” on each machine separately. And that’s problem already solved - as mentioned in my first post I use Rustdesk for this .
The problem I’m trying to solve is how can I install / uninstall software on those machines “in bulk”. The number of pc-s reached a point when it becomes unmenagable.
@ucav117 is pretty much spot on - something like this RMM / EMS tool would be super nice. But usually those are on a pretty expensive side - and as mentioned being a non-profit usually means the budget is pretty tight.
vlycop : when machines are in one of the 3 shops vpn is something I could do. Won’t work with the mobile labs though. So that’s partially ok.
I wonder about Saltstack and Ansible - I’ve heard about those mostly when it comes to server management.
shadragon : I’d say we’re “cloud based”, but even that is not a good description. It’s rather 3 on-prem locations and 2 buses I’m trying to handle from a single location.
So far we don’t have a central domain. The buses basically ruled that out.
Why wouldn’t it work on the mobile lab ? you said that it was always online right ? 4G or Wifi of some sort ?
The goal is to have the server at a fix point, but client on every device so that as long as internet is available, any computer can open a connection to the server, and thus the server can send “jobs” to every client
A server is noting more than a computer used for “server stuff”, honestly my own Desktop is setup using an ansible playbook to make reinstall less painful
Both Saltstack (better to keep a lot of server ISO) and Ansible (better to have lot’s of different config file if you have many small group of machine) have Windows module. So you can use those tool in your setup
Plus way was the other one I was trying to think of.
@Przemek if you are a non-profit often the pricing of these software packages are EXTREMELY variable based on what the company thinks they can get away with. It wouldn’t hurt to talk to them and see if you can negotiate a lower price for your NP since there is a good chance they can write it off in their taxes as a “donation”.
@vlycop : I get it it’s just a PC . I just thought there may be some software component present only in server version of windows etc.
Atm. I’m trying a couple of RMM solutions and got to admit it’s being a tad frustrating. In a sense most of them are quite awesome… but seem designed mostly for other use cases (monitoring etc). Deploying software in those I’ve tested is usually pita (super convoluted, does not always work, uninstall fail etc). At this point Ansible etc. with choco / winget which seemed a hassle and tricky for non-techies (I’m basically alone managing things at this point and hoped to add a regular user as help) does not look that out of place …
In the end I’ve settled on Atera. While testing other options I also liked Pulseway.
I’m playing with Ansible on my home lab, but the point of an option with gui is so the other users could actually use it .
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