RemoteExec^® FAQ

• What user rights are required to run RemoteExec?
• Does RemoteExec work with remote Windows 9x computers?
• Are there other protocols than TCP/IP which are supported?
• Do I need to install any agent on the remote computers?
• What are the required conditions to execute remotely a task on a computer?
• RemoteExec doesn't work with the following symptoms: Status: "Failed to initialize" Error message: "Network path not found". What's the problem?
• How can I execute a program on a remote computer located in a workgroup or in a foreign domain?
• RemoteExec doesn't work with the following symptoms: Status: "Failed to initialize" Error message: "Access is denied". What's the problem?
• How should I deploy MS Office patches with RemoteExec?
• How can I deploy a folder with RemoteExec?
• I get the error “Unable to connect: Access denied” when trying to remotely execute tasks on Windows XP computers of my workgroup but the remote execution works fine on Windows 2000/NT4 computers of the workgroup. What’s the problem?
• Can RemoteExec remotely execute tasks on Windows XP SP2 workstations?

What user rights are required to run RemoteExec?

To remotely run a program, the Windows NT user account needs to have administrative rights on both computers (local and remote).

Does RemoteExec work with remote Windows 9x computers?

No - RemoteExec does not work on Windows 9x system.

Are there other protocols than TCP/IP which are supported?

Yes - RemoteExec can work on all protocols supported by DCOM including NetBeui and NWLink.

Do I need to install any agent on the remote computers?

No - RemoteExec uses standard Windows APIs and doesn't require any intervention or installation whatsoever on remote computers.

What are the required conditions to execute remotely a task on a computer?

1- The registry of this computer should be accessible remotely from your administration console (using regedit or regedt32).
2- The administrative share \\ComputerName\admin$ should be accessible from your administration console

If that's not the case you should check the following points:
1- Do you have the administrative rights on the remote computer?
2- Is the server service running on the remote computer?
3- Is the remote registry service running on the remote computer?
4- Is the administrative share on the remote computer Windows NT directory (ADMIN$) not disabled?
5- Can you resolve the name of the remote computer from your administration console (check this with the command line "ping computername" )?
If not, you have a WINS or a DNS problem.

RemoteExec doesn't work with the following symptoms: Status: "Failed to initialize" Error message: "Network path not found". What's the problem?

Check if you have routers between the two computers. If that the case, please check that the RPC protocol is correctly routed.

How can I execute a program on a remote computer located in a workgroup or in a foreign domain?

You can run RemoteExec with the runas command and the /netonly option (using an administrator account of the remote computer/domain) or you can create the same administrator account (login and password) on the remote computer and on the local computer and execute RemoteExec locally under this account.

RemoteExec doesn't work with the following symptoms: Status: "Failed to initialize" Error message: "Access is denied". What's the problem?

You should check that DCOM is enabled on the remote computer. You can do this with the tool dcomcnfg.exe. In the Default Properties tab "Enable distributed COM on this computer" should be checked.

How should I deploy MS Office patches with RemoteExec?

According to Microsoft rules patching directly installed copies on client workstations is not recommended. So you should:
1- Download the administrative version of the patch and extract the .msp file.
2- Patch the administrative installation⁽¹⁾ with the following command line: “msiexec /a %MsiPath% /p %MspPath% SHORTFILENAMES=1”
%MsiPath% is the path to the msi file of the administrative installation
%MspPath% is the path to the patch (.msp file)
3- Synchronize the administrative installation with all installed copies on client workstations using the Update operation of the “Msi Installation” action in RemoteExec. The procedure is the same for all Windows Installer packaged applications deployed through an administrative installation.

(1) The administrative installation should be created on your server with the following command line: setup /a and specify the target folder.

How can I deploy a folder with RemoteExec?

You can use the action template downloadable here. Load the action in RemoteExec specify the folder you want to deploy as working folder, select the target computers and click execute. RemoteExec will create a mirror of your folder on all target computers and you will be able to check in the console (dir of the remote folder) that the files have been really copied.

I get the error “Unable to connect: Access denied” when trying to remotely execute tasks on Windows XP computers of my workgroup but the remote execution works fine on Windows 2000/NT4 computers of the workgroup. What’s the problem?

The default configuration of a Windows XP computer in workgroup doesn’t allow remote administration. To allow remote execution you need to disable the simple file sharing. You can do this through the Windows explorer in the folder options (View tab). Additionally the password of the used admin account should not be empty.

Can RemoteExec remotely execute tasks on Windows XP SP2 workstations?

Yes, RemoteExec can remotely execute tasks on Windows XP SP 2 workstations. You just need to follow the instructions listed in the document XP SP2 firewall settings for RemoteExec in order to deploy the firewall settings allowing RemoteExec to remotely execute tasks on these computers.