DesktopECHO Inc. iMKS

What is iMKS?

* The iMKS Virtual Appliance presents the VMware Remote Console in a simple, secure, and cross-platform fashion.
* Impressive console rendering over any IP network -- LAN, WAN or Internet.
* FreeNX + NX GPL back-end, NoMachine NX Client front-end (download for Mac OS X, Solaris, Linux and Windows.)
* iSCSI target (IET 0.4.16) built-in, and a basic Webmin GUI for iSCSI target editing.
* Network PDF Printer: Macs (or PC's with Bonjour) can autodiscover and install the iMKS PDF print driver.
* PDF's automagically wind up in your home folder or the public web share at http://imks.local/public

Remote Consoles supported:

* VMware ESX 3.x and ESXi
* VMware Server 2.x and Server 1.x
* VMware ESX 2.x
* Microsoft RDP and SeamlessRDP
* VNC and Apple Remote Desktop (ARD)
* Cirtix ICA and Java-based consoles work when their respective plugins are installed

Challenges: (What problems can iMKS solve?)

* VMware's Remote Console (RemoteMKS) is designed for high-fidelity reproduction of screens to other
* computers on a LAN. Performance over Cable/DSL Internet is therefore (expectedly) terrible or unusable.
* Mac users suffer with terrible ARD/VNC performance over WAN/Internet.
* RemoteMKS consoles pumped over RDP/Citrix work ok, but issues with "drunken mouse syndrome"
* or "screen-in-screen lagmonster" can make for unhappy experiences.
* VMware Remote Consoles are only available for Windows and Linux on x86.
* Mac (Intel/PPC) or Solaris users have no free and reliable way to run
* VMware GSX / Server/ ESX 2.x / ESX 3.x Remote Consoles.

Design:

* Start the iMKS VM - Set passwords - DONE.
* Unlimited users -- The ceiling is hardwarwe and bandwidth, not licensing.
* Engineered with attention to being small, good-looking and dead-simple to use.
* iMKS (strictly speaking) is a Virtual Appliance, there is no desktop per-se. Remote applications are
* seamlessly integrated into the local desktop
* ZeroConf/Bonjour aware, remote SMB filecopy, discoverable PDF printer for the network.
* Windows Remote Desktop (RDP protocol) supported through an improved GUI rdesktop, and provides
* accessibility to Win2000 / XP / 2003 / and Vista RDP sessions.
* SeamlessRDP support; integrating rdesktop/SVN, third-party patches and a tuned version of TSclient 1.50.
* Past work on the TSclientX project for MacOS became the breeding ground for the refinement seen here.
* A VNC Client with tabbed windows, ZeroConf/Bonjour autodiscovery, Apple VNC and Keychain support: Vinagre.
* Secure enough to live in the perimeter. One incoming port required for functionality;
* authentication and data streams are protectd by SSHv2.
* Fast, secure remote access to a Mac OS X Desktop when used in conjunction with the excellent Vine Server,
* it can transform Mac OS X into a multi-user Terminal Server.

Tips:

* There are lots, I need to post some.

Known Issues:

* VMware Remote Console - When first opened a "Connect to Server" window pops up but focus is
stolen from the window. Click the "Connect to server" window in your taskbar/dock and you should be
able to type inside the window again.

ChangeLog:

* February 3, 2009 - Build 404. Third Public Release
* August 4, 2008 - Build 383. Second Public Release
* June 18, 2008 - Build 315. Initial Release

Everything Else:

* This package is provided "AS-IS" with no warranty - explicit or implied - from anyone.

Thanks go out to:

* VMware: The remote console binaries packaged in iMKS are VMware's code, (c)VMware, Inc.

* The rest of iMKS is made up of free and open source software.
* CentOS/RedHat, FreeNX, NoMachine NX, XFCE, GNOME, KDE, OpenVM-Tools,
* and at least one kitchen sink. Hack away, let us know if you can make iMKS better!

Questions or feedback? E-Mail below, or try the VMware Community.

Daniel Milisic