Question

I have created a VB.NET program using windows forms. The program runs on a remote PC and displays information on a screen. The computer does not even have a mouse or keyboard connected to it. The program shows the information based on the file that is loaded.

I want to be able to change this file remotely to another file that is already on the remote PC. I can’t use a graphical remote desktop client as we have very limited bandwidth.

So, my idea is to change the file using the command prompt (I think I’ll need something like SSH). I’m not sure how to do this. Should I use something like this and load DosModule first:

Module DOSModule
   Public Sub Main()
      Console.Write("First, start with Command Prompt processing ...")
      Dim myWinForm As New WinForm
      Application.Run(myWinForm)
   End Sub
End Module

How would I then read commands that is send to the program? I also only want one instance of the program running.

Thanks

Answer 1

You have 2 options. The first is a custom program that WILL require some network programming, like it or not. I would suggest creating either a Command-Line batch file or else a PowerShell script, then creating a program to transfer the script to the remote computer and execute the script.

The second option and the one better suited for you would be to download an SSH server. An SSH server will essentially open a command window and pipe the input and output over to a telnet client running on your machine. If you are running a version of Windows Server, an SSH server comes with Windows Server. Otherwise, you can download one for free here: http://www.freesshd.com/

Once you install the SSH server, you simply use telnet, from a command prompt, to link up with your remote SSH server