PROTBLOCK english manual
The unique Windows based remote
controller/firewall tool
Copyright (c) 2005 WYxSoftware
All Rights Reserved
Table of Contents
1.
Preview
Protblock is a special Windows based controller/firewall tool, with its
help you
can remotely manage/control the computers in an internal/extarnal
network.
Just install the two parts of the package to the computers and you are
able to do the following things even in a workstation:
- you can control the remote computers via net (lan, internet)
- you can send messages
- you can enable/disable the network usage
- you can ban IP addresses
- determining prohibited web/irc/chat/p2p sites
- you can trust IP addresses
- determining visitable websites for children
- limiting the usable network (for instance only the local
network)
- you can shut down/restart/log off the computers
- you can copy files
- you can get the screenshot of the remote computers (screen thief)
- you can update itself (the service program on clients too)
- you can do all via secure connection between computers
Important thing that the users have no
permission to modify, stop or
change the program's functioning!
The program has 'light' and 'registered' version,
the light
version can only work just on a few remote computer.
2.
System requirements
The client program runs in 'service mode' on computer hence you need
win32 systems with 'service running' capability.
UnderWindows 2000, XP it has been tested, but I think on
Windows 2003 Server is also a good environment. The remote computers
need NTFS filesystem because of security.
3.
Installation
The program collection has two parts. The first part gets to the
client
(remote) computers and the second one gets to the controller
computer(s).
3.1 Client (remote) computer
installation
Because of security issues use NTFS filesystem on the disk which you
want
to install the client program to! On FAT filesystem you can't make the
best of the program's possibilities and the security is not guaranteed!
Run the installation file (Protblock.exe)
with 'System Administrator' privileges and
follow the process. The installer copies the file to your computer and
creates a windows service and runs it. The name of this service is
'Prot', if you have a previous service installed with this name, you
can't use the program. In this case contact the author for individual
version. The second service is the Protupdater with the name 'ProtU'.
This service will
update our main service (and settings) if we wish.
This installed service (Prot) manages the remote computers. If the
remote computer has two or more network cards we have to define the
card nubmer in the adapter.ini
file. The default value is the '0', this is the first card. For the
second card use the value '1'. After installing and running the service
it creates a file (adapters.txt)
in which we can see the parameters of the network cards. The Prot service has root
privileges and can control the whole computer. Of course, the regular
user can't disable or delete this service from the memory! This service
executes the commands received from the controller application that
placed on controller pc's. Do the previous process on all remote
computers.
For clients the ProtListener program will be also installed . It keeps
back (it is stoppable by Control Center) and listens to the service
messages and puts them to the screen. This program is needed only for
the
visualizing of the messages. The ProtListener - if installed - has an
icon (a yellow
key) on the quicklauch bar and residents in the memory. If
there is no network the key is red.
3.2 Controller (server) computer
installation
Run the installation file (Protcontr.exe)
with 'System Administrator' privileges and
follow the process. This is a simple graphical application that
communicates via
UDP (and TCP) protocol with the client computers.
4.
Setting up
The Figure 1 shows an example how to configure our network.
4.1 Controller computers
The Controllers are going to
manage the clients over the network. We are able to use one (or more)
controller(s) for this job. We need at least 2 PCs for the task (one is
the controller and the other is the controlled). First of all we may
design
our own configuration on paper.
In the test environment (figured above) we have two controller PCs on
the LAN called controller1
and controller2 (yellow computers).
Give
the IPs
172.16.1.21 and 172.16.1.20 for them. After starting the controller
program we can create the remote IP list on the Remote settings page. At the right
side of the page we can add a new client computer to the list. Looking
at Figure 1 we can see that we have 4 client computers. Insert the
first computer's IP address to the New
IP Address editbox. Insert the name of the computer into the Comment
field, for example user1. At
the bottom
we can insert the computer into a virtual room. We have default 9 rooms
to
separate our computers. The X and
Y field mean the coordinates
of the computer in the room.
The size parameter is the
width of the computer represented by an image. After the Add command the computer appears in
the list and in the room. Do it for all remote computers. After
selecting the computer in the list we can remove it using the Remove button. If you are ready,
save them to the config file with Save
button. Figure1 shows the
config file called remotelist.ini
that produces the program. We can edit this file with a simple text
editor too if we have recognized the meaning of the fields separated by
";".
The next step is the generation of the secret-key. The data-transfer is
secured
between computers by a symmetrical coding function. You have
to create a key.txt file with
the key-generator program (ProtKeygenerator.exe)!
4.2 Remote computers
The remote computers are the controlled
computers.
We have four computers with IP's 172.16.1.1, 172.16.1.2,
172.16.1.3, 172.16.1.4. We must edit the file conlist.ini in the installed
directory with a text editor like Notepad. Append this file with
the
controller's IP and MAC address separated by ";". Figure1 shows it
how. The MAC address is an individual code of a network adapter for
the identification. The remote
computer accepts the commands only from these adapters identified by
the IP and the MAC. Keep this conlist.ini
in secret on the remote computer by changing the permissons "read and
write"
only for Administrators and System user and removing the read
access
from the Regular users. In
addition you have to copy the
generated key.txt file (see
the previous section) from the controller computer into this directory.
This file is needed
for establishing the connection between computers. Keep this file in
secret with
similar permissions like the conlist.ini.
These three parameters (IP, MAC, key) identify a controller computer,
in
absence of any the connection is broken.
4.3 Firewall settings
The remote computer is listening on port 1555 UDP. (In addition if you
want to use the Screen thief or
the File transfer command,
you must open the port 20 (ftp-data) TCP.) You have to enable
this incoming (and outgoing) port on firewall(s) if you have.
5.
Usage of the program(s)
After the installation processes begin the work with the system.
The ProtController is the graphical interface and the main controller
of the system so we must discuss it first.
Execute the program on the controller computer.
5.1 General settings
On the General settings page
we can see the detected default IP and default MAC address. These two
parameters are used for controlling the remote computers. Of
course, in the conlist.ini
setting on remote computers must point to this IP and MAC. If you don't
see
any IP addresses (0.0.0.0) , check first the
Windows TCP/IP settings for the network adapter(s) and the installation
process
again, and see the permissions.
5.2 Sending a command
Let's see an example. We want to ask for the version number of the
service from the remote computer.Click on the Commands page and choose the Ask
status item and after that choose the Version
number item in the subbox. With
this process we defined the command that we want to send. Click
on the Remote settings page
and determine the computer. At the Remote
address IP list section click on the computer with IP
172.16.1.1. Go back to the Commands
page and push the Send command
button.
(On the fast networks we can use the default Command delay setting that is
sufficient for the communication. If the net is slower, change
the Command delay to a bigger
one.)
At the right side of the form (in the memobox) we can see the answer
text:
172.16.1.1 --> Version number is x.y.z
The process was successful. If you see the following message:
172.16.1.1 Not answered
then the communication between computers is not established. A number
of
reasons might produce this problem,
in the FAQ section
there are many solutions for this.
Of course, we can send commands to several computers at the same time
checking more
items in. If we send command to more computers then the program waits
for the response till the Command
delay period.
The communication result is apparent on the screen too. If the
computer is under control the background color of the IP number is
blinking green. If the answer is received then the blinking ends else
the
background color will be red.
5.3 Command types
5.3.1 Ask status
- Prot status - the actual status of the remote computer
- Version number - the version number of the service
- Log status - shows whether any user logged in or not
- IPBan list version - the verion number of the bannedlist.ini file
- IPTrust list version - the verion number of the trustedlist.ini file
5.3.2 Send a message
We can send messages to a computer. The max number of chars are 250.
Don't use the ';' char in the text. You are able to load the text from
a file using the '<...>' button.
5.3.3 Start all protocols
This function permits the usage of the network totally. All local ports
are open and all IPs are permitted. The users can use the internet and
the local area network.
The key icon (ProtListener) is not crossed out.
5.3.4 Stop all protocols
This function prohibits the usage of the network totally. All local
ports
are closed and all IPs are prohibited. Only the communication channel
between controllers and
remote computers is open. Neither the local area
network nor the internet can be used. The key icon (ProtListener) is
crossed out and
shows that net connection is not permitted.
5.3.5 Activate the banned IPs
There is a list on remote computers called bannedlist.ini. If the file doesn't
exist you can create this file on the remote computer.
The structure of this file is:
#1.00
195.228.75.117;chat.hu
195.70.36.207;chat.gyaloglo.hu
The first line is the version number. If we change the file then we
must increase this number manually .
The other lines show the banned IPs + ';'+ the hostname of this IP (the
hostname is only for comfort). These IPs are denied on
the remote computer. If the user wants to reach this IP (on any
protocoll) the program will send a
message that this IP is not available. This function is good (for
example) to prohibit chat
sites from the local computer.
If we ask a status from the banned computer then it gives:
172.16.1.1 --> Prot status:
IPBan initialized.
5.3.6 Activate the trusted IPs
There is a list on remote computers called trustedlist.ini. If the file
doesn't exist you can create this file on the remote computer.
The structure of the file is similar to the one which has been
explained in the previous
section.
This command says to the remote computer that the user can reach only
the specified IPs collected by the file.
The user can't reach any other IP on the net.
5.3.7 Shut down
- Log off - the computer is going to log off in the time specified
in the Time in min box
- Shut down - the computer is going to shut down in the time
specified in the Time in min box
- Restart - the computer is going to restart in the time specified
in the Time in min box
If you give the command, you can't revoke it! However, you are able to
change the time (but not disable) with a command again.
If you set- for example- a remote computer to shut down in 5 minutes,
the
ProtListener shows twice the message (on remote computer) after giving
a command. First it shows immediately and for the second time one
minute
before shutting down.
5.3.8 File transfer
You are able to copy file(s) from local (controller) computer to remote
computer(s). The files must be in the same directory (the directory
can't be copied). The recursive copy
is not working. Be careful with this command because you might rewrite
file(s) on remote computers!
5.3.9 Screen thief mode
In this mode you can steal the remote screen. The stolen screen is
copied temporarily to the controller's computer and it appears in the
box
(that means the computer). If you see an X on the screen after sending
a command then
the computer is switched off or does not answer. The program shows if
the computers are logged off or in. Remember the ftp-data port needs to
be enabled
on the firewall! Sometimes the answer does not arrive because the
communication has been lost. In this case don't worry, try
again. This is a non-repeated
command, if the communication is lost the
controller does not try again!
In this mode if we move the mouse pointer over the computer box the
stolen screen is zooming in! If we click on this zoomed screen it will
be resized to fullscreen.
If we click again, it goes back.
5.3.10 Updater
This command helps you to update the program related files on the
remote computers. You are able to update not only the ini files but the
main service too! If you want to update follow the steps:
- Create a directory on your controller's computer
- copy the new file(s) into this directory and decompress (what you
downloaded
from the website) it (them)
- Go to the 'Updater'
command
- Choose the cretated dictionary and send the command
You might create your own updater directory. The structure is the
following: (Let's see an example.)
c:\update\
bannediplist.ini.upd
updatelist.txt
You can refresh the banned list on the remote computer with these two
files.
The updatelist.txt must be
with the following lines:
bannediplist.ini.upd
bannediplist.ini
It means that the program copies both (bannediplist.ini.upd,
updatelist.txt) files to the remote computer and there the
service opens the updatelist.txt file and looks what is written in the
file. It recognizes that the
bannediplist.ini.upd must rename to
bannediplist.ini ! The first
line is the original file name, the second
line is the renamed one. (The ProtUpdater service is also not stoppable
by
a regular user) If you want to refresh your service too, insert these
two lines to
the updatelist.txt :
protblock.exe.upd
protblock.exe
...and copy the protblock.exe.upd into the updater directory! That is
very simple.
We suggest checking the version number after the update process.
This is a non-repeated
command so
if the communication is lost the
controller does not try again! The ftp-data port need to be enabled on
the firewall!
5.3.11 Cafe mode
This mode is expressly implemented for the Internet Cafes. You can
define timers for computers and listen to the value of the timers on
the screen. Set the Cafe related settings on the General
settings page. The progressbar can be seen at the top of every
computer
box. After adding a new timer you might see the timer value of this
computer. You can't change the value of an existing timer! First
remove the old one and then add a new one.
If the program crashes (or exits) the timer values are not lost. If
you restart the program the timers are going on.
6.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
You may use the official
forum to find the solution for your problem.
- I can see that the Controller
writes ' Not answered' after sending a command to a remote computer.
What is the
problem?
Firts of all you have to be sure that you perfectly finished the
installation process. Check if the neccessary files (and the key file
too) have been
copied/created to the directories (.ini and key.txt). See the INI files
inside and check the IPs and the MAC addresses (like on Figure 1).
If you have firewall, check if the ports are open or
not. See if the service (Prot) are started or stopped.
- I can see the following message after sending a command: 'You don't have permission to control!
<IP>" What does it mean?
Probably the controller side is right but the conlist.ini of the client side does
not contain the controller's IP or MAC properly.
- I installed the client program
to the remote computer but the service does not want to run!
If the service program (Protblock.exe) is installed but not possible to
start then you have to check if all ini files have been copied to the
program's dir (conlist.ini, status.ini, servicestatus.txt, key.txt).
Then you must check the following installed dlls in the Windows dirs:
npf.sys
in %WINDIR%\System32\drivers\
pthreadVC.dll in
%WINDIR%\System32\
packet.dll
in %WINDIR%\System32\
wpcap.dll
in %WINDIR% \System32\
- I got the following error
message after sending a command: "Socket error #xxxxx No route to
host."?
The network configuration is not correct in Windows. Go to the General settings page to have a
look at the Network parameters.
If the selected
network card has no IP (0.0.0.0) then set the IP by the Network setting
icon under Windows.
- Am I able to command from more
controller computers side by side?
Yes, you are.
- How can I stop the services on
the remote computer?
You must log in as Administrator and use the Start menu->Run... and
type: net stop Prot
and net stop ProtU .
7.
Contact
WYxSoftware team
Hungary, Europe
web: www.wyxsoftware.com
mail: info@wyxsoftware.com
forum: www.forum.wyxsoftware.com
8.
License
THIS PROGRAM AND THE ACCOMPANYING FILES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT
WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER IMPRESSED OR IMPLIED. THE AUTHOR
ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND ON HARD- OR SOFTWARE
OR OTHER DAMAGE, WHICH HAS BEEN CAUSED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY BY THE
USE OF THIS PROGRAM AND EVEN NOT FOR THE FUNCTIONALITY OF THE PROGRAM.
- The LIGHT version is used for getting to know the
program. The LIGHT version may be freely distributed, with exceptions
noted below, provided the distribution package is not modified in any
way.
- No person or company may distribute separate parts of the
package without written permission of the copyright owner.
- The ProtBlock LIGHT version may not be distributed inside of
any other software package without written permission of the copyright
owner.
- The REGISTERED version of the software requires payment. You can
read about the fees on the official
website of ProtBlock
Installing and using ProtBlock signifies acceptance of these terms and
conditions of the license.
If you do not agree with the terms of this license you must remove
ProtBlock files from your storage devices and cease to use the product.
Thank you for using ProtBlock.