Implement features of EchoVNC into UltraVNC

[novallis]

I Found this today at SourceForge.net: http://sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?forum_id=472417

The EchoVNC team has released version 1.32 of their open-source, secure remote-access tool for Windows. This is a minor bugfix released to improve the connection reliablity of earlier versions.

Source and binaries are available here: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfile ... _id=133100

EchoVNC supports the following features:

o Secure connections to VNC servers behind unconfigured firewalls and routers
o A "dynamic-DNS" capability for VNC Servers without static IP addresses
o A startup wizard to assist with initial setup
o An option to automatically start EchoVNC at startup
o OpenSSL is automatically detected to enable the 128-bit AES encryption option

EchoVNC is a secure remote-access tool based on VNC. With it, a Windows PC can be remotely accessed regardless of firewall or router configuration. EchoVNC makes standard VNC installs "firewall friendly" with no port-forwarding requirements. EchoVNC is built upon the open-source echoWare SDK developed as part of the Kaboodle project. With echoWare, any peer-to-peer or client-server Internet application can interconnect via a 3rd-party relay server, making all data traffic appear to be "outgoing" to any client-side firewalls or routers. Via the OpenSSL library, connections between the two applications can have their data content secured with a Diffie-Hellman key-exchange and 128-bit AES encryption. The relay-server supported by echoWare clients is a shareware application called "echoServer" -- together with EchoVNC, it provides an overall remote-access solution that is "firewall-friendly", highly secure, and extremely low cost.

For more information on EchoVNC please visit http://www.echovnc.com

What do you think?
Is it possible to enhance UltraVNC with EchoVNC features replacing/enhancing Nat2Nat-features?

Regards
- Novallis

[redge]

if echovnc can do a dsmplugin as is for use his echovnc as more easy and freely under GPL her welcome !

That close the need of external software, just use dsmplugin echovnc free under gpl (not yet available maybe ... Scott can do it ?)

or

if Rudi De Vos and/or UltraSam create a dsmplugin using NAT2NAT do same would be great.

[Marscha]

EchoServer is not open source.
Without that, EchoVNC looses it's firewall frienlyness.

Correct me if i'm wrong.

[redge]

Marscha

sorry miss understanding

I ask for Scott create new dsmplugin echovnc to be free open source under GPL and there not loose friendly firewall bypass, that make more easy only for UltraVNC can use plugin.

[sbest]

Heyaz. I'm the coordinator behind the EchoVNC project. To answer your questions:

1. Yes, any client-server or peer-to-peer application for Windows can be modified to work with echoWare. We're currently investigating putting echoWare directly into a major VNC release.

2. EchoWare doesn't use the DSM plugin, but it does make a LoadLib() call to the OpenSSL toolkit. If that's found, the data session is end-to-end encrypted with 128-bit AES. I'm impartial to the actual algorithm; if RC4 is preferred above AES, we could add that to the echoWare API.

3. Marscha is right: echoWare itself is open-source, but the echoServer is a shareware app (for Linux and Windows). But it's a fully functional download, and really inexpensive to register ($25 for individuals). It pays for a lot of really good support, and some really useful development.

Hope that answers your questions!

-Scott

[californiajeff]

I am curious as to what you guys are talkign about here. DO you think EchoVNC is better than UltraVNC in someway? Or do you think UltraVNC is lacking something that is implemented in EchoVNC?

[sbest]

CA-Jeff:

Heya. EchoVNC isn't "better" than UltraVNC -- you need the second to make the first one work. That is, EchoVNC isn't its own "flavor" of VNC, it's just a way of making existing VNC installations "firewall friendly". In that sense, EchoVNC is similar to the NAT2NAT and Repeater capabilities of UltraVNC. But, I think, easier to use. More info here.

cheers,
Scott

[lizard]

Hello,
Another curious dood here. Could you clarify one point for me please?

So far about EchoVNC system I've seen 2 names of software you mentioned about, EchoWare and EchoServer.
And you also said that the EchoServer is proprietary software which isn't open-source and will charge us $25 to use.

My question is only in one point.
Is an EchoServer which costs $25 required necesserily in the middle of EchoVNC system?
If so, even though EchoVNC solution might be easier and more useful than the N2N, it at least sounds not easier to me to start off since I had to pay you somehow preceding to the use...

I just thought we better know much about your plan clearly, for better understanding the value of your product.

Thanks

[sbest]

Lizard:

Heya. Yes, an echoServer is required to connect echoWare-enabled applications (like EchoVNC and Kaboodle) together.

However, echoServer is a free-to-try shareware download. It's fully operational in the "unregistered" state, it just has time-limits on the connection. We also run a free "demo server" that's publically available at "demo.echovnc.com" -- the Startup Wizard of EchoVNC will offer to automatically connect you to the demo server.

Which is all to say...it is free to try out, and please don't pay for it if the software isn't worth 25 bucks.

cheers,
Scott

[lizard]

Thanks for *quick* answer, sbest!

[sbest]

Lizard:

No prob; turns out to be one of my favorite topics.

If you get a chance to kick around the software, I'd welcome any suggestions you have for its improvement.

thanks,
Scott

[scovel]

Scott,

Another dense question:

Is THIS what it does...

(Local PC) vncviewer->loopback->EchoWare->
firewallA->Internet->EchoServer->Internet->firewallB->
(Remote PC)EchoWare->vncserver

Where the EchoWare stuff runs locally on the PC? Classic tunnel situation, except the EchoServer allows both ends of the tunnel to establish "outgoing" connections?

Sean

[sbest]

Sean:

Heya. Yes, that's the data flow exactly. On a new connection request from the VNC Viewer side, the "outgoing" effect is achieved by the EchoServer instructing EchoWare on both sides of the connection to establish a new connection to it (same IP address, same TCP port). The echoServer then creates a virtual relay between the two new connections.

Since the new connections are to the same IP address and TCP port number as the original "login connection", we can pretty much insure: if you can login to the echoServer, you can create data connections using it.

cheers,
Scott

[redge]

distributer4 (your own repeater/distributor SSL) actual beta

SC <-(proxy)-->uvnc.com(repeater)<--(proxy)-->viewer
[topic=3239][/topic]

[sbest]

Redge:

Hello! Yes, what you describe is very similar. I believe the difference is that: with EchoVNC, the user on the "Viewer side" of the connection initiates the VNC session. With SC, it's the user on the "Server side" who initiates the connection. Sometimes one is preferred over the other.

cheers,
Scott

PS: Congrats on the 1.00 release!

[redge]

UltraVNC repeater ID usage:
SC + viewer initiate outgoing connection.

EchoVNC
viewer initiate ougoing connection to echoserver --> connect to own winvnc or any winvnc use same id

any idea about EchoVNC plugin inside UltraVNC ?
so no need to setup, only add echvnc plugin and ready to use.
possible or unfriendly ?

[sbest]

Redge:

Heya; thanks for writing. EchoVNC is built around the echoWare DLL, the same one that Kaboodle uses. Using it, the VNC Viewer makes an outgoing connection to the loopback interface, and the VNC Server receives an incoming connection from the loopback interface. But, via the echoWare layer, all of the connections to the network (eg, to the echoServer) are outgoing.

The EchoVNC team is looking to add EchoWare as a plugin to UltraVNC (i.e., a plugin that LoadLib()'s the DLL). The UltraVNC Viewer already has the "Proxy/Repeater" checkbox, so the Viewer changes will be minimal. The UltraVNC Server may need a new Tab in the options screen where echoServer connections can be added.

If you know anyone that would like to work on this, we can afford a small "donation" to the project to sponser the work. Otherwise, we should have something done near the end of the summer.

cheers,
Scott

[redge]

sbest

he UltraVNC Server may need a new Tab in the options screen where echoServer connections can be added.

don't loose the energy of your staff, reason below.

**Rel1.00: No new addons, only fixing some remaining bugs.

Look V2 project for plugin or branch programming if you are interesting to help with your knowledge.

What's Next? Future of UVNC.
[topic=3255][/topic]