SOTI (www.soti.net) have been developing remote-control and device management solutions for the Windows Mobile platform for many years. At the time of writing their portfolio consists of three principle products:

• Pocket Controller - provides remote control, file sync, registry editing and screen capture / video recording direct from your Windows PC
• Pocket Controller Enterprise - aimed at helpdesk environments, provides remote control and diagnostic tools for over the air troubleshooting
• MobiControl - Advanced device management, provisioning, asset tracking and reporting solution

In this article I shall provide an overview of the MobiControl solution and the features available for the Windows Mobile platform.

Architecture

MobiControl is deployed in a server-client model, requiring an Internet-facing, Microsoft Windows Server-based machine (referred to as the Deployment Server) which can communicate over both fixed and wireless networks with a client application running on the remote Windows Mobile PDA (referred to as the Device agent).

The solution requires a Microsoft SQL Server database to store its configuration information in. This can be an existing SQL Server installation or when downloading the installer package you can optionally include either SQL Server 2005 Express Edition or the older Microsoft SQL Desktop Engine (MSDE) for smaller installations.

The solution is managed via a management application that can be installed on the Deployment Server itself but also on a Windows PC on the same local network as the server.

Features

• OTA device provisioning and configuration
• Disable hardware and software elements remotely
• Enforce password usage
• Blacklist applications
• Schedule-based, script-based file and application delivery
• File retrieval
• Remote device control
• Registry Editor, File Explorer, Task and Process Manager
• Screen and video capture
• Inventory collection
• Time server synchronisation
• Device Encryption
• GPS device tracking
• Reporting

Installation

The installation process quick and painless, the only notable step being the option to install SQL locally or connect to an external database server:

The final step in the installation process is the entering of your license key:

MobiControl is freely available for a 30-day trial period from the Soti web site.

Once installed, the Management interface an be launched either from the desktop or from the Start menu:

Configuring the server

Once installed, you can specify the internal and external name of the MobiControl server as well as the port used by the client to communicate with the server:

Ideally a single server name should be used and the corresponding entries configured on internal and external DNS to enable clients to be able to communicate with the Deployment Server when connecting remotely and also when connected to the local network, without having to make any configuration changes.
By default the port used by clients to communicate with the server is TCP 5494 - this port should therefor be open on any firewalls between the client and the Deployment Server.
Client-server communications can be secured using SSL if required.

Installing the client application

In order to install the client application onto devices, an 'Add Device Rule' must first be created:

Which allows the administrator to define whether the client is being built for internal or external connections as well as a schedule by which devices should initiate a connection to the server:

Once the rule has been created, the client installer package itself can then be created. This is done within the Device Agent Manager:

When creating a client installer package, the specific type of client device can be defined:

Or alternatively, if the device is connected locally via ActiveSync, the device settings can be detected automatically:

The client naming convention can also be defined:

Once created, the client installer package will then be listed in the Agent Manager:

The package can then be deployed to a device that is connected locally via ActiveSync, or the package can be exported to a single installer file for copying to devices either via email, memory card or download from a web server:

Once installed on the client, an icon for the application is displayed in the bottom right-hand corner of the Today screen:

as well as the System Settings screen:

No settings can be altered by the user on the client itself, but information is displayed on the status of the connection to the server as well as the packages that have been installed:

Deploying Packages

The MobiControl Package Studio enables the administrator to assemble complex software installation packages containing pre-built CAB files as well as custom pre and post installation visual basic scripts which can be used to add an additional level of intelligence to package deployment (verify processor type, language or free storage space available, for example):

Target client installation paths can be defined:

as well as user-displayed messages:

These packages can then be included in 'Deployment Rules' which allow the administrator to assign the package to specific devices or groups of devices.
The MobiControl solution allows the administrator to create two types of group: static groups (such as 'Sales', 'Warehouse', 'Admin', etc) as well as virtual groups (such as 'all devices with Windows Mobile 6'), for example.
Groups can be 'nested', with the properties assigned to a parent group automatically being propagated to any child groups for easy administration.

Packages can be deployed immediately or can be scheduled for execution at a specific time:

The success or failure of that package deployment can then be monitored within the Manager:

File Sync rules can be defined to send individual or groups of files to client devices, including automatic creation of directories (which can be named based on device variables if required).
Files can also be uploaded from clients to the Deployment Server, again in directories named automatically based on the client they were collected from.

As well as being able to run packages on a schedule, packages can run automatically if any files contained within the package change - either on the local network or on the client device.

Remote Device Control

Detailed inventory information is collected from client devices automatically and displayed within the Manager interface:

Right-clicking on a device's entry provides the ability to remote that control either locally via ActiveSync or remotely (provided that the device is online):

The Remote Control display interface provides access to a number of tools, including a registry editor, file explorer and task manager:

Also available is a command prompt allowing for direct issuing of commands to remote devices:

Screenshots can be captured as well as video recordings. Macros can also be created and deployed:

Clipboards can be synchronised between helpdesk computers and remote devices.

An image of a client device can be created, containing a complete backup of the device file system and registry information. That image can then be used to compare against a later device image and report on the differences, enabling a helpdesk to view what changes have been applied to a client device and assist with troubleshooting.

Right clicking on a device entry also provides several configuration options:

Server ActiveSync settings can be applied to remote devices quickly and easily, including server details, content as well as scheduling information:

Password usage can be enforced on client devices. An administrative password can be defined should a user forget their own password:

User passwords can be integrated with Active Directory if required meaning that users need only remember one password.

The MobiControl solution also features a device lockdown feature which enables the administrator to hide the default Windows Mobile today screen and instead choose to display only the icons for those applications that the administrator wishes users to be have access to. All other applications are unavailable to the user.

Specific applications can be blacklisted so that they are unavailable to users.

Hardware and software elements on client devices can also be remotely enabled and disabled by the administrator:

Storage encryption can also be enforced on client devices and certificates can also be delivered to and installed on client devices for secure access to web services (including Exchange Server ActiveSync if a self-signed certificate has been issued to the Exchange server)

Devices can also be configured with details of a time server and be required to synchronise with that server to ensure tat the clock on the device is always correct.

Custom data fields can be defined within the MobiControl Manager and then monitored on client devices and reported on - these might be registry values, ini file contents, etc.

Reporting and Tracking

Finally, MobiControl has a wide range of pre-defined report templates that can be accessed to provide detailed information on the status of your fleet of remote devices:

Reports can be exported in a number of formats.

Provided that client devices have correctly configured and functioning GPS capability, location information can be collected from clients and reported on within the MobiControl Manager.

Addendum

SOTI have now announced Version 7 of MobiControl. New features include:

• Alerts - Email notifications of critical network and device changes
• Windows 7 - Supports both 32 and 64 bit versions, along with support for Windows XP 64 bit, Windows Vista and more
• Location Services Enhancements - GeoFencing, Reverse Geo Code and Live traffic conditions
• Phone Block - Whitelist / Blacklist for acceptable and unacceptable phone numbers, as well as call logging
• 2-Way Chat - Live chat between devices and MobiControl central console
• Laser Pointer - Optionally display the desktop mouse pointer on devices during remote control sessions
• Reports - Improved report execution speed as well as a richer set of canned reports now available
• New Device Support - Added support for Honeywell 6100, Intermec CN50, Motorola MC9500 and other devices

Visit the SOTI web site for more information - www.soti.net