Duringthe week of May 11, 2009 ITS will be implementing Altiris Carbon Copy software across campus.  

Carbon Copy is a software application that can be used by the Technology Support Center (TSC) to aid in diagnosing and solving technical problems on desktop systems. With the user's permission, Technology Support Specialists (TSS's) and TSC staff members may remotely take control of a desktop system in order to resolve technical issues. This provides the ability to resolve incidents over the phone rather than having to visit each office thereby providing for quicker incident resolution and allowing the client to regain productivity in a more timely fashion. While the use of Carbon Copy may be effective in some cases, more traditional paths to resolution will still be required for other incidents.  It should be noted that remote support requires the client to be present at their computer and the client must initiate the request with a TSC or TSS staff member for problem resolution to occur in this manner.

The implementation of this application involves the push of a Carbon Copy agent to Windows XP desktop systems. This installation will take place via the network and it will not be necessary for a staff member to physically visit each desktop to complete the installation. Users also will not be required to participate in order for the installation to be completed.

The following detail, including screen shots, will provide users with further information about Carbon Copy and how it will appear to users.

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Carbon Copy is a remote system utility that utilizes a secure network connection using the Altiris infrastructure.  It is currently only available for Windows XP computers.  This allows a technician to take control of your computer remotely to provide quicker incident resolution.

Technology Support Specialists (TSS) and Technology Support Center (TSC) staff have the ability to use this application.  Please note that no one should try to connect to your computer unless you are on the telephone with them.

When a technician initiates a Carbon Copy session, you will see a prompt similar to the following on your screen:

 

(in the example being used, "bgsu/vonlehj" is the username

 of the technician that is connecting to your computer.)

 

If you select "no" the technician will not be able to control your computer.  If you select "yes" you will see the following:

 

After selecting yes, the technician will be connected and will be able to remotely control your computer.  You can see the actions that the technician is performing in real time on your screen.  By viewing the technician solving your problem, you gain the knowledge of how it was resolved.  In the future, this may allow you to fix the problem yourself or even avoid it from reoccurring.  

Once the technician is done troubleshooting your issue, they will disconnect from your system, and you will see a message similar to the following:

 

 

 

Any questions regarding Carbon Copy may be directed to the Technology Support Center (TSC) at 2-0999, tsc@bgsu.edu.

       

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