Bridge
- Available for these licenses:
- Access
Introduction
There may be instances in which a ScreenConnect™ access agent cannot be installed on a machine. The Bridge extension allows you to connect to machines via RDP or VNC while maintaining an audit trail within ScreenConnect.
How it works
The Bridge service works by installing the Bridge Service on a machine in the network. From this machine, connections can be added manually or by scanning the network. Once machines are added, they are available from the Host page.
Install the extension
1. Navigate to Administration > Extensions
From the Administration page, open the Extensions page.
2. Open the Extension Marketplace
On the Extensions page, click Browse Online Extensions.
3. Install the Bridge extension
Type "Bridge" in the filter box to find the extension. Next, click Install.
4. Close the Extension Marketplace window
Close the window to return to the Extensions page.
Install the Bridge Service
1. Download the Bridge Service Installer
From the Administrator Page, click your user icon and select Download Bridge Installer. The ScreenConnect.BridgeSetup.msi will download.
2. Run the installer
From machine that will run the Bridge Service, double-click on the .msi file to install.
3. Verify that the Bridge Service has connected to your instance
Return to your Host page and click the Access icon. You should see an entry labeled Bridge Service in your session list.
Note: You cannot join the Bridge Service as a typical session. Instead, you'll need to add new bridge connections.
Adding connections
Connections can be added manually or by scanning the network.
From the Bridge tab of session details panel, click the Add drop-down menu. You can choose Add Connection Manually or Add Connections by Scanning Network.
Add connection manually for VNC
To add a VNC connection manually, enter the following information:
- Protocol – Select VNC
- Host
- Port
- Display
- ViewOnly
- Password
- Use Existing Credentials
- Select whether to use credentials that have already been entered for an existing bridge session. Select an existing bridge session from the drop-down menu.
Note: The Password field is mandatory when 'Do Not Use Existing Credentials' is selected.
Add connection manually for RDP
To add a RDP connection manually, enter the following information:
- Protocol – Select RDP
- Host
- Port
- Desktop Width
- Desktop Height
- Domain
- User Name
- Password
- Use Existing Credentials
- Select whether to use credentials that have already been entered for an existing bridge session. Select an existing bridge session from the drop-down menu.
Note: The Domain, User Name and Password fields are mandatory when 'Do Not Use Existing Credentials' is selected.
Add connections by scanning network
Scan Type
- Address Resolution Protocol (ARP)
- Full Subnet: Finds all machines on the subnet
Scan Services
By default, Bridge will scan for RDP on port 3389 and VNC on Port 5900.
Tip: You can highlight a default entry and select Remove. For example, you might only want to scan for the RDP service.
Click Add to define different ports for a protocol.
When you are finished, click Start Scan.
Add Connections Dialog – Raw Scan Results
Note: The scan can take a while to complete.
When the scan finishes, the left panel lists the available machines.
Select one or more machines. Next, enter machine credentials with RDP or VNC permissions.
You can optionally click Advanced Options to set the desktop size when connecting to a machine.
Next, finish adding your connections. click the arrow button to validate your credentials and move to the Connections to be Saved section.
When you're done, click Save Connections.
Organize Bridge sessions
It's helpful to have all of your Bridge sessions in a single session group. To create this group:
1. Return to the Administration page
2. Click your user icon and select Create Bridge Session Group
3. Return to the Host page
You'll see a new session group called Bridge Sessions. Click on this session group to see your bridge session and your Bridge Service in one place.
Bridge Service features and functions
When you select the Bridge Service on the Host Page, you'll see four tabs in the right column of the page.
| Bridge | Machines available to connect to from the bridge will appear here |
| Start | Displays the name and custom properties of the bridge connection |
| General | Shows limited information about the bridge connection, such as name, network connection, and client version |
| Notes | Add a note to the Bridge Service |
Determine the reachability of a Bridge session
The blue connection line only indicates that a bridge session is connected to the Bridge Service. To verify that you're actually able to connect to the Bridge Session, use the Determine Reachability feature.
1. Right-click on a session
2. Select Determine Reachability
3. Review the status of the Bridge session
If the Bridge Service is able to reach your Bridge session, you'll see a status of "Reachable."
Go to Bridge Service
If you have a lot of Bridge sessions, you might want a quick way to find the Bridge Service itself. To find the Bridge Service in your session list, right-click on a Bridge session and select Go to Bridge Service.
Delete Bridge events
The Bridge Service records events in the Administration > Audit page, including chatter from the Bridge Service to bridge sessions. You can remove these extra events by navigating to the Administration page, clicking your user icon, and selecting Delete Bridge Events.
Click Confirm to delete all bridge events.
Removing the Bridge Service
Uninstall the Bridge Service
1. Right-click on the Bridge Service and select Delete
2. Next, select Uninstall and Delete
Delete remaining Bridge sessions
1. Click on your Bridge session group
2. Click on the checkbox in the list and Select All
3. Right-click and select Delete
Note: Uninstall will not work for Bridge sessions. You can only Delete Bridge sessions.
