New Version Notice - PROXY Pro v11.0 is now available!
Hello Friends of Proxy Networks,
We have just released PROXY Pro v11.0!
This major software upgrade is available from the Download page on our website and our upgrade guides are located on the Documentation page.
The big news in PROXY Pro v11.0 is that we now enable Master users to access a Remote Terminal (Command Shell) to Windows endpoints in both P2P and RAS Gateway configurations!
New Features
This major release also includes other significant new features, including:
• New Host Service: Remote Speaker (Applies to both Peer-to-Peer and RAS Editions)
The PROXY Pro Host for Windows now includes Remote Speaker, a new remote service for audio capture. Remote Speaker allows Master user on installed Master for Windows as well as the ClickOnce Connection Window to receive audio from the remote endpoint Windows Host speaker. This has been a popular request from customers that need their employees to be able to hear what’s happening on a remote system in addition to viewing and controlling it. Some examples include the ability to hear the audio from a video being played on the remote system and to be able to hear audio notifications from remote applications meant to alert the user to something important.
• New Host Service: Remote Terminal (Applies to both Peer-to-Peer and RAS Editions)
The PROXY Pro Host for Windows now includes Remote Terminal, a new remote service implemented in the Host for Windows that allows Master user to access a command line window for the remote endpoint. Once connected, the Master user can run any EXE program, including CMD.EXE (to get a Command Prompt) or POWERSHELL.EXE (to get a PowerShell shell). Remote Terminal is accessible as a tab in the installed Master connection window and from the Web Console as a text-mode terminal emulator.
• Independent Connections for Services (Applies to both Peer-to-Peer and RAS Editions)
New in v11 is the ability to connect to Hosts for services like File Transfer, Remote Management, the new Remote Terminal, and others without a Remote Control connection. Prior to v11, a Remote Control connection was required before these services could be accessed. Access to these services is based on configuration of the security model that provides granular rights and permissions. This new functionality gives the ability to access a machine without disturbing the console user or viewing their screen.
• Improved Client Support for Host for Mobile (Applies to RAS Edition)
The installed Master for Windows and the ClickOnce Connection Window now support remote view of Host for Mobile instances. Previously, these Hosts could only be viewed via the “Connect in Browser” client from Web Console.
• Video Capture for Windows and Export to MP4/H.264 (Applies to both Peer-to-Peer and RAS Editions)
The Host for Windows can now perform “video capture” of the screen for recording and display in the Installed Master for Windows and the ClickOnce Connection Window. This provides an alternative screen capture method which, in some cases, will provide a superior remote view/remote control experience. This feature requires hardware video acceleration on the Host machine, and is therefore not enabled by default on Host installations. This feature is also limited to one monitor at a time; if the Host computer has multiple monitors, the primary monitor is captured by default, and the Master can switch to other monitors individually. The “Entire Desktop” view is not available.
The installed Master for Windows and ClickOnce Connection Window now have the capability to export recordings directly to MP4/H.264 files. This new capability eliminates a two-step process some of our customers were performing. The MP4 target is in addition to the current WMV export capability.
• PROXY Pro Server “Master” category is now called “Standard User Account” (Applies to RAS Edition)
Users are imported into the PROXY Pro Server Web Console as Administrative-category, Standard-category, or Personal-category users. Previously, the Standard user category was called “Master” user category.
• Simplification of Server Maintenance/Management/Migration (Applies to RAS Edition)
There have been significant internal changes that now make it simpler to deal with server maintenance issues like migration of the PROXY Pro Server and/or the SQL database. Operations like backup, restore, relocation, and reconfiguration will now require fewer steps. Some of the work done to accomplish this includes:
- Server WorkstationID is “virtualized” and stored in the database, simplifying the instructions for moving the software installation to a new/different machine.
- SQL Server Connection strings are removed from the Web.config files and now stored in a single location.
- The Server license key now resides in the database, simplifying the instructions for moving the software installation to a new/different machine.
Additionally, there are many minor changes designed to improve supportability – so that if a problem occurs, it’s easier to collect the relevant information and diagnose and fix the problem. The System Information report has been overhauled to eliminate unnecessary information and include new relevant information. The Server Configuration Check utility can detect and fix more issues, and future releases will advance this further. All PROXY Pro services log startup, shutdown, and significant error events, to the system Application Event Log.
• Expanded Options for Database (Applies to RAS Edition)
PROXY Pro v11 has more flexible capabilities for accessing the required SQL Server database. Previously, Windows Authentication (via SSO) was required for the services to connect to SQL. The services now continue to support that SSO/Windows Authentication, but can also be configured for SQL Server native accounts, and for AzureSQL using explicit username and password.
PROXY Pro v11 also supports more kinds of SQL Server. In addition to SQL Server Express (typically on the same machine as the PROXY Pro software) and any edition of SQL Server accessible off-box on the LAN, you can now use Azure SQL database instances (in the Azure cloud), Amazon RDS for Microsoft SQL Server (in the AWS cloud), and Google Cloud SQL for Microsoft SQL Server database engine (in the Google cloud).
• Managed Service Provider – MultiTenant Support (Applies to RAS Edition)
Managed Service Providers interested in supporting multiple independent organizations on one PROXY Pro Server installation may be interested in the newly available MultiTenant licensing and operating mode.
Contact Proxy Networks for more information.
• Partner Support (Applies to RAS Edition)
Customers using the PROXY SDK to build custom applications have access to an updated SDK for PROXY v11. This includes new APIs to access new features and services, including a new Proxy Encoder2 control to convert PRXREC recording files directly to MP4/H.264/AAC format, merging audio (if provided). This addresses the need for partners to employ a two-step conversion process (convert PRXREC to WMV, then convert WMV to MP4).
Other Enhancements, Fixes and Improvements
This major release also includes many security enhancements, bug fixes and performance improvements, including:
• OpenSSL v3.0.16 is incorporated into this release.
• Improved user experience, especially of installer and server utilities, on high-DPI displays.
• Gateway Server feature to automatically select the same SSL certificate as is configured in the Web Console IIS configuration. This simplifies automated certificate management when Gateway Server and Web Console are installed on the same machine, as only the IIS configuration needs to be explicitly updated. Note that this synchronization happens per the periodic tasks schedule, which defaults to once a day. Manual replacement of the certificate should use the PROXY Pro Server Config
Check utility, but if the certificate is updated in IIS on an emergency basis, the Web Console > Gateway > Gateway Settings > Protocol dialog has a “Synchronize Now” button to force an immediate synchronization.
• PROXY Pro Server authentication via EntraID enhanced to now provide a choice, when logging out, of logging out of PROXY Pro only, or logging out of both PROXY Pro and EntraID (which additionally logs out of any other EntraID-based services in that browser). In PROXY Pro v10, logging out after using an EntraID identity always logged out fully, which was disruptive to other services depending on EntraID
• Web-based login from native Windows apps, specifically the installed Master, now uses the Microsoft Edge “WebView2” component instead of the older Internet Explorer component. This improves security and ensures conformance to current web standards.
• File Transfer improvements for installed Master for Windows and ClickOnce Connection Window. This includes improvements in speed in many cases and resolution of problems copying per-user directories.
• General bug fixes and UI improvements to the PROXY Pro Host Updater tool.
• Host tray Active Users window now displays icons for Remote Admin/Management, Remote Terminal, and Remote Speaker.
• Security model has new permission option to allow Remote Terminal to operate as the machine System account. This access right must be granted on the Gateway Server (for GWS-based connections) or the Host permissions (for Peer-to-Peer connections) in order for the user to use the “login system” command to operate as the System account.
• Web Console general UI improvements including display of logged-in user in Hosts grid and search box activation on Enter key. Additionally, the Host Details view now clearly shows services Host reports as capable-of, as well as more concise list of services currently connected.
• Host on Demand for Windows now has a unique PIN on each "launch" from the Web Console. Previously, the ClickOnce HOD preserved state, so would reuse the same PIN. Now, running the HOD as ClickOnce maintains the PIN across Elevation/Pin operations, machine restarts once pinned, etc., but will have a different PIN if "Exit Host" is executed, and then the HOD is relaunched from the WC Share button. (Note that HOD-as-EXE does not preserve state, so always gets a new PIN on each download & launch.)
• Host Tray - if Host security settings are changed (e.g. via PHSETUP or WC > Edit Host Settings) the Tray menu now immediately/automatically reflects changes to console user's permissions. Specifically, the “Terminate Connection” menu item is enabled or disabled as appropriate.
• The “Send Keystroke” button on the Installed Master for Windows and ClickOnce Connection Window now includes 'Caps Lock', 'Num Lock', 'Scroll Lock' and 'Pause/Break' options when connected to Windows Hosts. For Mac Hosts, the 'Caps Lock' option is now offered. This facilitates getting these states synchronized between local and remote keyboards.