Using the NetSupport Connectivity Server to find Student PCs

The NetSupport Connectivity Server The NetSupport Connectivity Server (Gateway) is a component in NetSupport School which provides a stable and secure method for connecting Students and Tutors via the internet using HTTP and delivers web-based remote control without the need for modifications to existing firewall configurations. or 'Name & Connectivity/Gateway', is provided as an optional installation component. Its purpose is to provide a simple and reliable method of locating and connecting to Student PCs in LAN/Wireless network environments. This can be particularly useful where students transport laptops from class to class, making it difficult for traditional connectivity options to find them.

Once configured, Student PCs connect to the NetSupport Connectivity Server on start-up and register their availability and current IP address with the Server. At the Tutor end, when browsing to locate Students, a search of the NetSupport Connectivity Server is performed rather than a UDP browse across the network. The Tutor program uses the IP address registered with the NetSupport Connectivity Server.

The NetSupport Connectivity Server can be used with all start-up modes.

The advantages of using a NetSupport Connectivity Server over traditional browse options are:

Negates the need to browse the network to locate Student PCs.
Reduces the time taken to locate Students.
Reduces the need to configure and maintain broadcast range entries in the Tutor configuration.
More reliable connection method in wireless LAN environments. The Tutor uses the current IP address when establishing connections. Avoids problems in wireless environments where Student laptops change access points and are assigned new IP addresses.
Connect to your SIS environment using OneRoster or Google Classroom.

The basic requirements for using a NetSupport Connectivity Server are:

It needs to be installed on a PC that is accessible to all Tutor and Student PCs.
It needs to have a static IP address.
The Tutor and Student PCs need to be configured to use the NetSupport Connectivity Server.
The Connectivity Server, Tutor PC and Student PC must have a matching NetSupport Connectivity Server Security key An additional level of security that requires both the Tutor and the Student to have the same encrypted key before the Student allows a connection. configured.