Veyon User Manual

Release 4.1.4

Tobias Junghans

Oct 09, 2018

 Contents

1 Introduction 1
1.1 Program start and registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 User Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 Status bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.4 Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.5 Computer rooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.6 Screenshots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2 Program features 7
2.1 Selecting computers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.2 Monitoring mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.3 Demonstration mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.4 Lock screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.5 Remote access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2.6 Boot, restart and shutdown a computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.7 Log out user . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.8 Send text message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.9 Start program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.10 Open Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.11 Screenshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

3 FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions 15

3.1 Can other users see my screen? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.2 How frequent is the screen content updated? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.3 What happens if I unintentionally close the main window? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3.4 How can I broadcast the screen of a student to all other screens? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

4 Glossary 17

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 CHAPTER 1

Introduction

Veyon is an application that allows you to map, keep track of, control, and perform various functions on a centralized
computer (such as a teacher’s PC), a cluster of computers (such as classrooms or labs) and modes to use.

1.1 Program start and registration

The program is started via the start menu or an desktop icon:

Depending on the system configuration you will be prompted for username and password:

Enter here your username and password or, if given, the access data of a special teacher account. If the entered data is
correct and you can log in, the program starts. Otherwise, the Login is denied and an error message is displayed. You
can try reentering in this case.

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1.2 User Interface

After starting the program you will see a user interface with a toolbar (1), a workspace (2) and a status bar with various
controls (3):

The toolbar contains a number of buttons for activating different functions. A detailed description of the individual
functions can be found in the chapter Program features. The appearance and behavior of the toolbar can be adjusted
as described in the section Toolbar.
In the workspace, all computers to be monitored are displayed in a tile view. Depending on the system configuration
and previous program launches, you will already see the computers of the current room here. You can use the Computer
rooms to show or hide computers or entire computer rooms.
The elements in the status bar are used to control the program interface and are described in more detail in the following
section.

1.3 Status bar

Using the Computer rooms and Screenshots buttons, you can open and close views such as Computer rooms or Screen-
shots.
The search bar allows you to filter the computers displayed using search terms such as computer names or user names.
Technically savvy users can even enter regular expressions here to implement advanced search filters.
The |powered-on| button hides all computers that are not turned on or accessible. This allows simultaneous observation
of a large number of computers or only partially occupied rooms while simultaneously focusing on the actually active
computers.
Use the slider to control the size of the computer screens displayed. With the Ctrl key pressed, the size can also be
changed using the mouse scroll wheel. An automatic adjustment to the optimal size is done by pressing the button
|zoom-fit-best| (Set optimal size) to the right of it.
Since Veyon 4.1 it is possible to use a user-defined computer arrangement, e.g. to map the actual arrangement of
computers in the classroom. After activating the |exchange-positions-zorder| button (Use custom computer place-
ment), each computer can be moved individually or in a selected group with the mouse button pressed and arranged as

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desired. To align all computers after arranging them, you can use the |align-grid| button (Align computers to grid). If
the sorted default arrangement is to be used again, simply deactivate the |exchange-positions-zorder| button.
The |help-about| (About) button opens a dialog with information about Veyon such as version, manufacturer and
license terms.

1.4 Toolbar

You can customize the look and feel of the toolbar to your liking. With a right-click on a free area as well as a button,
a context menu opens for several entries:

If you click the entry Disable Balloon Tooltips you will no longer see any tooltips when you move the mouse over the
buttons. You can open the context menu again at any time and remove the hook with a click.
The option Show Icons Only causes a compact representation of the buttons in the toolbar by hiding the labels and
displaying only icons. On smaller screens, this option may be necessary to display all the buttons.

1.5 Computer rooms

You can use the button Computer Rooms in the Status Bar to open the computer rooms view. This view displays
all available computer rooms in a tree structure. Individual room entries can be expanded using a usually triangular
symbol.
You can activate individual computers or entire rooms by clicking on them. All activated computers are displayed in
the workspace.

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With the button Save computer/user List you can save the list of computers and logged in users in a CSV file. A typical
use case for this is a presence check at a later time.
Depending on the system configuration, the button Add room is also available. You can add more computer rooms to
view. A click on the button opens a dialog in which you can see all available rooms:

You can filter the list using the input field, that is, enter a search term. In the list then only the room names are
displayed, in which the entered search term occurs. Advanced users can also use regular expressions for the filter.
Then you can select a room and confirm with OK. The selected room is now available in the room list until the next
program restart. You can also remove an added room by clicking on a room and pressing the Del key.

1.6 Screenshots

The management view for screenshots allows you to view and delete captured screenshots. See the Program Functions
chapter in section Screenshot for an explanation on how to take screenshots.

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You can now select individual screenshots in the list. It will then display details about the screen shot, such as shooting
date, user name, and computer in the table below. The button Show or a double-click in the list displays the selected
screenshot in full size. If you no longer need the screenshot, you can permanently delete it using the Delete button.
Please note that this process can not be undone and the files are not moved to the trash.

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 CHAPTER 2

Program features

Veyon offers a variety of features that can be used to control and access computers. All functions are neatly arranged
in the toolbar. They are also accessible via the context menu of the students’ PCs.
If you hover over the single buttons in the toolbar, a tooltip with a short help message is displayed, unless you have
not deactivated this behavior. Pressing a button activates the desired function for all displayed computers.

2.1 Selecting computers

If you want to apply a function only on a single computer, click it with the right mouse button and choose the desired
function via the context menu. The entries in the context menu are dynamically displayed depending on the currently
active functions.

You can also select multiple computers by creating a rectangle with the mouse that includes all desired computers:

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Alternatively, you can use the Ctrl key and add computers to your selection one by one by clicking.

2.2 Monitoring mode

By default Veyon is running in monitoring mode. In this mode you have an overview of all computers and see their
screen contents in small thumbnails, depending on the position of the zoom slider. The screen contents are updated
almost in real time so that you can monitor all activities in the room.
As soon as the connection to a computer is interrupted, a computer icon is shown instead of the screen content. After
the program has started, this icon is colored in grey at first. As soon as the program notices that a computer is not
reachable or the access to it is denied, the icon’s color changes to red.
Some of the functions described in the upcoming sections change the mode of a remote computer. You can stop each
mode by simply returning to monitoring mode.

2.3 Demonstration mode

You can use the demonstration mode (or demo mode for short) to start a presentation. In this mode your screen content
is broadcasted to and displayed at all remote computers in real time. Here you can choose between a full screen or a
window demo.
As the name indicates, during a full screen demo, you screen content is displayed in full screen. The remote computers
can not be operated in this mode as all input devices are locked. This way you can get the whole attention of your
course participants.

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By contrast, a window demo allows for the users to switch between the demo window and their own applications or
even arrange the windows next to each other to comprehend the shown processes themselves. Hence the input devices
are not locked.
In order to start a full screen or window demo, you just have to press the Full Screen Demo resp. Window Demo
button:

If you want to leave the demonstration mode, just press the respective button again or press the Observe button to
switch back into monitoring mode globally. Using the context menu, the demonstration mode can also be quit for
single computers.

2.4 Lock screens

Another method to enhance resp. control attention is the function which locks the screens. As with the full screen
demo, all input devices on the course participants’ computers are locked and cannot be operated. A lock screen is
shown additionally such that one cannot be distracted by previous screen contents.
Press the Lock button to lock all displayed computers:

If the screens shall be unlocked, just press the button again or press the Observe button, to switch back to monitoring
mode globally.
In case only single computers shall be locked, you can select these as described in section selecting computers and
select the function in the context menu. The screen lock can be disabled either through the Unlock entry or through the
Observe entry. The screen lock can also be globally activated at first and disabled individually for specific computers
later on using the context menu.

Note: Due to the operating system’s security concept, the lock screen cannot be displayed if there is no signed in
user. Nevertheless, the input devices are locked thus making a login impossible.

2.5 Remote access

The function group remote access consists of two rather similar functions: Remote View and Remote Control. Both
access modes retrieve the screen data of a remote computer and display it in full screen mode in a separate window. In
contrast to the monitoring mode in the main window, you can the observe events on a computer in detail and interact,
if necessary.
These functions can be activated in various ways. Depending on the system configuration, one of the two starts by
double-clicking a computer. Alternatively you can open the context menu by clicking the right mouse button and
choose the desired function.
If you want to access a computer that is not shown in the workspace, you can use the button in the toolbar:

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Upon confirmation a dialogue opens up that prompts you for the computer name:

In all cases a new windows containing the remote view opens up:

The remote screen is usually displayed within a few seconds and is updated in real time. As in the main application
you have a toolbar with buttons on the window’s upper border. This toolbar is automatically hid after a few seconds.
You can show it at any time by moving the cursor to the window’s upper border.
Even during a running remote access session you can change the access mode at any time. For this it is sufficient to
click the Control from remote resp. Observe only button. Please note, that these buttons do not indicate the current
access mode, but the access mode that is switched to if the button is pressed.
As soon as you have entered the Control from remote mode, your keystrokes, mouse movements and mouse clicks
are transmitted to the remote computer. Thus you can control it as you are used to. Depending on the system con-
figuration there may be exceptions concerning some special keys or keystroke combinations (shortcuts) such as e.g.
Ctrl+Alt+Del. If you want to use these shortcuts, you can use the additional Send Shortcut button. After clicking
it, a menu opens up which allows for you to select the desired shortcut:

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You can close the menu without triggering an action with a repeated click or the Esc key.
If you want to switch to full screen mode, you can use the Full Screen button. In full screen mode you can use the
same button – now with the caption Window – to switch back to window mode.
The function Screenshot creates a screenshot an saves in to a file that can be viewed later on. A more detailed
description can be found in sections Screenshot and screenshot management.
You can use the Exit button to close the window and terminate the remote access.

2.6 Boot, restart and shutdown a computer

It can be helpful for administrative purposes as well as for preparation and post-processing of courses and IT-supported
exams to use the functions Boot, Restart and Shutdown for a computer. You find the respective buttons in the toolbar:

You can activate the respective button to boot, restart or shutdown all displayed computers. If you intend to use the
function only for single computers, you can select them and choose the desired entry from the context menu.

Attention: Please note, that neither restart nor shutdown require the consent of the signed in user. Therefore make
sure, that the signed in user has no unsaved work.

Note: Depending on the configuration of the network and the system settings of the single computer, booting may
work only under specific technical conditions. At the same time there is no check for access control while booting such
that you may be able to boot computers in other rooms or parts of the building. Please check the selected computers
carefully if you use this function.

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2.7 Log out user

The function Log out User complements the options described in the previous section in terms of controlling basic
computer states. That’s what the respective button in the toolbar looks like:

Activate this button to log out all users on all displayed computers. If you intend to use the function only for single
computers, you can select them and choose the desired entry from the context menu.

Hint: A typical use case for this function could consist of terminating a course for all participants at a specified time.

Attention: Please note, that the logout process does not require the consent of the signed in uesr. Hence make
sure that the signed in user does not have any unsaved work.

2.8 Send text message

A further possibility for interaction consists of sending text messages to one or all course participants. This message
is displayed as a message window on the respective participant’s computer. You can use the Text Message button to
this end:

After pressing the button, a dialogue window opens up. Here you can enter the message to be transmitted:

You can send the typed message by pressing OK.

If you intend to use the function only for single computers, you can select them and choose the entry Text Message
from the context menu.

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2.9 Start program

If a specific application is to be opened on all computers, you can use the Start Program function from the toolbar. To
do this click the button shown:

If programs have been predefined by the administrator, a menu with the predefined programs opens. In this menu you
can click on the desired program.
If you want to start a program that is not included in the menu, click on the last entry guilabel:‘Custom program. Then
the same dialog appears, which also appears if no programs are predefined. In this dialog box you can enter the name
of the desired program file, e.g. notepad:

Subsequently confirm the dialogue with OK. Please note, that the requested program often does not re-
side in the program path environment such that you have to specify the complete path to the program, e.g.
C:\Programme\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe.

Hint: Most programs offer the option of getting passed an additional parameter containing the name of a file
that is to be opened automatically. For example, if you want to play a video simultaneously on all comput-
ers, just add the path of the video file separated by a blank, e.g. C:\Programme\VideoLAN\VLC\vlc.exe
X:\Videos\Beispiel.mp4.

Attention: In case the program path or file name contains blanks, the complete path and file name has to be
enclosed in quotes. Otherwise parts of the input can be interpreted as parameters. Example: "C:\Program
Files\LibreOffice 5\program\swriter.exe"

2.10 Open Website

If all course participants shall navigate to a specific website, you can have this website automatically opened on all
computers. Use the Open Website button for this:

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If no websites have been predefined by the administrator, a dialog box opens in which you can enter the address of the
website to be opened:

Confirm this dialogue with OK.

Otherwise, a menu with the predefined websites opens from which you can select and click on the desired website. If
you want to open a website that is not included in the menu, select the last item :guilabel:‘Custom Website. The dialog
shown above then opens.

2.11 Screenshot

With Veyon it is possible to save the current screen content of single or all computers in an image file. You can press
the Screenshot button to make screenshots of all displayed computers:

If you intend to use this function only for single computers, you can select them and choose the entry Screenshot from
the context menu.
Afterwards a message informs you about the successful completion of this action. Now you can view the images
through the screenshot management as well as delete them if necessary.

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 CHAPTER 3

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

3.1 Can other users see my screen?

Which user can access which computer under which circumstances depends on the system settings your administrator
has configured. Usually the software should be configured in a way that the course instructor can access the computers
of course participants, but not vice versa. Whether other course instructors are able to see your screen or those of
other course participants also depends on the settings. Contact your administrator in order to configure access control
according to your needs as described in the admin manual.

3.2 How frequent is the screen content updated?

Normally the screen contents are updated once a second in observation mode. Depending on the workloda of the
network and the computer, this value may differ. During remote control, you see the screen of the remote computer in
real time.

3.3 What happens if I unintentionally close the main window?

Possibly active functions such as demo mode or screen lock will be terminated on closing the program. However, you
can simply reopen the program and reactivate the operating mode as desired.

3.4 How can I broadcast the screen of a student to all other screens?

If in demo mode you do not want to broadcast you own screen, but a student’s screen instead, activate the demo mode
for all computers at first. Subsequently you quit the demo mode for the broadcasting student via the context menu and
finally open the computer in remote view. Thus your remote view window - i.e. the student’s screen - is broadcasted
to all other computers.

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 CHAPTER 4

Glossary

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

ACL Access Control List
Client a computer system that accesses a (remote) service on another computer by some kind of network.
See also:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Client_(computing)>
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions is a list of commonly asked question and there answers.
See also:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAQ>
host any machine connected to a computer network, a node that has a hostname.
See also:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Host>
hostname the unique name by which a network attached device is known on a network.
See also:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hostname>
IP Internet Protocol is a data-oriented protocol used by source and destination hosts for communicating data across a
packet-switched internetwork.
See also:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Protocol>
IP Address a unique number that devices use in order to identify and communicate with each other on a network
utilizing the Internet Protocol standard.
See also:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_Address>

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IPv6 IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the latest revision of the Internet Protocol (IP), designed to deal with the
long-anticipated problem of its precedessor IPv4 running out of addresses.
See also:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPv6>
port a connection through which data is sent and received.
See also:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_(computing)>
TCP Transmission Control Protocol is one of the core protocols of the Internet protocol suite.
See also:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCP>
URL Uniform Resource Locator is a sequence of characters, conforming to a standardized format, that is used for
referring to resources, such as documents and images on the Internet, by their location.
See also:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/URL>

18 Chapter 4. Glossary
 Index

Symbols L
‘Computer rooms‘, 3 lock, 9
‘Screenshots‘, 4 lock screen, 9
locked, 9
A log out, 11
ACL, 17 Login, 1

B M
boot, 11 message, 12
browser, 13 message window, 12

C O
Client, 17 open document, 12
commands, 12 open website, 13

D P
demo mode, 8 password, 1
demonstration, 8 port, 18
demonstration mode, 8 presentation, 8
desktop icon, 1 program start, 12

E R
end of course, 11 remote access, 9
execute, 12 remote control, 9
remote view, 9
F restart, 11
FAQ, 17
full screen demo, 8 S
screen lock, 9
H screenshot, 14
host, 17 selecting computers, 7
hostname, 17 shutdown, 11
start menu, 1
I start program, 12
input devices, 9 Status Bar, 3
IP, 17 status bar, 2
IP Address, 17
IPv6, 18 T
TCP, 18

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text message, 12
tile view, 2
toolbar, 2
tooltip, 7

U
URL, 13, 18
user interface, 2
user log out, 11
username, 1

W
Wake-on-LAN, 11
web address, 13
website, 13
window demo, 8
WoL, 11
workspace, 2

20 Index