250 C h a p t e r 12 · R e m o t e A c c e s s Te c h n o l o g i e s Understanding remote access Solutions Do not confuse remote access with remote interface control. Remote access may indicate simple network level access to a machine without the ability to control its user interface. Remote access to computers is an important part of network administration. The need for remote control of client computers goes all the way back to MS-DOS and a program called Tiny that is still being updated today. Remote interface control or, on modern computers, remote desktop control allows the administrator to work with the users' computers or with the servers as if they were sitting in front of the machine. Remote desktop control can be used for many administrative actions, including: Installing new software with administrative credentials Adding device drivers to the computer Configuring services that can be configured only through graphical interfaces on the local machine Performing actions that the local administrator is unable to perform due to lack of permissions, knowledge, or skill In modern Windows systems, the Remote Desktop Services (RDS) feature pro-