I have deployed the RemoteIT Agent onto a remote asset.
On this asset, there is another application running that has command line access. Is it possible to stop / start the Agent service on demand via systemctl? I see 4 services running (remoteit@#####.service).
The use case is that an end-user (local) may not want the remote service running, and they enable it when they want / need remote access. This is common with many hardware based VPN solutions in industrial OT applications, except in those cases there may be a hardware switch locally on the hardware device. I am trying to emulate this using software to toggle the service.
Remote.It is designed to restart automatically on reboot. Here are some possible options depending on what is installed. From your device list, click “Show Columns” > “Configurable” Configurable - Disable the services in app.remote.it or in the Remote.It Desktop. Click on the Service > Service Configuration. Uncheck “Enable service” and Save. This will end up leaving one service running which will be how Remote.It will be able to enable the services again + allow for scripting if needed. Not Configurable - There are a number of legacy products which are not cloud configurable which need to have the services disabled directly on the device. Each one is slightly different. Let me know what you have, if any, and I can provide you with the method.
If you do not do it this way, you will need to stop the services and remove remote from the system start up and then manually start it up each time when you have direct access to the device.
Thanks Brenda.
I do indeed have a Configurable system, but I’m not sure this helps me in this scenario.
I’m looking for a way to enable / disable the entirety of the RemoteIT service from the remote asset side “on-demand”, rather than from the side of the “initiator” of the remote connection (in this case, me from my laptop). So in this case, a way start / stop the agent en masse independent from the desktop or web app.
This is a common feature of many hardware based VPNs, especially when an OEM needs to service a remote asset that is owned / leased / operated by a customer (end-user). That end-user may want to have control when the remote service is available to the OEM to further ensure no-one can (intentionally or unintentionally) connect. When service is needed, they enable the connection (typically via a hardwired key switch). Regardless of how secure the remote solution is, end-users want control over when these types of things are enabled (at least, in industrial / OT environments).
See the following screenshot below of PhoenixContact’s mGuard VPN solution, I have indicated where this "toggle’ would reside - (in this case, the mGuard hardware device would enable/disable it’sown internal VPN client).
There are several reasons why a hardware VPN is not desirable in my case, hence where RemoteIT comes in (to clarify - I am not using mGuard, I just showed it as an illustrative example).
I want to emulate this function using the RemoteIT agent. On the system where my agent is deployed, I have an industrial HMI application from where I could make a “button” to enable / disable the agent (via some script).
I just need the right commands to do this. I’m not looking to disable the individual connection(s), but the entire RemoteIT agent / service. Also, an added benefit is that the agent is only sending the outbound UDP requests when needed (as opposed to perpetually) which will save on bandwidth (in my case this is a celluar solution).
Hopefully this makes sense. If not, maybe a call is warranted to further discuss the use case.
