Remote control

It is becoming increasingly important for researchers to be able to operate their instruments remotely. Below are some notes that may help in this regard.

Video Conferencing

May need to improve WiFi signal in certain lab spaces.

Solution: Tablets

• Purchase a tablet:
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0" (2019), 32GB, Black (Wifi) $130
    • Details on Wikipedia

1. Initiate a video conference session, either:
   1. Create a Gmail account.
   2. Use Google Hangouts to create a meeting.
2. Or:
   1. Use Google Meet to create a new meeting.
   2. Email the link.

Solution: Robot

Double 3 Telepresence Robot

• Official page
• purchase page
• Discussion
• Developer SDK

Remote Desktop

Solution: VNC

VNC is a generic cross-platform protocol for remote desktop. Free and open-source viewers/clients and servers are available for all major operations systems.

OS	Viewer	Server
Windows	TightVNC TigerVNC	TightVNC
OS X	RealVNC TigerVNC	Vine Server (OSXvnc)
Linux	TigerVNC	TigerVNC

Solution: Network KVM

TBD

Viewing

Solution: Network Web Cameras

Cameras:

• Amcrest UltraHD 2K WiFi Camera 3MP (2304TVL) IP3M-941

Data Access

Solution: Linux Shared Network Drives

• Linux system (accessible via SSH, scp, rsync, etc.) that hosts an NFS shared drive to Windows machines (via Samba).

Solution: BNL Box

BNL Box is a cloud data sharing solution based on Nextcloud (c.f. client installation). To use:

1. Go to https://bnlbox.sdcc.bnl.gov/
2. Select "Log in with SDCC or BNL Account"
3. Select "BNL Active Directory" (or enter your SDCC credentials)
4. Enter your BNL username and password
5. You can now create folders, and upload files. To share a folder, click on the Sharing icon (three connected dots).

To streamline uploading/downloading data, you can install the client on your computer.

• Linux
  1. Go to the install page and download the latest client
  2. Make it executable using

     chmod +x Nextcloud-2.6.5-x86_64.AppImage

  3. Run the app:

     ./Nextcloud-2.6.5-x86_64.AppImage

• Ubuntu Linux
  1. Use the PPA]

Distanced Computer Sharing

If two people want to co-operate on a single computer, while maintaining distancing, there are some options:

1. Use the remote desktop solutions (e.g. VNC) mentioned above. This allows a second person to remotely view/control the computer.
2. Use a network/remote KVM switch to remotely control the computer.
3. Mirror the display to another nearby monitor. There are several ways to do this:
   1. A video splitter and long cables.
   2. A KVM splitter (a.k.a. reverse KVM, a.k.a. "2-way KVM Extender") allows two users (with separate keyboard/monitor/mouse) to both control a single computer.
   3. For Mac, Luna Display allows one to use an iPad or another Mac as a mirror/extension of the computer.
4. Have a WiFi tablet near the computer, allowing the user of that computer to video-conference with someone else (and use the tablet camera to show what is on screen).
5. Point a web-camera at the computer screen, allowing a remote participant to see what's happening.

Instrument Tests

Labscale SAXS

TBD

Cypher AFM

Vendor uses proprietary web-based "OnSite platform" for remote connection.

JEOL e-beam

We are planning an upgrade to the tool:

• Upgrade computer to Linux (will provide more remote control options)
• New cassette for loading multiple wafers and doing automated exchange

Percy STM

Percy has remote access and a functioning web camera.