Lanview is back: looking for a few early testers for Lanview 5

[MetalMonkey]

Well, it’s been a while. 16 years and 4 days, to be precise.

Hi all, I’m Kevin Figg. Some of you may remember me as the developer of Lanview and a few other tools from back in the day. I’m not sure how many familiar names are still around, and I suspect a few of the people I knew back then may now be retired or found the escaped hatch.
 

I’ve been away for a long time. Life, family, work, children growing up, the usual chaos. Over the last year or so I’ve found myself getting back into writing tools again, and remembering why I enjoyed it in the first place: building practical software that helps people get things done.
 

Which brings me to Lanview.
 

I’m currently working on Lanview 5. I’ve tried to restart it a few times over the years, but this is the first version that has properly got off the ground. It is now getting close to the point where I’d like a small number of people to try it in a closed test before any wider Early Access release.
 

To be completely upfront, Lanview 5 will be a commercial product when released. I haven’t finalised pricing or licensing yet, but the Early Access/testing phase will be free. I’m mentioning that now because I’d rather be clear from the start than pretend this is something it isn’t.
 

Like the original Lanview, it is LAN based. It is not cloud managed and it is not trying to be another giant enterprise platform. The idea is simple: practical tools for managing devices on a local network.
 

The main difference between the old Lanview versions and this one, is this is server based. The most frequent complaint about the older versions was the LV Server was basically just the main application and when it was shutdown, nothing happened. This time, there is a dedicated server running as a windows service on any device thats always on. It doesn't need to be Windows server. You then have the Studio application which is how you manage devices. It means you can send files or packages and close the app knowing that they will still be sent. 

 

Current features include:
 

• Device inventory covering hardware, OS, network, storage, software and updates
• Remote Execute for running commands against devices, groups or users
• Software deployment for installing and uninstalling packages
• Network and service monitoring with status, response times, availability and incidents
• File transfer with progress tracking and resumability
• Network scanner
• Integrated remote Command Prompt, PowerShell and Remote Desktop
• Remote Task Manager, Services and Event Viewer
   

VNC slideshow may come later. I know how popular it was. However, i don't know if it will be VNC. I need to investigate whether its security has improved since I last played around with it. But if not, I have a few other options. 

I’ve included a few screenshots below of my dev environment.

What I’m looking for initially is a small number of people who would be willing to test it in a lab or small test environment. I’m not asking anyone to roll this out across a production network. At this stage I’m mainly looking for honest feedback, bugs, rough edges, and whether the idea still has a place.

A website will come soon too, so will let you know when thats up.
 

If anyone is interested in being part of the closed test, please reply here or send me a message. Also happy to answer any other questions too.

Have a great weekend everyone.

@modstu If this type of post is not allowed, apologies up front. Just delete it.

[johnfermor]

Welcome back Kev!

 

Hope you're ok.

 

Count me in please! LanView was excellent and I know it was sorely missed when development was stopped all that time ago.

 

Looks great and I would really like to see this develop.

 

John

[MetalMonkey]

Hi all,
 

Further to my message above, the Lanview website is now live, and I’m inviting anyone interested to take part in the Early Access programme: https://lanview.studio/
 

The website contains more information about the product, along with a form to register for Early Access.
 

Lanview can be used with up to 10 devices without a licence. Early Access testers with larger environments will be provided with a six-month licence covering as many devices as required.
 

I also intend to offer free or heavily discounted licences once Lanview is fully released to those who provide useful feedback, report issues and help improve the product during Early Access.

Regards

 

Kevin