ARRIS Timbuktu for Windows v9.0.4- Getting Started Guide - Manual (Page 6)

6 | Chapter 1: Introduction and Feature Overview
Timbuktu Features
New in Timbuktu for Windows, Version 9: The Timbuktu Host and
Timbuktu Guest
Timbuktu for Windows, version 9 has been entirely rebuilt to provide native Timbuktu support on Win-
dows Vista and Windows 7.
Windows Vista introduced several architectural changes that conflicted with Timbuktu’s implementation
of screen sharing and user management. Microsoft provided a compatibility shim that mitigated some of
the Vista-related changes, but Timbuktu was unable to interact correctly with the User Account Control
or Windows secure desktop. True compatibility required significant changes to the Timbuktu
architecture. In particular, session-0 Isolation, User Account Control restrictions, and always-on and
domain-aware Fast User Switching required an entirely new implementation of Timbuktu’s screen shar-
ing and user management.
Timbuktu for Windows, version 9 addresses these issues through one significant change: the single Tim-
buktu application is now two separate components, the Timbuktu Guest and the Timbuktu Host. The
Timbuktu Host listens for and accepts incoming Timbuktu connections, and the Timbuktu Guest estab-
lishes outgoing connections to other Timbuktu computers.
The separation of the Timbuktu Host and the Timbuktu Guest has several important ramifications. The
Timbuktu Guest can run with the permissions of the current Windows user, allowing it to sidestep many
problematic architectural issues. The Timbuktu Host is comprised of several different executables,
which resolves other architectural issues. Together, the Timbuktu Host and Timbuktu Guest provide a
more secure, robust, and reliable system.
You will configure the Timbuktu Guest with the Preferences dialog box. Because the Timbuktu Host has
no main application window, its settings are managed with the new Timbuktu Host Configuration Utility.
When you install Timbuktu, you will have the option to install the Timbuktu Host, the Timbuktu Guest,
or both.
Timbuktu Services
The simple, powerful Timbuktu application includes multiple services. Each service provides you with a
different way to access a remote computer, collaborate with its user, or enable incoming access to your
own computer. Together, they help you make the most of your network.
• With the Control and Observe services, you can view another Timbuktu computer’s desktop in the
screen-sharing window on your computer. The window is continually updated as the other com-
puter’s desktop changes.
• With the Exchange service, you can copy and move files and folders in both directions between your
computer and another Timbuktu computer.
• With the Send service, you can send text-based messages and attachments, similar to electronic
mail, to other Timbuktu computers.
• With the Notify service, you can query another computer to determine whether its user is present.