Employee Manager 2009 User Manual
Table of Contents
About XevaSoft Employee Manager
XevaSoft Employee Manager is a TCP/IP connection based surveillance software that runs on a local or remote network. It allows you to stop your employees from going off-track when they are on computers(playing games, browsing non-work-related sites, chatting...etc), therefore increases their overall productivity. XevaSoft Employee Manager is not only designed for enterprises and large institutes, it may also be used on small home network. With simple installations, XevaSoft Employee Manager allows you to see and control each computers within the network from a server machine in real time. This includes viewing the current screen of each computers on the network, and all keystrokes that each user has pressed. Additional controls are also available including shutting down/rebooting a remote client computer, logging off a specific user, displaying messages on client computer screen, locking down client workstation and execute certain files on client machine.
Features:
- Fast installation/configuration/upgrade
- Supports up to thousands of client computers
- Shows real time screen of client computers
- Shows detailed keystrokes for all client users
- Basic Windows commands - Shut Down/Reboot/Logoff
- Display custom messages on client computers
- Completely lock out client computers for further investigation
- Execute specific file on client computer in different modes (hidden...etc)
- Stealth mode for client software, prevent workers from shutting it down
- Optional master password to secure the server and client software from being accessed and shutdown respectively.
- Mass configure hundreds of client computer on the network
Copyright
The information in this document is subject to change without notice. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, for any purpose, without the express written permission of XevaSoft Inc.
XevaSoft Inc may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering the subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from XevaSoft Inc., the furnishing of this document does not provide any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property.
Copyright © 2008 XevaSoft Inc. All rights reserved.
Getting Started
How It Works
XevaSoft Employee Manager comes in two components, 'XevaSoft Employee Manager Server' and 'XevaSoft Employee Manager Client'. The Server is to be installed on a single computer under a network that you wish to monitor your employees from. The Client is to be installed on all other machines that you wish to monitor. Whenever a client machine is turned on/logged in, the server will be notified. On the server, there will be a detailed list of computers/users that is online, from that list, you will have access to a range of surveillance tool including viewing screen/keystrokes/browse history of specific computer and you may also perform actions such as shut down/reboot...etc. The client runs in background and will not affect your employee's standard routine, you may also configure it to run in stealth mode(hidden system tray icon) so that your employees will not even notice such program running.
Server Installation
Extract the zip file downloaded, run 'xsem_server_vxxx.exe'
The following window should appear:
Click 'Next', then read through the software license agreement, if you agree, tick 'I agree with the above terms and conditions', then click 'Next'.
You will be prompted to select a path where you want the software to be installed, enter your desired path or leave it as default, then click 'Next'.
A confirmation screen will appear, simply click 'Start' to install the software. After the installation has completed simply exit the installer.
You will be able to locate the software at Start Menu > All Programs > Xeva Softwares > Employee Manager Server.
Server Configuration
Once the program is launched, click on the 'Server Status' Tab on top.
If it is your first time running the program, you should see the exact same thing as the screenshot above(except for your local IP address, which will be different).
Check to see if the server status is online and the text is green. If so, congratulations, no configuration is required, the server is good to go.
If not don't panic. Try changing the port number to a different integer, ie. 21080. Then click Start Server, if server status indicates online then well done. There could have been another program using the old port number. Click Save Settings to save your new port setting.
There are other possibilities that can prevent the server to start, if you tried many different port number and server still fails to start. Check your firewall settings and make sure you give correct permission for this software to access the network. If problem persists, please contact technical support.
Note that the server must be Online to see/manager any client computers.
Client Installation
Tip: If you are going to install the client software on hundreds of computer on the network, please read Automatic Client Configuration before proceeding. This will save you lots of time configuring hundreds of clients manually. Silent installer is also available upon request, please contact us.
Extract the zip file downloaded, and locate 'xsem_client_vxxx.exe'.
Run the 'xsem_client_vxxx.exe' on client computers you wish to monitor.
The following window should appear:
Click 'Next', then read through the software license agreement, if you agree, tick 'I agree with the above terms and conditions', then click 'Next'.
You will be prompted to select a path where you want the software to be installed, enter your desired path or leave it as default, then click 'Next'.
A confirmation screen will appear, simply click 'Start' to install the software. After the installation has completed simply exit the installer.
Note that there will be no Start Menu entry of the software and the software will not be listed in Add Or Remove Program utility under control panel. To uninstall the program please refer to the Client Control Panel section of this document.
Increasing Client Security - Change executable file name
You can rename the client EXE file into names such as svchost.exe, explorer.exe to decrease the chance of it being discovered. If you want to do so simply exit the first time configuration window after installation and change the file name at whereever you chose to install the program. When completed, simply run the program again.
Client not running on system startups
The client software is designed to be automatically lauched when system starts, however, under Windows Vista the client may be blocked from running(very rare).
If the client fails to run on system startup please follow the steps below:
Remove XevaSoft Employee Manager Client from startup entries:
Start → Run... → type in msconfig.exe
Go to STARTUP Tab and remove the app that is blocked by Vista noting on a sheet of paper where the program is run from.
After removing the app, create a app Task using the Task Schedule with full VISTA blessed permission by following the instructions below:
Launch the Task Scheduler
Example: Start Menu → All Programs → Accessories → System Tools
2. From the Actions panel on the right, select Create Task...
a. Give the app a name of your choice in the "Name Section"
3. Go to the Security Options on the General tab
a. Select an user account with administrative privileges
b. Select the radio button Run only when user is logged on
c. Check the box Run with highest privileges
4. Go to the Triggers tab and click New...
a. In Begin the task, select At log on
b. In the Settings options, select All users
c. In the Advanced Settings options, check the box Enabled
d. Click OK to close the dialog
5. Go to the Actions tab and click New...
a. For Action, select Start a program
b. In the Settings options, browse for the Program/Script you want to execute on
startup
c. Click OK to close the dialog
6. Go to the Settings tab
a. Check the box Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed
b. Uncheck the box Stop the task if it runs longer than
7. Make any other desired settings
8. Click OK to save and close the task properties
Manual Client Configuration
After installation, a first time configuration window should pop up. (if you didn't use the auto configuration utility available on the server software.)
Simply enter the IP address or Host name of the computer that the server software was installed on (if you are unsure about this visit the server status page of the server program, and copy the Local IP Address). Then enter the port that the server runs on.
You may set a security password which you will be prompted to enter if you want to shut down, reconfigure or uninstall the client software.
If you tick Display icon in system tray, the client software will display a tray icon like the screenshot below:
The benefit of displaying tray icon is you can easily access the control panel by right clicking on the tray icon, it also let you know that if the client program is running properly.
However, you may not want to display icon if you don't want your employees to find out about such software, in this case, untick the Display icon in system tray box.
Click 'Save', and the client should now be running in background. You can check your server to see that if the client is connected, if not recheck client configuration via Client Control Panel.
Automatic Client Configuration 
If you are preparing to install Employee Manager Client on several computers, it is recommended that you export a .reg configuration file and simply run it on each computer before installing the client software. That way you won't have to manually configure clients after each installation.
To create a configuration registry file, go to 'Client Installation/Config' tab on XevaSoft Employee Manager Server:
Fill in the option fields as you normally would when configuring the client manually, then click 'Export Config...' button.
A 'xxx.reg' file should be generated under the selected path. Simply copy the .reg file and run it on each client computers you want to monitor BEFORE installing the client software. XevaSoft Employee Manager Client will then auto detect those settings and will not prompt you for first time configuration.
To install .reg file using commandline the following command can be used:
regedit.exe /s [path of .reg file]
Updating Client Configuration
To update client configuration(ie. the server IP address/port has changed), there are 3 methods:
- Use the Automatic Client Configuration tool. Old settings will be overwritten.
- Change settings via Client Control Panel on each client computers.
- Use Action -> Configure Client utility on server software.
User Guides
Management Interface
The main management interface is the 'Client Monitor' tab on XevaSoft Employee Manager Server:
There is a list that shows all connected client computers, for example if you wish to view the screen of a client computer, simple select the computer from the list then click 'View Screen'. Other tools are also available in the panels on the right. You may also right click on the Connected Computer list where you will see a pop up menu with a list of options you can perform.
View Screen
One of the main functions of XevaSoft Employee Manager is the client screen viewer. You will be able to see what exactly is on each client computer's screen. Simply select aclientcomputer then click on 'View Screen' button.The following window should pop out:
The screen image will take awhile to load depending on network speed and image quality, you may change the image quality via Tools -> Options... menu in the main interface window. The higher the screenshot quality is the longer it will take to transfer. Screen Viewer comes with a express menu on the top and function of each items should be self explanatory.
Tip. If screen image fails to load, try closing the window then click on 'View Screen' button again.
View Keystrokes
This tool will show the exact keys that the user has pressed since logged in. Keystrokes are sorted into time flags for easy navigation. Keystrokes report comes in two formats, one is colored HTML format and the other one is plain text. A demonstration of colored HTML keystrokes report can be found below:
Keystroke Viewer comes with a express menu on the top and function of each items should be self explanatory.
Shut Down / Reboot / Log Out
You may shutdown / reboot / log out any client computers or users using the respective buttons on the main interface. Note that these operations comes in two modes, Forced or Non-Forced(Default), forced mode will continue to perform selected operation even if there are unsaved work, all unsaved data will be lost. Non-Forced mode will prompt the user to save documents before performing shutdown operations. You may change shutdown mode through Tools -> Options... menu in the main interface.
Lock Computer
You may lock a client computer, the client computer that's being locked will be inaccessible until correct password is given. A locked workstation looks like this:
You will be prompted to set a password when locking a computer, to unlock a workstation, enter the password at client computer on bottom-right corner of the screen.
Execute Program 
To execute a program on remote client computer, simply click on the Execute Program button
Enter the FULL Path of the program you wish to run, if you wish to run the program in hidden mode(if the program has a visible window, it will not be displayed), tick Hidden, otherwise tick Normal. Then click Execute, a message will be displayed regarding to whether the program has been executed successfully.
Send Message
To display a message on selected client computer, click Send Message then enter the message you wish to send. The client computer will display the message you entered like the screenshot below:
Client Control Panel
To alter client settings, change client password, uninstall XSEM Client software on client machines that has XevaSoft Employee Manager Client installed. Access to client control panel is required, simply right click on the client icon in system tray then click on Control Panel:
If you chose to hide system tray icon of XSEM client and therefore unable to access system tray icon menu, you can bring up client control panel with the following key combinations:
showem [ENTER KEY]
Simply type in showem anywhere then press the enter key. 
Also, to shutdown the client software temporarily type the following key combination:
closeem [ENTER KEY]
You will be prompted to enter the password that you set when you install the client software, enter the password and following window should appear:
You may change server IP and port via this control panel, or assign a new security password(leave blank if you don't want it changed). Click Save & Restart to save settings and restart the client. You may also check the connection status from the box in client control panel.
To uninstall the client, click Uninstall(THIS CANNOT BE UNDONE).
FAQ
Q. How many client computers can I control using XevaSoft Employee Manager?
There are different types of license available for XevaSoft Employee Manager, you will only be allowed to manage the maximum number of clients permitted by the particular license you have. For example, trial version has a limitation of 5 clients, even if you got 10 client computers connected, on the client list you will only be able to see 5 of them.
Q. Is there a silent installer for XevaSoft Employee Manager Client?
Due to security and privacy concerns, silent installer is only available upon request, please contact us.
Q. Where are the log files saved?
All logs are saved under the temporary folder under local client machines.(eg. C:\Documents and Settings\Username\Local Settings\Temp\Employee Manager Log), we have an upcoming update that will allow you to save copies of logs to a speicified shared folder.
Q. Website browsing history is not working on limited user, whats wrong?
For the browsing history to work, raw socket access needs to be enabled for limited account(disabled by default).
To achieve this, following registry keys need to be added/modified on the system.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Afd\Parameters\DisableRawSecurity
Registry Type: DWORD
Value: 1
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters\AllowUserRawAccess
Registry Type: DWORD
Value: 1
The client program will automatically add/modify these key if there is permission(admin account).
If not, manually modification is required. The registry file is available for download here.
You may use the following command line to install the .reg file silently.
regedit.exe /s [path of .reg file]
To add the keys locally you can use the following commands:
REG ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Afd\Parameters /v DisableRawSecurity /t REG_DWORD /d 1
REG ADD HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters /v AllowUserRawAccess /t REG_DWORD /d 1
To add the keys to a remote computer you can use the following commands:
REG ADD \\COMPUTERNAME\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Afd\Parameters /v DisableRawSecurity /t REG_DWORD /d 1
REG ADD \\COMPUTERNAME\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Tcpip\Parameters /v AllowUserRawAccess /t REG_DWORD /d 1
When adding the keys manually, make sure DWORD type is selected or it will not function at all.
Q. Is this program illegal?
This program is not illegal at all as long as you use it for what it is designed for. However, it is required by law in some countries that you let your employees sign an agreement and let them know that their actions on computer will be monitored.
Q. Can I run this program through a remote network?
Yes, definitely, when configuring client software simply enter the Server IP as a remote IP address instead of local network address. You need to make sure your server has the port opened for public access.
Technical Support
For technical support simply visit our support section at http://www.XevaSoft.com/contact.php, we have several staff that will help you resolving your problem.
Copyright © 2009 XevaSoft Inc. All rights reserved.