Help › Functions
Share a service and open it locally
Share a port of your computer, such as a web interface or SSH, and open it on another of your devices as a local address.
With a service tunnel you reach a web interface, SSH or another service on one of your computers from your other device, without sharing a whole network. One device shares the service, another of your devices opens it locally.
Share a service
On the computer that offers the service, open Network and then Services. In Share services, choose Add service, enter a name and the port (for example 8080 for a web interface on this computer), and choose Share. Stop sharing also ends the running tunnels to that service.
Only devices of your own account can see and use the services. While somebody uses a service, the computer shows it: "‹device› is using ‹service› on this Mac". End disconnects the tunnel at once.
When "Reachable before login and while the screen is locked" is on on the Mac, the background service shares the services once it is ready: they stay reachable while the app is closed, and Share services then shows its list. "‹device› is using ‹service› on this Mac" then shows in the menu bar.
Share another device on the network
A computer that serves as access to its network can also share a service of another device on that network, for example the web interface of your NAS or printer. When adding, choose Another device on the network and enter the address, such as nas.local or 192.168.178.20, and the port. The computer looks the address up itself on every connection and connects only to devices on its local network, never to itself and never to the internet. The tunnel then reads "‹device› is using ‹service› (‹address›) through this Mac".
Open locally
On your other device, open Services … in the menu of the device's card. DeskRanger asks the device for its services. With Open locally DeskRanger creates an address such as 127.0.0.1:8080 on your computer that leads to the service. Type it into the browser or your program, or copy it. Close closes the address again.
Windows
On Windows, open the device card's menu (the three dots, or a right-click), choose Services … and Open locally in the dialog; "Copy address" copies the address. The menu item appears only for your own devices that can share services. The address stays open while DeskRanger runs on this PC and closes when you sign out.
Windows
On Windows you share services under Network › Services in Share services (also without a network, as long as the DeskRanger service runs). The section appears only when the DeskRanger service of this PC supports it. A service in use is listed there: "‹Device› is using ‹service› on this PC", for another device on the network "‹Device› is using ‹service› (‹address›) through this PC", each with End. Sharing and removing work while you are signed in at the PC and DeskRanger runs in that session; there are no tunnels at the sign-in screen. A refusal, for example This port is shared already., appears under the form.
iPhone & iPad
On iPhone and iPad, open Services … with a long press on the device's card and choose Open locally; "Copy address" copies the address. The address works while DeskRanger is in the foreground; iOS pauses the app in the background. iPhone and iPad do not share services themselves.
Android
On Android, open the menu of the device's card (the three dots or a long press), choose Services … and Open locally in the sheet; "Copy address" copies the address. The menu item appears only for your own devices that can share services. The address works for every app on this phone while DeskRanger is running and closes when you sign out.
Android
On Android you share services on the Network page under Share services, for example the SSH server of an app on the phone. The section appears while "Allow connections" is on. When someone uses a service or your phone as access, the page says so ("‹Device› is using ‹service› on this phone", with End) and a notification "Access active" offers "End all". The tunnels run while DeskRanger runs on the phone; when Android closes the app, they end. When a remote desktop entry chooses your phone as "Access through", you switch it on or off on the same page with "Allow as access for …".
Good to know
- The device that shares the service must be online with DeskRanger open. An older device without this feature shows "does not offer services yet".
- Every user on your computer can use the local address while it is open, as with
ssh -L. Close it when you no longer need it, and do not open it on a computer several people share. - The way between your devices is encrypted. Whether the connection behind it is protected depends on the service: a service over http is not encrypted.
- A web interface opens several connections at once. If a limit is reached, DeskRanger shows the reason.