ScreenConnect Integration

ScreenConnect is a tool you can use to remote control your customers' assets to make remote support a breeze! With our integration, you can just click to have a session created with the details copied over from the ticket.

Table of Contents

Installation
Configuring ScreenConnect with Policies
Accessing ScreenConnect
Troubleshooting
Mac
 

Installation

  1. To get started, head to Admin > App Center > ScreenConnect app card.
    Configure ScreenConnect Integration
  2. You will obtain your ScreenConnect URL and Instance ID in ConnectWise Control. In a new browser tab, login into your ScreenConnect account at https://cloud.screenconnect.com/#/account.
  3. If you don't already have an instance created, create one first.
  4. With the instance created, copy the Instance URL highlighted here:
  5. Note: The Instance ID shown in the ConnectWise portal is NOT the ID needed for this integration. This will be shown starting in step 7.
  6. In Syncro in the ScreenConnect URL field, paste the Instance URL. Make sure to include https:// in front of the URL.
    Paste the ScreenConnect URL
  7. To get the Instance ID, you’ll need to access one of your endpoints that already has your ScreenConnect Client installed.
  8. On the endpoint, open the Task Manager.
  9. Click the Services tab.
  10. Scroll down to the ScreenConnect Client service.
  11. Copy down the Instance ID found in the parenthesis by the ScreenConnect Client name. (You may close the Task Manager after doing this.)
  12. In Syncro in the ScreenConnect Instance ID field, type the Instance ID.
    ScreenConnect Instance ID field
  13. Click Save.
  14. Next, in ConnectWise Control click the Instance URL to launch the Host.
  15. Login.

Once you've launched the instance host, you'll be able to build the MSI installer to upload into Syncro.
 

Build an MSI Installer

  1. In ScreenConnect on the left-hand menu, click Access.
  2. Click the Build + button.
    Build + button
  3. Click the Type dropdown > Windows (.msi).
    Download Windows .msi
  4. Click DOWNLOAD.
  5. Click DONE when it finishes.
  6. IMPORTANT: Once it downloads, find the file (it should be called ConnectWiseControl.ClientSetup.msi).
    Before renaming
  7. Rename the file to exactly screenconnect.msi before uploading it to Syncro.
    Rename to screenconnect.msi
  8. In Syncro, click Upload ScreenConnect MSI.
    Upload ScreenConnect MSI link
  9. Find the screenconnect.msi file (you renamed it to this in step 7 above, right?) and upload it.
  10. Once it finishes uploading, you'll see "All Set, we have your ScreenConnect MSI file."
    That's it for authentication!

Configuring ScreenConnect with Policies

Now you will want to add the ScreenConnect integration to a Policy. Head to the Policies tab and select the Policy that will have ScreenConnect on it.

With ScreenConnect configured, there will be a new option to "BRING YOUR OWN SCREENCONNECT" to activate. Check the box and hit Save.

 

Once you activate this option, the system will begin to scan the Assets that have the Policy attached.

 

-If ScreenConnect is installed on the Asset with a ScreenConnect Instance ID that is different than the one you entered in the Settings step, then the system will install a new instance of ScreenConnect with the instance ID that was used in Syncro and upload the ScreenConnect unique GUID for the Asset.

-If ScreenConnect is not installed, we will install it using the ScreenConnect ID that was used during the Setup stage and upload the ScreenConnect unique GUID for the Asset.

 

*NOTE*: The sync can vary in time and of course depends if the Asset is online at the time. You will know if the Asset has synced if there is a ScreenConnect GUID in the Asset info.

*NOTE*: There is a ScreenConnect ID column you can turn on in the Device Settings button on the Device page.

 

Accessing ScreenConnect

Once everything is synced up, you can get to ScreenConnect by clicking the Device Quick Access or in the Device Details Screen using the Remote drop down.

 

 

Troubleshooting

  • If you are getting an error stating "One or more errors occurred" or "Session group 'All Machines' does not exist" from ScreenConnect when you attempt to remote into the device from Syncro, please check that your main "Access" session group in ScreenConnect starts with "All Machines" and try again.
    • You can either click the three dots by a name > Edit to rename one, or click + Create Session Group near the bottom.

  • If you use Syncro to remote into a machine, but you access a different computer in your ScreenConnect account, please make sure that you did not use the "End" button in ScreenConnect discussed here: https://docs.connectwise.com/ConnectWise_Control_Documentation/Get_started/Host_page/End_a_session

    This will prevent Syncro from accessing the machine further, because ScreenConnect has permanently ended the session, and leaves the service installed on the machine, preventing Syncro from connecting or reinstalling ScreenConnect.

    To resolve this issue, you will need to completely uninstall ScreenConnect from the machine, and clear the ScreenConnect GUID value from the asset's custom field so that Syncro can reinstall and repopulate the ScreenConnect GUID.
     
  • If ScreenConnect installs on your assets, but the 'ScreenConnect GUID' asset field is blank and there is no option to connect via ScreenConnect, it is likely that the Instance ID that was entered in the ScreenConnect app card is incorrect.

    You can quickly find the Instance ID by going to an asset that ScreenConnect was deployed to and looking for ScreenConnect in the 'Installed Apps' tab. The ID will be displayed between the parentheses after 'ScreenConnect Client':

    Instance ID
    Once you have that ID, head over to 'Admin > App Center > ScreenConnect' and update the Instance ID. As your assets sync with our servers, you should see the ScreenConnect GUID appear on the asset and an option to start a ScreenConnect remote session.
     
  • If you do not have the option to install it on any policies and it is not installing on any new assets, make sure you have uploaded the screenconnect.msi as detailed in Build an MSI Installer above.

 

Mac

ScreenConnect managed installation is not officially supported on Macs at this current time. If this is not working for you, please install ScreenConnect outside of Syncro until further notice.

1 Like

We are new to Syncro, and have discovered that if you have the policy within ScreenConnect set so that the tray icon is hidden, assets that have ScreenConnect deployed via Syncro seem to ignore that option until you reinstall via ScreenConnect.

If anyone can corroborate this, or has maybe found a solution, please let me know!

Leaving the original reply up, but I found the solution.

If you build the msi file in ScreenConnect and upload to Syncro before you set the settings in SC to hide tray icon, you need to build a new .msi and reupload the new .msi in Syncro’s SC app card for the options to be deployed as desired.

I thought that because ScreenConnect would check in on install, any .msi from our instance would work and just pull any the changes from the SC server, but it seems the .msi file has the settings from the time it was built somewhat hard coded.

Sending a re-install via ScreenConnect works to fix the problem because SC technically rebuilds the installer before pushing it to the endpoint, but if Syncro is using an old .msi file, then it’s pushing old settings too.

I believe Connectwise Control (aka ScreenConnect) has a well documented API, and one solution to this problem would be to have Syncro instruct the endpoint to pull a fresh .msi on SC update/install rather than have us download/upload a generic .msi. This would also allow Syncro to pass flags to the installer, and tag them to the company by name. This would potentially enable macOS SC management too, as you would not be pushing files, just sending a script to be run.

Silly assumption on my part, but hopefully this helps someone else!

1 Like