Utilities like Telnet and remote control programs like Symantec’s PC
Anywhere let you execute programs on remote systems, but they can be a
pain to set up and require that you install client software on the
remote systems that you wish to access. PsExec is a light-weight
telnet-replacement that lets you execute processes on other systems,
complete with full interactivity for console applications, without
having to manually install client software. PsExec’s most powerful uses
include launching interactive command-prompts on remote systems and
remote-enabling tools like IpConfig that otherwise do not have the
ability to show information about remote systems.
Note: some
anti-virus scanners report that one or more of the tools are infected
with a "remote admin" virus. None of the PsTools contain viruses, but
they have been used by viruses, which is why they trigger virus
notifications.
