Live Capture

Live Capture

Remotely view a user’s computer screens on-demand and in near real-time, plus easily save screenshots from the view as image files for later review.

How to use Live Capture

There are two places in the BrowseReporter module where you can initiate a Live Capture session:

  1. User drill down on the dashboard, next to the date selector

  1. User Explorer in the Screenshots page, next to the search box

A viewing window will then show the contents of the selected user’s screen, which updates in near real-time.


Users working on multiple computers

If the user is currently logged into multiple computers, you will have the option to choose which computer to view by selecting it from the drop-down menu when the Live Capture is starting.


Multiple monitor support


By default, Live Capture starts on Screen 1, which is the user’s main monitor as determined by the user’s OS.  

If there is a second monitor, it can be viewed by selecting Screen 2.  If you wish to view all the screens side-by-side (for example if the user has more than 2 screens), then select the “All Screens” option.  In this mode, the layout of the screens generally reproduces the screen layout of the user’s monitors.

Saving screenshots from Live Capture

The Save Screenshot button at the bottom right of the viewing window allows you to save the current view to a standard image file for later review.  The file will be saved to the local computer hard drive that you are using the CurrentWare Web console from.

When you click the Save Screenshot button, the web browser that you’re using will start a download of the image file.  Depending on the browser setting, it may ask you which directory to save the file to, or it will save directly to the downloads folder.

If you wish to change that behavior, you can do so from the browser settings

Edge settings


Chrome settings


FAQ

I don’t see the Live Capture button when I’m in the User Drilldown or User Explorer

Ensure the Live Capture feature is enabled in the Settings > BrowseReporter option.


Check Operator Permissions

Check that the operator has the BrowseReporter->Remote Screen Capture permission added to the relevant group


The Live Capture button is disabled

The user is currently offline (the PC is switched off, the user is logged off, or the PC is offline).  Try again when the user is online.

Where is the screenshot file that I saved from the Save Screenshot button?

This will depend on how your web browser saves downloads.  Normally it will save directly to your computer’s “Downloads” folder, or it may prompt for a directory before saving.  The file will be named “Image.jpg”, or “Image (number).jpg”

The preview window opens but I cannot see the Live Capture

The connection to the remote computer may take a minute or so to establish.  If you encounter an error message, or the image has not appeared after a minute, please see the section Troubleshooting Live Capture

How is this different from the other Screenshots features?

Live Capture does not require prior setup, as is the case with the Periodic or Website/application Screenshots.  Live Capture provides a real-time view of the user’s screens, which is constantly updated, instead of static screenshots from the other screenshot features.

Can I save the Live Capture as a video?

Currently, this feature does not support saving the view as a video file.  You may save the image files as often as you need.

Does this record audio from the computer or microphone?

No, this only captures the Windows desktop screens as pure images.  No audio is captured from any of the applications, or any of the microphones.

Why can I only start one Live Capture session?

To provide a simple and convenient way to establish a real-time view of the client screens without a noticeable impact on the user’s system, the emphasis has been on minimal use of system resources on the client side.  This means there is a greater impact on the network between the client and server.  Consequently, the number of connections for Live Capture has been limited to one(1) to minimize the impact on the server and network.

Why don’t I see the saved screenshots in the User Explorer or All Screenshots page?

When the “Save Screenshot” feature is used, the image is saved directly on the local drive of the computer that initiated the Live Capture feature.  It is not saved on the CurrentWare server.  Since the Live Capture feature is distinct from the Periodic and Website/Application Screenshots features, it does not use the same system functionality nor capture the same metadata required for the All Screenshots/User Explorer display.

Can I change the network port that is used?

Yes, you can.  By default, the feature uses port 8988 on the server.  Please contact our support team who can assist you with the steps necessary to change the port or visit the firewall ports knowledge base.

Troubleshooting Live Capture


This message shows the connection being established with the user’s computer.


If the connection takes longer than 1 minute, then the above message appears.  

Check these possibilities:

  • That the user is still online
  • The network connections are stable
  • Port 8988 (or the custom port number if it has been changed) is open on both the server and client computers
  • Port 8988 (or custom port number) is in use by another application
  • Close the dialog box using the “X” at the top right, wait a few seconds and try the Live Capture again

The above message will show when the client-server connectivity is using passive mode.  The ping frequency determines how often a client checks for updates/instructions from the server, so it affects how quickly a Live Capture session can be established.

It is recommended to follow the mode and configuration applicable to your environment in the Client Connectivity settings to ensure optimal performance, however you can experiment with lowering the ping frequency to reduce the wait time for Live Capture.



The above message means that there is currently a Live Capture session running on the server.  Currently, there is a limit of one(1) active Live Capture session per server.  Close the dialog box using the “X” and wait for the other session to finish before trying again.  If another Live Capture session was disconnected unexpectedly, then it may take 5 minutes for that connection to timeout and allow a new connection.


Check these possibilities

  • That the user is still online
  • The network connections are stable
  • Port 8988 (or the custom port number if it has been changed) is open on both the server and client computers
  • Port 8988 (or custom port number) to ensure it is not in use by any other application
  • Check cwLiveCapture.log on the server, any errors relating to LIV: tagged entries
  • On the client, check cwClient.log, any errors in RMS keyword entries
  • If errors relate to issues establishing an MTLS or SSL connection, contact support for further troubleshooting
  • Uninstall and reinstall the client package

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