Unattended Access Overview
Unattended Access Overview
Section titled “Unattended Access Overview”What is Unattended Access?
Section titled “What is Unattended Access?”Unattended Access is a feature of Secure Remote Access that allows you to connect remotely to your servers and network endpoints directly from your browser, using a lot of the well-known Admin By Request features like: inventory, auditlog, settings and sub-settings, approval flows, integrations etc.
The implementation of Unattended Access eliminates the need for VPN and jump servers, while still maintaining a secure and segregated setup.
Prerequisites
Section titled “Prerequisites”Organizations wishing to use endpoint clients running Admin By Request for Secure Remote Access Windows 8.4 need the following:
Portal Access Requirements
Section titled “Portal Access Requirements”- Access to the portal at https://www.adminbyrequest.com/Login
- Admin By Request for Windows 8.4.0, Build 31936+ on each client
Network Connectivity Requirements
Section titled “Network Connectivity Requirements”| Service | Port | IP Addresses / URLs |
|---|---|---|
| Admin By Request API | 443 | 104.45.17.196 (Europe) 137.117.73.20 (USA) api.adminbyrequest.com api1.adminbyrequest.com api2.adminbyrequest.com macapi1.adminbyrequest.com macapi2.adminbyrequest.com |
| MQTT Broker | 8883 | FastTrackHubEU1.azure-devices.net FastTrackHubUS1.azure-devices.net |
| Unattended Access | 3389 | RDP needs to be enabled on the device |
Additional Requirements
Section titled “Additional Requirements”A further prerequisite applies to Vendor Access: SSO must be enabled for each user who will login to the Vendor Access portal.
Deployment Options
Section titled “Deployment Options”Unattended Access has two primary ways of operating (i.e. two possible setups):
1. Unattended Access as a Managed Service
Section titled “1. Unattended Access as a Managed Service”Ideal for: Organizations seeking quick deployment without infrastructure management
Requirements:
- Outbound connection capability to establish secure tunnel
- Admin By Request endpoint client installed on devices
- No additional infrastructure needed
Benefits:
- Zero infrastructure maintenance
- Immediate deployment capability
- Fully managed by AdminByRequest
2. Unattended Access as a Self-Hosted Implementation
Section titled “2. Unattended Access as a Self-Hosted Implementation”Ideal for: Organizations requiring on-premise deployment for compliance or security reasons
Requirements:
- Ability to run Docker containers
- Outbound connections to Cloudflare for tunnel establishment
- Internal infrastructure resources
Benefits:
- Complete data control within your infrastructure
- Custom deployment configurations
- Integration with existing on-premise systems
How Does Unattended Access Work?
Section titled “How Does Unattended Access Work?”The idea behind Unattended Access is to allow users to connect to your remote endpoints using nothing but their browsers. In order to achieve this, the browser creates a Secure WebSocket connection to a Docker-based gateway, hosted either in your own infrastructure or as a managed service.
The connection is made via a secure Cloudflare tunnel, as shown in the following diagram:
Gateway Components
Section titled “Gateway Components”The gateway comprises three different images:
| Component | Function | Business Value |
|---|---|---|
| Connector | Handles validation and translation of data between the portal and proxy container, manages logs, health checks and other data | Ensures secure data flow and system reliability |
| Proxy | Establishes protocol connection between Admin By Request and your endpoint using RDP, SSH or VNC | Provides flexible remote access across multiple protocols |
| Discovery | Handles automatic discovery of connectable devices running on the same network as the gateway | Reduces manual configuration and improves device visibility |
Key Takeaway: Unattended Access provides a secure, browser-based remote access solution that eliminates traditional VPN requirements while maintaining comprehensive security and audit capabilities through the AdminByRequest ecosystem.