This document contains late breaking news of the latest features added to the SoftRouter Plus which do not appear in the SoftRouter Plus manual. At the end of the document, the version history of the product is also listed.
For the latest news about updaters, shows that Vicomsoft are attending, new versions of our software, new products, press news and lots more, take a regular look at our news page at:
http://www.vicomsoft.com/newsflash.html
Contents:
• Registering the SoftRouter Plus
• Previous Users of the SoftRouter Plus
• WebCache Server Module
• DNS Serving
• Open Transports TCP/IP Address
• MacOS 8.5 Web Sharing
• Setting the MRU Value on the PPP Port
• Vicomsoft's Technical Support Area on the Web
• Saving Information About the Set-up of Your Vicomsoft SoftRouter (Contacting Technical Support)
Registering your SoftRouter Plus
To receive news of updates, offers and for free technical support, please register the product on-line at the following web page:
http://www.vicomsoft.com/register.html
Previous Users of the SoftRouter Plus
Version 6 of the SoftRouter will make a Backup of your VICOM TCP/IP Preferences file. This file will be saved in the VICOM Settings folder with ".old" added to the end of the filename. You will be warned about the backup when you first start the SoftRouter Plus.
WebCache Server Module
The WebCache Server is a module that optimizes use of the Internet connection by storing (caching) copies of web content on the user's LAN. The WebCache improves web browsing response times through rapid delivery of frequently accessed web content from a local caching server. All SoftRouter Plus clients benefit from the WebCache transparently without the need to configure each client individually.
DNS Serving
The Vicomsoft SoftRouter Plus now includes integral DNS Caching and Name Server facilities. These facilities reduce name resolution delays and cooperate with the DHCP Server to provide comprehensive local name resolution.
Open Transports TCP/IP Address
For previous users of the SoftRouter, you may notice there is no longer an OTI Mirror or Open Transport Mirror Port displayed in the SoftRouter Status window. The "Mirror" port has been changed, the Port being "Mirrored" or the TCP/IP Address of the SoftRouter Mac is now denoted by the MacOS Icon being displayed in the far left of the Ports list.
To change the TCP/IP address of the SoftRouter Plus you need to be in Advanced Mode. Select the Port with the IP address you wish the SoftRouter Plus machine to have, then select "Change This Mac's TCP/IP Address..." from the Ports menu. You will be presented with a warning, once you select OK, the MacOS Icon will then be displayed next to the port you have selected.
MacOS 8.5 Web Sharing
Apple does not recommend having Web Sharing running when using Dynamic PPP. Therefore we recommend that you make sure that Web Sharing is turned Off when launching and Quitting the SoftRouter.
Setting the MRU Value on the PPP Port
The MTU (Maximum Transmit Unit) value for a PPP port is fixed at 576 bytes. The SoftRouter Plus will only send out packets of 576 bytes in size.
The MRU (Maximum Receive Unit) value is now 1500 bytes by default, this means that the SoftRouter will receive packets upto 1500 bytes in size. This option was previously labelled the MTU value.
With some rare combinations of hardware and software you may experience problems connecting or receiving data from your Internet Service Provider. To fix this problem we suggest that you set your MRU value to 1000 or 576.
To change the MRU value;
1. Edit your Dial out port (PPP NAT port), and select the Connect Options tab.
2. Check the "Specify MRU" box and enter the suggested value.
Vicomsoft's Technical Support Area on the Web
Vicomsoft's Technical Support team have an area on the Vicomsoft web site which contains:
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• Tutorials
• Vicomsoft Software Updaters
• Application Notes and Version Histories
• Contacting Technical Support
• Version History
This area is constantly updated to address common questions and problems our users experience.
The main page for the Support area can be found at:
A new set of web pages have been added to the Support area called "Communications Products". These pages contain a list of TCP/IP applications that can be used with the Vicomsoft SoftRouter and that Vicomsoft's Technical Support team think users will find useful. The web page can be found at: http://www.vicomsoft.com/support/appnotes/vig.apps.html
Saving Information About the Set-up of Your Vicomsoft SoftRouter Plus
When contacting Vicomsoft Technical Support for help with the SoftRouter Plus, you can now help us to help you by sending a text document containing the set-up of your SoftRouter Plus.
If you need help from Vicomsoft Technical Support, we recommend the following:
1) Select "Save Config As..." from the "File" pull-down menu of the SoftRouter Plus and save the file (this file is automatically saved as a text file).
2) Fill out the "Contacting Technical Support" form along with the contents of the configuration text file on the following web page: http://www.vicomsoft.com/support/support.form.html
3a) Email the file along with a description of your problem to "support@vicomsoft.com" OR
3b) Print the file (by using any text editor) and fax the file along with a description of the problem to:
North America: +1 415-691-9838
Europe/International: +44 (0)1202 310241
Sending this file to Vicomsoft's Technical Support Team helps us provide a speedier and more accurate response.
Version History
Version 6.0.3
1. Fixed problems with some configurations which would cause the DNS Server to fail.
2. Added support to the WebCache Server for URL's containing spaces.
Version 6.0.1
1. Inbound Mapping and MultiHosting now work with Transparent Caching enabled.
2. Third party DNS Servers can be run on the same machine as the SoftRouter Plus.
Version 6.0.0
1. Vicomsoft WebCache module added with transparent caching facility.
2. Domain Name Server and DNS Caching now integrated into the SoftRouter Plus.
3. Dial up connections can now use the Modem control to configure your Modem to work with the SoftRouter Plus.
4. User configurable TCP port number Internet access filters.
5. Router addresses can now be specified for each DHCP range.
6. A WINS address can now be specified for distribution via DHCP.
7. The SoftRouter Plus now remembers DHCP addresses leased to particular clients. The SoftRouter will only re-use addresses if there are not enough addresses in DHCP range for all clients.
Previous Versions
For the history of previous versions of the Vicomsoft SoftRouter Plus, please see the complete Vicomsoft SoftRouter Plus Version History document on our web site at:
