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ELSEWARE - PC DOS REMOTE ACCESS - (C)1989 by Kevin Kiley INQUIRIES> Kevin Kiley - 1222 5th Street, Sarasota, Fla, 34236 Release 2.2 - October 15, 1989 - INTERLINK TECHNOLOGIES ------------------------------------------------------------------- New features in release 2.2 ------------------------------------------------------------------- - Version 2.1 bug sending '1' or '!' fixed. - Command line parameters replaced with standard SETUP FILE. - Industry standard SETUP utility EWSET.EXE added. - HOST screen buffer memory reduced to 6-8K. - Screen updates slightly faster. - Many new user-defined parameters... HOTKEYS, etc... - PASSWORD SECURITY option added. - HOST MODEM SHARING option added. ------------------------------------------------------------------- =================================================================== SECTIONS CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENTATION FILE =================================================================== 1. INTRODUCTION 2. WHAT YOU NEED TO USE ELSEWARE 3. INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE 4. EWSET.EXE - ELSEWARE SETUP PROGRAM 5. HOW TO USE THE HOST PROGRAM EWH.EXE 6. HOW TO USE THE REMOTE ACCESS PROGRAM EWR.EXE 7. A WORD ABOUT THE WAY THINGS WORK 8. MODEM SHARING OPTION 9. OTHER PROGRAMS AVAILABLE FROM INTERLINK TECHNOLOGIES 10. PRODUCT ORDER FORM =================================================================== ELSEWARE is FREEWARE. You may copy and distribute this program freely and without reservation. This software has been formally released in the PUBLIC DOMAIN. I hope you find it as useful as I have. Kevin Kiley AUTHOR of ELSEWARE and PRESIDENT of INTERLINK TECHNOLOGIES =================================================================== INTRODUCTION =================================================================== WHAT IS 'ELSEWARE'? ELSEWARE is a set of programs which will allow you to use your PC from anywhere. ELSEWARE is identical to commercially available software which makes the same claim with one important exception... ELSEWARE is free. One of my responsibilities is to write and support voice response and recognition software. Most of the systems are on the other side of the country and finding the right remote access software was very important to me. What I discovered is that all the programs available commercially which allow you to use a PC from remote take up too much memory and are too sluggish. Some of my voice response systems would not leave enough DOS CORE memory to allow any of the commercial programs to load. There is also a general lack of ability to control the time slicing with any of the commercial programs and this is something I had to have in order to support certain voice response systems remotely. So I wrote my own and have used it successfully ever since. The EWH.EXE host module requires ONLY ABOUT 8K ( 8000 bytes! ). An additional 6-8K will be allocated for screen buffers. Dpending on how you set the time slicing it is as fast if not FASTER than any commercial remote access software I have tried. The product has grown since version 2.1. Setup screens and HELP screens are now standard. More features are being added so watch for new releases. If you register your copy I'll mail new versions directly to you AS SOON AS THEY ARE AVAILABLE! ELSEWARE is FREEWARE, not SHAREWARE. You can copy and distribute it as freely as you like. No strings attached. It has served me well and I hope it will do the same for you. =================================================================== WHAT YOU NEED TO USE ELSEWARE =================================================================== OPERATING SYSTEM - DOS 3.1 or higher COMMUNICATIONS HARDWARE - At least 1 standard PC serial port in both HOST and REMOTE. - 1 AUTO-ANSWER ASYNC modem for HOST ( Doesn't have to be HAYES type ). - 1 ASYNC MODEM for REMOTE ( Doesn't have to be HAYES type ). - ( Alternative ) Standard NULL-MODEM connection between 2 PC's. - To use the MODEM SHARING OPTION you need at least 2 serial ports and/or 2 standard ASYNC MODEMS on the HOST PC. =================================================================== INSTALLING THE SOFTWARE =================================================================== Here's the recommended way to install the software... UN-ZIP the programs if you've received them in .ZIP format. UN-ARC the programs if you've received them in .ARC format. Create a SUB-DIRECTORY off of your ROOT directory called 'EW'. Copy all the programs to the new sub-directory. Add the new subdirectory to your PATH and/or ENVIRONMENT. Change to the \EW directory and run the SETUP PROGRAM EWSET.EXE. Make sure all the parameters are set the way you need them to be. See the next section for a complete description of EWSET.EXE. Change to the sub-directory whenever you want to start either the HOST or REMOTE software and execute the appropriate BATCH file. (EWHOST.BAT) for HOST program or (EWREM.BAT) for remote. That's it! =================================================================== EWSET.EXE - ELSEWARE SETUP PROGRAM =================================================================== Version 2.1 used command line parameters at start-up. Version 2.2 has more features and includes an industry standard SETUP PROGRAM which enables you to change the default parameters easily. The SETUP PROGRAM is called EWSET.EXE. To execute the program just change to the sub-directory where you deposited the ELSEWARE programs and enter 'EWSET'. You will see a screen with CATEGORIES listed on the left and all the options that belong to the CATEGORY displayed on the right. Use PGUP or PGDN to change the current CATEGORY. Use the ARROW KEYS to move from field to field within each CATEGORY. A HELP box below right will always contain an explanation of the current field and some words about what to enter. SAVE your changes with ESC. You will need to VERIFY the SAVE by pressing 'Y' when asked if you wish to 'SAVE TO DISK?'. All parameters are written to a BINARY file called EW.SET. This file is used by both HOST and REMOTE programs. The EWSET SETUP program is identical for both HOST and REMOTE. Some parameters only apply to one or the other but most apply to BOTH. If the EW.SET file ever becomes corrupted or you simply want to reset to the DEFAULTS then just DELETE the EW.SET file and run EWSET.EXE. You will be asked if you want to create a NEW EW.SET file. Respond with 'Y'ES and a new one will be created. If you run EWSET while either the EWH or EWR TSR is loaded then you will also be asked on exit if you want to 'Update the TSR running on this PC?'. This will send the new defaults directly to the TSR so you don't need to load/unload. NOTE: ALL of the new parameters are sent to the TSR in memory so be careful about changing communcations parameters. You will LOSE CONTACT with the HOST if you change BAUD RATE or COM PORT. You may, of course, be doing this on purpose but you should change BAUD RATE or COM PORT on the HOST first in case you lose contact. This option was intended to make it easy to turn 'send attributes?' ON/OFF without unloading the TSR. Use care changing other parameters 'on the fly' without reloading TSR. A list of ALL parameters in EWSET follows along with a BRIEF description of each. EWSET.EXE CATEGORY 1 - GENERAL DEFAULTS - Software interrupt(Decimal): Enter the DECIMAL value of the software interrupt. Valid entries are interrupts 60 <thru> 67. The default should be fine on most PC's. - Communications port # (1,2): Enter the number of the COMMUNICATIONS PORT to use. Enter 1 for COM1 or 2 for COM2. - Baud rate........(300-9600): Enter the BAUD RATE ( 300-9600 ). - Send video attributes?.....: Press <Y>es to include attributes in update msgs. Press <N>o to exchange only TEXT characters. TEXT ONLY provides FASTER SCREEN UPDATES. ELSEWARE will NOT transmit GRAPHICS screens! Future release(s) may include this capability. - Use alternate video buffer?: Press <Y>es to use a non-standard video buffer address Press <N>o to use normal DOS video buffer address(es) NOTE:If active then HOST will SEND from alternate buffer. This COULD allow the program to be used as a poor man's network with certain TASK SWITCHING programs or DOS KERNELS but you'll have to find out where they're putting the SCREENS! - Address of alternate buffer: Enter DECIMAL VALUE of video buffer SEGMENT ADDRESS. This would be something OTHER than B000 or B800 which are the standard PC video buffer addresses for Monochrome and CGA/EGA respectively. Remember to enter the DECIMAL VALUE! EWSET.EXE CATEGORY 2 - SECURITY OPTIONS - Use security? : Press <Y>es to use SECURITY or <N>o for NONE. - Password : Enter system access password. Must match on both HOST and REMOTE. NOTES ABOUT SECURITY OPTION... If the SECURITY OPTION is ON then the PASSWORD will be sent to HOST automatically each time the HOTKEY is pressed for HOST ACCESS. The HOST SETUP FILE must also have the SECURITY OPTION ON if you are sending a password otherwise it will be rejected. The PASSWORD will be sent up to 3 times to prevent simple transmission errors form causing a rejection. If the PASSWORD is REJECTED all three times then one of the following conditions is TRUE... 1. The SECURITY OPTION is not ENGAGED on the HOST program! 2. You are sending the WRONG PASSWORD. Run the SETUP program and correct it. You will be told if the password has been rejected and asked to press any key to continue. You will be returned to DOS and no HOST session takes place. If the PASSWORD is accepted by the HOST then the prompt 'Sending PASSWORD' will change to read 'Requesting session update' and your new HOST session screen will appear as usual in a moment or two. The PASSWORD EXCHANGE takes place each time you press the REMOTE ACCESS HOTKEY SEQUENCE to request a session with the HOST. This prevents anyone from 'sneaking on' due to LOST CARRIER like you can with some of the commercial remote access programs. EWSET.EXE CATEGORY 3 - REMOTE OPTIONS - Polling pause : Enter the number of TIMER TICKS to wait before polling the HOST program for a session update. A TIMER TICK is is 1/18 of 1 second. 18 ticks = 1 second. Minimum = 3. The REMOTE program uses a POLLING scheme to request video updates from the HOST computer being accessed. The value specified here is the number of timer ticks to wait bewtween POLL attempts. PC's generate a clock interrupt approximately 18.2 times a second and one of these interrupts is known as a 'timer tick'. If the value specified is '18' then the REMOTE program will pause approximately 1 second before re-polling the HOST computer for another video update. Never set the polling pause to anything faster than about 3 timer ticks or the HOST may become so busy sending you screen updates that it won't be able to process the last command in a timely way. This POLL PAUSE is intended to allow slower systems some breathing room. A FAST HOST PC can handle short pause values. A value of 9 timer ticks should provide good performance on all types of PC's. You may also adjust this value to whatever you need to access systems where interrupt activity is higher than normal. I use this feature quite often to support voice response systems which need more processor time than any commercial remote software can provide. - Popup key ALT- Press the key to use with ALT to ENTER the REMOTE HOST session. Your choices are limited to CAPITAL LETTERS A-Z ONLY! Press the letter of your choice. - Exit key ALT- Press the key to use with ALT to RETURN to the LOCAL DOS session. Your choices are limited to CAPITAL LETTERS A-Z ONLY! Press the letter of your choice. - Mode indicator: The MODE INDICATOR is the small highlighted block which will appear to indicate LOCAL or REMOTE mode. Press <Y>es to show it or <N>o to exclude it. EWSET.EXE CATEGORY 4 - TRANSFER OPTIONS NOTE: These options only apply to registered users who have the ELSEWARE file transfer programs. - Transfer display box ROW...: Enter the ROW (1-9) to use for the top left corner of the transfer display window. Max value is row 9. - Wait for filename RCVD OK..: When SENDING FILES... the filename is SENT to the receiver before transfer starts. Enter the number of SECONDS to wait for ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of filename. - Retry filename on SEND.....: When SENDING FILES... the filename is SENT to the receiver before transfer starts. Enter the number of TIMES to RE-SEND FILENAME before giving up. - Wait for filename on RECV..: When RECEIVING FILES the filename must arrive before transfer can begin. Enter the number of SECONDS to wait for filename before giving up. Min = 10 secs. - Wait for SOH bewtween files: When RECEIVING FILES with XMODEM we must receive SOH character before transfer can begin. Enter the number of seconds to wait before giving up. Min = 1 sec. - Fixed loop timeout on XCHNG: Transfer routines use fixed counters for timeouts. INCREASE this value if you get transfer errors. Min=1000 Max=500000. 386PC should be at least 20000. - Log all SENDS to XMSEND.LOG: Press 'Y' to log all SEND transactions to a special LOG file called XMSEND.LOG. - Log all RECVS to XMRECV.LOG: Press 'Y' to log all RECEIVE transactions to a special LOG file called XMRECV.LOG. - Default PATH for log files.: Enter the default PATHNAME to use for LOG FILES. EWSET.EXE CATEGORY 5 - MODEM SHARING NOTE: These options only apply to registered users who have the ELSEWARE modem sharing option. PLEASE READ THE SECTION ENTITLED 'MODEM SHARING OPTION' FOR A COMPLETE EXPLANATION OF THE PARAMETERS DESCRIBED HERE IN BRIEF. - Communications port # (1,2): Enter the number of the COMMUNICATIONS PORT to use. If PRIMARY PORT is already 1 then this should be 2. If PRIMARY PORT is already 2 then this should be 1. - Baud rate........(300-9600): Enter the BAUD RATE ( 300-9600 ). This baud rate can only be EQUAL TO or LESS than the primary baud rate already specified. - Modem sharing SIGNON PSWD.: ( Default = EWSTART ) Enter SIGNON PASSWORD which STARTS MODEM SHARING. - Modem sharing SIGNOFF PSWD.: ( Default = EWSTOP ) Enter SIGNOFF PASSWORD which STOPS MODEM SHARING. =================================================================== HOW TO USE THE HOST PROGRAM EWH.EXE - (c)1989 Kevin Kiley =================================================================== GETTING THE MODEM READY TO ANSWER THE PHONE ELSEWARE was written to occupy a minimal amount of memory. It was also written to be used with NON-HAYES compatible modems ( There are still MANY around! ). It is for both of these reasons that this version of ELSEWARE contains no HAYES specific initialization routines. This version makes no attempt to set the modem to AUTO ANSWER. It assumes this has already been done when it comes alive. If you DO have a HAYES type modem then the ease with which you can set it to AUTO ANSWER negates the need for routines in the software. Here are 2 of the simplest ways to do this... 1. Just throw the HAYES DIP switch that makes the modem answer the phone when it's ringing. This is the way I do it. Simple and easy. 2. If you have a HAYES clone that doesn't have the DIP switches then you can use a MODE command to set the port parameters and then use a DOS 'COPY' command to send the AUTO-ANSWER init string to the modem. These DOS commands can be included in the batch file used to start the HOST program and you'll never need to worry about them again once they are correct. Use the MODE command to intialize the port to the PROTOCOL you're using or the modem string you are about to send won't be recognized by the modem. HINT: Put the HAYES 'AT' command which sets AUTO ANSWER ON into a text file and then use a COPY FILENAME.EXT COM1: command to send the string to the modem. Works every time. Don't forget to have a CARRIAGE RETURN in the file at the end of the modem initialization string. STARTING THE HOST PROGRAM The HOST program EWH.EXE is the one you need to run on the computer you are attempting to access from remote. This program is a TSR requiring only about 8K for the .EXE load module and will remain invisible as long as it's loaded. An additonal 6-8K will be reserved for screen buffers. Once loaded... EWH.EXE monitors the PC and the MODEM and will allow the PC to be used from remote once it senses an incoming caller. You can always use the PC normally when EWH.EXE is loaded but be advised that if someone is using the system from remote then they can see what you do and you can see what they do but BOTH parties have equal control of the PC and the keyboard. This is actually one of the reasons for using remote software like this... so you can conduct real-time training sessions from remote. ELSEWARE will perform just fine if used this way. Both EWH.EXE and EWR.EXE obtain their runtime parameters from a file called EW.SET. This is a BINARY file and you can only change the contents by running the SETUP PROGRAM EWSET.EXE. To run the HOST program... change to the \EW sub-directory you created and enter the command 'EWHOST'. This BATCH file will load the HOST PROGRAM. Once the title screen appears and tells you the load has been successful then it is OK for a remote user to connect with the MODEM and start using the PC with the remote access part of ELSEWARE. There is no HOT-KEY screen in the HOST program. It simply installs itself in memory and does its job of allowing a remote caller to use the PC. TERMINATING THE HOST SOFTWARE Change to the sub-directory containing EWH.EXE. Enter the DOS COMMAND 'EWH T'. This will instruct the EWH.EXE TSR to remove itself from memory. If no TSR's were loaded after EWH.EXE then the memory used by EWH.EXE will be returned to the CORE MEMORY pool. Run EWHOST.BAT again to re-load the program. If any TSR's were loaded AFTER EWH.EXE then it will only be able to SUSPEND itself. The small amount of memory required by EWH.EXE will NOT be freed up. You CAN use any of the popular TSR managers to pull EWH.EXE out of memory. Just remember to set a marker before loading EWH.EXE and use a FLUSH program to pull it out. OTHER MODEM PROGRAMS Do NOT run any other MODEM programs on top of EWH.EXE unless you are sure the program doesn't interfere with the serial communications port required by EWH.EXE. PROCOMM is NOT SAFE. It alters the settings for BOTH COM PORTS regardless of their state prior to running PROCOMM. See 'OTHER PROGRAMS FROM INTERLINK' for a description of the MODEM SHARING OPTION. This probably accomplishes the purposes you would have in mind if attempting to use another MODEM program on top of ELSEWARE. =================================================================== HOW TO USE THE REMOTE ACCESS PROGRAM EWR.EXE (c)1989 Kevin Kiley =================================================================== You must use the special remote program provided (EWR.EXE) to access the PC running the HOST software (EWH.EXE). This program is a TSR just like the HOST program EWH.EXE. There is a special BATCH FILE called EWREM.BAT which should be used to start the remote access program. It is described in greater detail below following the section regarding linking up with the HOST computer. LINKING UP WITH THE HOST COMPUTER ELSEWARE was developed to be used with ALL types of modems and not just the HAYES type. There are NO routines in the software to initiate a dial-up to the HOST COMPUTER. If you DO have a pair of HAYES modems then the ease with which the link can be accomplished eliminates the need for such routines. LINKUP USING PC MODEM SOFTWARE You can use just about any modem program you like with one requirement... after you have placed the call and connected with the HOST system you must be able to EXIT TO DOS without dropping CARRIER. PROCOMM does this quite nicely and just about everyone has it. You can use the dial directory for the easiest connection. Be sure to say 'NO' when you go to exit to DOS and PROCOMM asks you if you want to 'HANGUP LINE?'. Once you have exited to DOS you can execute EWREM.BAT and load the REMOTE ACCESS program. If the HOST module is up and running on the other computer and you have not dropped carrier then you'll be in business as soon as you press ALT-R ( or your choice ) to call up the REMOTE ACCESS HOTSCREEN. LINKUP FROM DOS You can also link to the remote quite easily using the DOS 'MODE' command and a few 'COPY CON COM1:' commands. Use the MODE command and set the port protocol. Once set correctly... Any 'COPY CON COM1:' commands will send the strings you enter right to the modem. Use the standard HAYES 'ATDT???-????' string to initiate the dial and wait for a connection. Once the 'CARRIER DETECT' light is up on your HAYES or you HEAR the connection established over the speaker you're reasy to run EWREM.BAT and begin accessing the HOST computer. OTHER There are also plenty of other straight dial/connect programs available for HAYES type modems. Any one should do the trick provided it does NOT drop CARRIER once it is established. If you have a DATA/TALK type ASYNC modem that is NOT HAYES compatible then you can still use ELSEWARE! Just intiate your handset call in the usual way and once you've thrown over from TALK to DATA and CARRIER is up you can load the REMOTE software and begin using the HOST COMPUTER. If you are using high-speed SYNC modems with ASYNC protocol converters and they work properly with other DOS communications programs then ELSEWARE should work just fine also. Be advised, however, that I haven't tested the software at speeds faster than 19.2K BAUD. STARTING THE REMOTE ACCESS SOFTWARE The REMOTE ACCESS part of ELSEWARE is the program you need to run to access the HOST computer running EWH.EXE. A special BATCH file is provided called EWREM.BAT which will perform the load for you. Be sure you are in the sub-directory where the ELSEWARE remote programs are located and enter 'EWREM' to initiate the load. Once the title screen appears and tells you the load has been successful then all you need to do to start using the HOST computer is hold down the ALT key and press 'R' (REMOTE). If you've CHANGED the ALT-R key to something that makes more sense to you via EWSET.EXE then press that key sequence to contact the remote HOST. ( You must already be connected before you press the HOTKEY ) ( or nothing will happen! ) The remote portion of ELSEWARE is a TSR. You can stay in your own DOS and simply switch to the HOST computer's DOS at any time with the ALT-'R' HOTKEY. ALT-R is the DEFAULT HOTKEY SEQUENCE which brings up the REMOTE ACCESS SCREEN on top of the current DOS task. ALT-L is the DEFAULT KEY SEQUENCE which will EXIT the REMOTE ACCESS SCREEN and return you to your own 'LOCAL' DOS. You can change these HOTKEY assignments at any time. Refer to the section concerning EWSET.EXE for more details. TERMINATING THE REMOTE SOFTWARE Change to the sub-directory containing EWR.EXE. Enter the DOS COMMAND 'EWR T'. This will instruct the EWR.EXE TSR to remove itself from memory. If no TSR's were loaded after EWR.EXE then the memory used by EWR.EXE will be returned to the CORE MEMORY pool. Run EWREM.BAT again to re-load the program. If any TSR's were loaded AFTER EWR.EXE then it will only be able to SUSPEND itself. The small amount of memory required by EWR.EXE will NOT be freed up. You CAN use any of the popular TSR managers to pull EWR.EXE out of memory. Just remember to set a marker before loading EWR.EXE and use a FLUSH program to pull it out. OTHER MODEM PROGRAMS Do NOT run any other MODEM programs on top of EWR.EXE unless you are sure the program doesn't interfere with the serial communications port required by EWR.EXE. PROCOMM is NOT SAFE. It alters the settings for BOTH COM PORTS regardless of their state prior to running PROCOMM. PROCOMM can be used to establish the intial connection but should not be run after EWR.EXE is loaded and you are using the remote PC. See 'OTHER PROGRAMS FROM INTERLINK' for a description of the MODEM SHARING OPTION. This probably accomplishes the purposes you would have in mind if attempting to use another MODEM program on top of ELSEWARE. =================================================================== A WORD ABOUT THE WAY THINGS WORK =================================================================== Once you have pressed ALT-R to call up the REMOTE ACCESS SCREEN the software will notify you that it is requesting a 'session update' from the HOST COMPUTER. If SECURITY is on then password(s) are verified at this time. It is necessary to obtain a complete session update (including a new video screen) each time you re-enter the HOTKEY terminal screen since things may have changed on the HOST computer since your last access. This only takes a moment or two and you will then see the latest screen from the HOST on your own screen. From this point on you are using the HOST computer as if you were sitting in front of it. There are a few things to keep in mind while using the HOST computer... - If the HOST has a COLOR MONITOR and the REMOTE has MONOCHROME then all COLORS on the HOST screen will be converted to either HIGHLIGHT, NORMAL or REVERSE VIDEO on the monochrome side. - Keyboard echo will NOT be instant as it is when you are using your own DOS. Whether or not the delay is noticeable depends on the SPEED of the HOST COMPUTER, the BAUD RATE and the POLL TIMER TICK RATE. Once you realize that no keys will be lost you will find yourself typing ahead without noticing any echo delay. - DOS commands that SCROLL the screen rapidly will not appear as they do when executed locally. The screen(s) can only be sent so fast and the scrolling will appear to be 'frozen' at different points along the way. Programs like this are at their best when dealing with 'FRAME' oriented screen updates. These will appear perfectly normal. - Some remote access programs update the video while the message is coming in. These give a 'watery' look to all video updates as the new screens appear to 'wash' over the old ones. ELSEWARE uses a different approach. The video will be updated instantly at the END of the video update message. What this means is that it may APPEAR to be taking longer than it does with some commercial programs to see screen changes but this is generally not the case. The new screen is being assembled IN MEMORY and will appear instantly when completed to avoid the 'watery' look common with some other programs. ACCESS INDICATOR ( MODE INDICATOR ) Since the REMOTE program is a TSR and you can switch from your LOCAL DOS to the HOST machine's DOS it's necessary to be able to tell where you are! When the REMOTE TSR is loaded there will always be a single character indicator in the upper right hand corner to tell you where you which DOS you're actually using. Highlighted 'L' - means you are using your 'L'OCAL DOS. Press ALT-R to switch to the REMOTE HOST computer. Highlighted 'R' - means you are using the 'R'EMOTE HOST DOS. Press ALT-L to return to your LOCAL DOS. When you enter 'EWR T' and TERMINATE the REMOTE ACCESS program then the indicator will disappear the next time the screen is cleared. You can also turn the indicator OFF permanently by saying so in EWSET.EXE. See the section on EWSET.EXE for more details. ==================================================================== MODEM SHARING OPTION ==================================================================== ELSEWARE has the ability to share a modem attached to the HOST PC with the REMOTE USER. This feature is an OPTION which can be purchased by all registered users. The modem is not 'shared' in the normal sense of the word. Only the REMOTE user can use the modem while the option is activated. The 'sharing' refers to the ability to have EITHER the REMOTE OR the HOST utilizing the modem attached to the HOST. Here's how it works... The EWH.EXE HOST program is loaded normally on a PC that has 2 valid com ports ( 1 and 2 ) and a MODEM attached to EACH port. One of the modems is used to allow the REMOTE PC to access the HOST. The OTHER modem on the OTHER com port can then be used by the REMOTE as if it were actually connected to the REMOTE. ANY modem software can be used on the REMOTE! PROCOMM works just fine. It never knows that the data is being routed through another PC and another modem. What good is this? CALL ORIGINATION TRANSFER! You can load EWH.EXE on your computer at the office and ( if it has another modem ) call it from home and originate long distance calls to other systems from the OFFICE and NOT YOUR HOME! Example... 1. You load ELSEWARE HOST on your office PC before you leave. 2. Later on... You place a call from your PC at HOME to the one at the office. 3. Once you are connected... you can instruct the modem at the OFFICE to dial long distance BBS numbers. 4. You can access long distance services from home as if you placed the call directly from your PC. All sessions appear normal. You can UPLOAD/DOWNLOAD files normally. 5. The LONG DISTANCE CHARGES will go to the OFFICE PHONE number and NOT YOUR HOME PHONE number since the long distance portion of the call ORIGINATED from the OFFICE PC. STARTING/STOPPING A MODEM SHARING SESSION In the explanations that follow and on some of the EWSET parameter screens the term 'primary' port refers to the one used to maintain contact with remote for modem sharing or normal ELSEWARE sessions. The term 'secondary' port refers to the com port with the extra modem attached which can be CONTROLLED by the remote PC connected via the 'primary' port. 1. Make sure you have 2 modems on the HOST PC connected to both COM1 and COM2. The modem that will be used to maintain contact with the remote should be ready to answer the phone and connect when it rings. ( AUTO-ANSWER ON ). 2. Make sure all the EWSET.EXE parameters are OK. One of the modems will be used to maintain contact with the REMOTE and the other will be the one CONTROLLED by the remote. Be sure the desired PORT assignments and BAUD rates match the desired hardware connection(s). NOTE: The BAUD RATES should be the SAME for optimum performance but it is possible to have different BAUD RATES with 1 condition... The BAUD RATE of the modem to be controlled by the REMOTE cannot be GREATER (FASTER) than the BAUD RATE set for maintaining contact with the REMOTE PC. EWSET.EXE will not let you assign a BAUD RATE to the 'secondary' port that's faster than the 'primary'. 3. Make sure you know what the designated SIGNON and SIGNOFF PASSWORDS are. You must enter the PASSWORDS to START and STOP the modem sharing session after you connect and they must be entered exactly the way they've been defined with the HOST PROGRAM'S EWSET.EXE parameter program. Run EWSET.EXE on the HOST and display the MODEM SHARING parameters to discover the current SIGNON/SIGNOFF passwords. NOTE: ( The default SIGNON PASSWORD = EWSTART ) ( The default SIGNOFF PASSWORD = EWSTOP ) 4. Make sure EWH.EXE ( HOST PROGRAM ) with MODEM OPTION is loaded and resident on the PC with 2 modems. 5. Call the HOST PC from the REMOTE PC... YOU DO NOT NEED TO LOAD ELSEWARE ON THE REMOTE IF YOU SIMPLY WANT TO CONNECT TO THE HOST AND USE THE 'OTHER' MODEM TO ORIGINATE CALLS! Just call the HOST PC from the REMOTE PC with your modem program. When 'CONNECT' appears then you are now ready to begin using the 'other' modem. Just enter the 'Modem sharing SIGNON PASSWORD' at this time. If you entered the SIGNON PASSWORD exactly the way it's been defined with the HOST PC's EWSET.EXE setup program ( Upper/lowercase matters! ) then you should see the MESSAGE 'EWM OK' appear on your terminal screen. This means that you are now using the OTHER modem on the HOST PC as if it were attached directly to the REMOTE PC. Enter any valid DIAL command and the call will ORIGINATE on the shared HOST modem. Terminal sessions should proceed normally until you decide to STOP the MODEM SHARING. The keyboard of the HOST PC will not operate as long as the HOST MODEM SHARING session is ACTIVE. This prevents any HOST PC interference with the modem sharing. 6. YOU MUST 'STOP' THE MODEM SHARING YOURSELF ONCE IT'S BEGUN. YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HAVE A NORMAL ELSEWARE SESSION AGAIN NOR WILL THE HOST KEYBOARD FUNCTION AGAIN UNTIL YOU DO. 7. To STOP the HOST MODEM SHARING SESSION at any time Just type in your 'Modem sharing SIGNOFF PASSWORD'. If you entered it exactly the way it's defined in EWSET ( Case matters! ) then you should then see the acknowledgement string 'EWM EXIT' appear on your local terminal screen. This means that the HOST is no longer sharing the modem with you and you can resume a normal ELSEWARE session or SIGN ON again for more modem sharing. The HOST PC's keyboard comes out of the 'locked' state at this time, also. 8. Exit your modem program on the REMOTE PC. You may now load ( or re-load ) the ELSWARE REMOTE PROGRAM EWR.EXE and have a normal DOS session with the HOST PC. NOTE: The ELSEWARE REMOTE MODULE EWR.EXE should NEVER be memory resident when you run your MODEM SOFTWARE against the HOST MODEM SHARING OPTION. Most modem programs ( like PROCOMM ) set/reset BOTH com ports when they start/stop and this could prevent EWR.EXE from operating properly AFTER a modem sharing session. Here's the safe way to run modem sharing or recover from a damaged session... If EWR.EXE is already loaded... -Change to \EW sub-directory... -Enter EWR T to TERMINATE the TSR... -Change to your modem program sub-directory... -Run your modem program, call the HOST, START the modem sharing with the right PASSWORD... -Continue your modem terminal session until DONE... -STOP the modem sharing with the correct SIGNOFF PASSWORD... -Exit your local modem program... -Change back to the \EW subdirectory... -Enter EWREM and reload the REMOTE MODULE... -Press ALT-R ( or whatever ) and continue normal ELSEWARE session... If EWR.EXE is NOT loaded... -Change to your modem program sub-directory... -Run your modem program, call the HOST, START the modem sharing with the right PASSWORD... -Continue your modem terminal session until DONE... -STOP the modem sharing with the correct SIGNOFF PASSWORD... -Exit your local modem program... -Change to the \EW subdirectory... -Enter EWREM and reload the REMOTE MODULE... -Press ALT-R ( or whatever ) and begin normal ELSEWARE session... ADDITIONAL NOTES ON MODEM SHARING OPTION - If you receive the SIGNON ACKNOWLEDGEMENT string 'EWM OK' followed by an endless stream of garbage then this probably means you only have but 1 com port on the HOST PC. You must have at least 2 valid com ports on the HOST PC to use the remote modem access option. - Every time you change the PRIMARY COM PORT assignment with EWSET.EXE then you will notice that the SHARED MODEM COM PORT SELECTION on page 5 changes automatically to the OTHER COM PORT (1 or 2). ELSEWARE supports only COM 1 or 2 at this time and the PRIMARY and SECONDARY com port selections must always be different. You cannot force them to be the same since this will only end up causing problems and you could lose contact with the HOST when trying to use the modem sharing option. - If you are using DIFFERENT BAUD RATES for the modem sharing option then keep an eye out for transmission errors. There is no BUFFERING of the data being passed and the success using different BAUD RATES depends mostly on the SPEED of your CPU. Old PC's or XT's may have trouble using the modem sharing option with different BAUD RATES. =================================================================== OTHER PROGRAMS AVAILABLE FROM INTERLINK TECHNOLOGIES =================================================================== 1. ELSEWARE REGISTRATION If you REGISTER your copy of ELSEWARE then I can send you updated versions automatically, free of charge. The product is evolving so please register your copy if you want to receive updated versions as soon as they are available. I regret to say that this will also be the only way I can provide technical SUPPORT for the program at this time. I won't be able to help you with any problems you might be experiencing unless you have registered your copy. $20.00 2. ELSEWARE FILE TRANSFER MODULES Transfer files using XMODEM and YMODEM between 2 systems running any version of ELSEWARE $35.00 Purchase of the file transfer module(s) automatically INCLUDES THE REGISTRATION FEE if you are not registered already. 3. AUTOMATIC FILE TRANSFER If you have ELSEWARE and the FILE TRANSFER modules then this utility allows you to intiate unattended file transfers at pre-determined times. $10.00 4. MODEM SHARING OPTION This option allows you to use HOST modem(s) from the REMOTE PC. $30.00 Purchase of the modem sharing option automatically INCLUDES THE REGISTRATION FEE if you are not registered already. 5. COMPLETE SOURCE CODE FOR ELSEWARE Written using TURBO 'C' but easily adapted for any number of other 'C' compilers. Will compile straight away using Microsoft 'C'. $100.00 PRINT THE ORDER FORM CALLED EWORDER.FRM AND FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE FORM TO ORDER ANY OF THESE PRODUCTS. A COPY OF THE ORDER FORM IS INCLUDED AT THE END OF THIS DOCUMENT. ============================================================== INTERLINK TECHNOLOGIES - PRODUCT ORDER FORM ============================================================== PRODUCT EACH QTY TOTAL -------------------------------------- -------- ----- ------ 1. ELSEWARE REGISTRATION $ 20.00 -------------------------------------- -------- ----- ------ 2. ELSEWARE FILE TRANSFER MODULES $ 35.00 -------------------------------------- -------- ----- ------ 3. AUTOMATIC FILE TRANSFER $ 10.00 -------------------------------------- -------- ----- ------ 4. MODEM SHARING OPTION $ 30.00 -------------------------------------- -------- ----- ------ 5. COMPLETE SOURCE CODE FOR ELSEWARE $100.00 -------------------------------------- -------- ----- ------ TOTALS> SHIP TO: ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________ YOUR PHONE: ________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ SPECIFY DISK FORMAT REQUIRED: ______________________________ Only cash, money order or personal check can be accepted. MAKE ALL CHECKS PAYABLE TO 'KEVIN KILEY' or 'INTERLINK TECHNOLOGIES' Mail order form and payment to: INTERLINK TECHNOLOGIES Kevin Kiley 1222 5th Street Sarasota, Fla. 34236