Dial In RAS Server?

[Scott Johnson]

Hi

I am working on developing a solution using Intermec 740 handhelds and
snap-on analog modems and I's like to ask a few questions. Basically, the
application I'm writing is going to use analog snap-on modems on PocketPCs
to communicate daily to the corporate office. (The application is for a
delivery service and is being written in VB.NET with SQLCE)

My questions:
1. The application that I am writing is going to use sockets, FTP
and/or SQLCE Replication to pass data back and forth between the PocketPC
and the server. From what I think I understand, as long as whatever dialup
connection we choose offers TCP/IP, then sockets, FTP and replicaion all
will work, right? (Basically, is TCP the lowest common denominator for
these to work from PocketPC to the server?)

2. In the corporate office, I assume there needs to be a RAS server of
some type to accept incoming calls. What kind of device is this? Is it
just a big black box with a bunch of phone lines coming out of it, or is it
a Windows 2000 server with some special software? I really have no idea
about this RAS stuff, so any guidance, suggestions, software packages or
advice anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks alot for all your help
--Scott

 

[Ilya Tumanov [MS]]

Scott,

1. Correct, as long as you have TCP/IP it will work.

2. It might be a box with a bunch of phone lines/ISDN/T1 and Ethernet. Or
it might be a PC with modems attached.
You do not need any additional software to do it with Windows 2000 Server,
its RAS ready right out of the box.
Be advised: maintaining all that stuff might be hard and expensive.
You might want to consider using somebody else's dialup in conjunction with
VPN for security.
It might be less expensive than a dedicated phone line and you do not need
any special hardware to buy and maintain.

Best regards,

Ilya

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

--------------------

 

[Scott Johnson]

Hi Ilya,

Thanks for your reply.

The customer already has the phone lines hooked up to an old (OS/2!) pc that
acts as a server and manages the phone lines and they are looking to replace
this.

Any modem suggestions that work best for this setup? Any gotchas that I
need to avoid when setting up usernames/security/etc?

Thanks again!
--Scott

Scott,

1. Correct, as long as you have TCP/IP it will work.

2. It might be a box with a bunch of phone lines/ISDN/T1 and Ethernet. Or
it might be a PC with modems attached.
You do not need any additional software to do it with Windows 2000 Server,
its RAS ready right out of the box.
Be advised: maintaining all that stuff might be hard and expensive.
You might want to consider using somebody else's dialup in conjunction with
VPN for security.
It might be less expensive than a dedicated phone line and you do not need
any special hardware to buy and maintain.

Best regards,

Ilya

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

--------------------
From: "Scott Johnson" <sjohnson_at_softaltern_dot_comDIESPAM>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.compactframework
Subject: Dial In RAS Server?
Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 14:34:23 -0500
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Hi

I am working on developing a solution using Intermec 740 handhelds and
snap-on analog modems and I's like to ask a few questions. Basically, the
application I'm writing is going to use analog snap-on modems on PocketPCs
to communicate daily to the corporate office. (The application is for a
delivery service and is being written in VB.NET with SQLCE)

My questions:
1. The application that I am writing is going to use sockets, FTP
and/or SQLCE Replication to pass data back and forth between the PocketPC
and the server. From what I think I understand, as long as whatever dialup
connection we choose offers TCP/IP, then sockets, FTP and replicaion all
will work, right? (Basically, is TCP the lowest common denominator for
these to work from PocketPC to the server?)

2. In the corporate office, I assume there needs to be a RAS

server

of
some type to accept incoming calls. What kind of device is this? Is it
just a big black box with a bunch of phone lines coming out of it, or is it
a Windows 2000 server with some special software? I really have no idea
about this RAS stuff, so any guidance, suggestions, software packages or
advice anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks alot for all your help
--Scott

 

[Ilya Tumanov [MS]]

Scott,



I think the best solution would be to scrap this modem pool and use some ISP
instead.

It's inexpensive, secure (with VPN) and reliable (most ISPs have backups and
24/7 dedicated support).



In case this is not an option for some reason, you'll need to consider a
several factors:



- Availability - do you need a backup(s) in case the server(s) and/or phone
line(s) go down?

- Security - restricted accounts for dialup users? VPN on top?

- Scalability - how many lines you need? Can it grow in the future?



Now, to the hardware... USR Courier would be a modem of my choice.

They are not as good as they used to be since USR is now using transformer
less front-end normally found in $10 modems.

But it's a good option. Or, perhaps, you can reuse the modems you have. They
might be good old Couriers:



If you prefer something else, it has to be a hardware modem, not a software
one.

I would choose serial modems, not the USB modems (as they tend to be
software).

If you have analog lines, you won't be able to go faster than 33.6kbps.

If you need V.90 or V.92, digital lines and special modems are needed.



If you need up to 8 lines, you can go with a bunch of ordinary modems.

If you need more lines (or might need in the future), consider rack mount
modems.

You'll need a multi port serial card to connect these modems to your PC.

Alternatively, you can use an access server like Cisco 2500 series.

If you do that, you might need some authentication sever (e.g. Radius).



It's really easy to set up RAS on Windows 2000. Just run network connection
wizard and choose "Accept Calls" option.

I might be off here since it's been a while, but that's how it works on XP.

You can use domain passwords to allow access.

You can grant RAS rights to a specific group or to specific account(s). You
can also restrict other rights if needed.



My personal experience with RAS on NT4 shows it works reliably.

Dedicated server can run for months without any problems.

The weak point is the modem. Even the best of them will hang from time to
time.

I had to connect modems via dedicated UPS, so I can cycle power remotely to
reset the modems if too many lines are out.

Rack mount modems might have some sort of watch dogs to do that.



Best regards,



Ilya



This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

Hi Ilya,

Thanks for your reply.

The customer already has the phone lines hooked up to an old (OS/2!) pc that
acts as a server and manages the phone lines and they are looking to replace
this.

Any modem suggestions that work best for this setup? Any gotchas that I
need to avoid when setting up usernames/security/etc?

Thanks again!
--Scott

Scott,

1. Correct, as long as you have TCP/IP it will work.

2. It might be a box with a bunch of phone lines/ISDN/T1 and Ethernet. Or
it might be a PC with modems attached.
You do not need any additional software to do it with Windows 2000 Server,
its RAS ready right out of the box.
Be advised: maintaining all that stuff might be hard and expensive.
You might want to consider using somebody else's dialup in conjunction with
VPN for security.
It might be less expensive than a dedicated phone line and you do not need
any special hardware to buy and maintain.

Best regards,

Ilya

This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

--------------------
From: "Scott Johnson" <sjohnson_at_softaltern_dot_comDIESPAM>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.dotnet.framework.compactframework
Subject: Dial In RAS Server?
Date: Thu, 6 May 2004 14:34:23 -0500
Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
X-Priority: 3
X-MSMail-Priority: Normal
X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2800.1409
X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1409
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Lines: 27
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