Remote access using Dialup Networking

[WAkthar]

Hi,
I need to access and query remote machines using dial-up connectivity.
I have searched the internet for information and looked on Amazon for a
decent book on this topic but have not been able to find anything useful.

My scenario is this, we have central machine, that has a sql database, which
will have a modem connection to a phone line. Users will be allowed to dial
in through this modem and query the database for relevant information.
How can I best implement this functionality?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Johann Blake]

Check out RAS in the VS docs as well as this newsgroups. There are C#
wrappers for the RAS functions that you can use.

Best Regards
Johann Blake

 

[Ignacio Machin \( .NET/ C# MVP \)]

Hi,

If you google you will find several RAS wrappers , I have one I downloaded
frmo somewhere, I have it at home, I'm using it and works great.

Your problem may lay instead in how the clients communicate with the SQL,
you see if you have a SINGLE modem and several clients you want that the
communication be as short and far apart as possible .

Have you considered creating a dataset with the info needed and downloading
it ot the client? IMO it's the best solution

cheers,

 

[WAkthar]

Thanks for your advice.
This is exactly what I am planning to do.
But since I have no knowledge in remote access and modems, I am finding
getting information quite hard. I dont mind searching but I need help in
finding what I need to know!!

My plan is for clients to be able to dial in to a single modem and machine,
send a command over to the remote machine, remote machine processes this
command and sends back a dataset of information from the database.

From what you have told me, it is possible to do this?

I know how to query the database and get information out, as I have written
a database component dll in C# which will do all the queries and returns a
dataset. But I need information on how I am able to write a simple client
side app which dials into a remote machine, passing a command which the
remote machine process, calls the database dll and sends back to the client
the dataset.

Thanks for all your help!!!!

 

[Ignacio Machin \( .NET/ C# MVP \)]

Hi,

But since I have no knowledge in remote access and modems, I am finding
getting information quite hard. I dont mind searching but I need help in
finding what I need to know!!

Search and read, I did the same thing

My plan is for clients to be able to dial in to a single modem and
machine, send a command over to the remote machine, remote machine
processes this command and sends back a dataset of information from the
database.
From what you have told me, it is possible to do this?

Possible and easy indeed.

I know how to query the database and get information out, as I have
written a database component dll in C# which will do all the queries and
returns a dataset. But I need information on how I am able to write a
simple client side app which dials into a remote machine, passing a
command which the remote machine process, calls the database dll and sends
back to the client the dataset.

You have two options:

1- Web services, this is the component that receive the request, query the
DB and return a dataset

2- You can create a TCP connection, design a protocol and transfer the
dataset zipped ( this is my approach ) , it's more complex but the data
being exchange is greatly reduced.

A possible third approach is using SQL CE, it does depend of your client
from which you have said nothing yet.

anyway, you are in the right track

cheers,

 

[WAkthar]

Any hints as to where I may find the relevent information?

 

[Ignacio Machin \( .NET/ C# MVP \)]

about what options?

try google groups, there you can find the answer to almost any problem


cheers,

 

[WAkthar]

I really like these answers, with almost any question, anyone can reply with
the upperhanded catchphrase of either google, yahoo, etc, etc, etc, etc,
etc, etc, etc.

There should be an automatic reply to every question thats posted now on any
group with the following,

try google, yahoo, etc, etc, etc, etc

Brilliant!

 

[Ignacio Machin \( .NET/ C# MVP \)]

Hi,

No really, just google

Now in serious, we have discussed your alternatives, and I have give you
ideas of where to look into, the rest is sit in front of the computer and
program and test. I also posted some code I use to access RAS API in other
thread. Which I did find in the archives inthe first place


I would go with establishing a RAS connection , then using either a web
service (which will wrap your dll ) or querying directly the SQL server.


cheers,

 

[WAkthar]

Thanks.

I have been given an alternative and maybe easier method, use the serial
port communications instead of RAS.

I have tried this and it seems to work for a simple client to server
situation.

Thanks once again.