WebService problems

[Peter Morris]

Hi all

I am using an Intermec Pocket PC 700C with compact framework 2.0 on it.

I switched from using zipped XML files via FTP over to using a webservice
instead, unfortunately I am having some unexpected problems that I cannot
explain and was hoping someone here could shed some light on it?

I have 50% of my users on build 39 of my software using FTP and the other
50% on build 40 using HTTP, both connect to a machine on the Internet by
sitting in a rack of 5 cradles which are connected to a router. The FTP
mechanism works without fail every time, however the web service mechanism
keeps failing. I get an error "Could not establish a network connection",
warm rebooting doesn't fix anything, cold rebooting does seem to fix it.

Additional information, the same PPC does still seem able to connect to the
machine via FTP. When the software sees an update available on the server
it will download using FTP, restart, and then continue the data exchange.
So I have even had PPC's that connect via FTP, upgrade, fail via HTTP; I
have also had PPC's that have previously been upgraded fail via HTTP from
the start.

My PPC's do have a network exception in so that MyServer.com connects via
the My Work connection.


Thanks very much!


Pete

 

[Harry Simpson]

Excuse the obvious question but you do have the proxy set to the web
service's IP don't ya......

 

[Peter Morris]

Hi

There is no proxy server. Does that matter?


Pete

 

[Guest]

This doesn't seem to make alot of sense. How is the FTP server connection
working, via the cradle, is this a USB which is part of a network which has
internet connectivity? How does the HTTP connection work, again via USB?,
proxy server is only an issue if you are sitting behind one in order to get
to the internet/remote server.

Simon.

 

[Peter Morris]

Hi Simon

The PPC sits in a rack of cradles (5 slots) which are connected via a
network lead directly to a router, which in turn is connected directly to
the Internet via a broadband modem. After talking to the very helpful guy
at Rebex whose FTP components we use I know that he uses a Systen.Net.Socket
to do all of his communication so I presume that he is skipping the
connection maanger layer or something?

The facts are:

01: FTP works fine
02: Despite having a network exception defined for *://MyServer.com/* my PPC
will not connect to the web service unless I set the network settings so
that all network requests go via "My Work Network". It would seem that
adding an exception merely prevents the modem dialog from popping up rather
than actually routing the requests through the LAN.
03: Setting the Internet connection to go via My Work Network allows the PPC
to connect to the webserver. Unfortunately this is not an acceptible
solution as there are future plans to use GPRS whilst the user is mobile.
Additionally, the settings seem very temperamental, often changing this
setting doesn't work and I have to do a cold-boot then when asked what my
connection connects to I have to select "Work".
04: Finally, when it does work about 5% of the clients are experiencing an
error "Unable to read data from transport connection"

The server is .NET 1.1, the client is CF 2.0, the devices are Intermec
PocketPC 700C.



Pete