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[1]
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Q
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What is the difference between the EasyServer II and
the LantraServer? |
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A
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Both the EasyServer II and the LantraServer are
fully-featured communications servers designed for TCP/IP networks. The
EasyServer II supports devices such as terminals, printers and modems and can
be used for remote access (PPP, SLIP), inter-office communications and other
serial-connectivity applications. The EasyServer II support RADIUS and
dial-on-demand routing. Also, with the advent of TruPort for UNIX, the
EasyServer II can now be configured with devices and real tty's using the
Stallion "easyadm" software familiar to users of EasyIO and
EasyConnection. TruPort provides real UNIX serial devices, supporting the
fullest range of devices and applications.
The LantraServer, in conjunction with the Extend software for Windows NT allowed
the serial ports of the LantraServer to be used as Windows NT COM ports
anywhere on the network. This provided flexible communications in many
applications including Windows NT routing and remote access services, faxing
and modem pooling. The LantraServer also does everything the EasyServer II can
do.
As of firmware version 6.2.0 in the EasyServer II and version 1.2.0 of Extend,
all the specific LantraServer functionality is now supported by the EasyServer
II and the LantraServer was discontinued as a separate product.
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[2]
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Q
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What is TruPort? |
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A
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TruPort provides full local UNIX serial port
functionality from anywhere on the network (wherever you locate an EasyServer
II). This may be on the local network, a remote LAN or via dial-up PPP
connections. By providing standard UNIX system TTY interfaces for each serial
port, EasyServer II with TruPort gives applications total control over modem
control signals, communications settings and other standard UNIX IO controls
(IOCTLs). Because it offers a standard UNIX TTY interface, TruPort makes
EasyServer II ports operate as if they are local serial ports, ensuring
compatibility with a wide range of UNIX applications.
TruPort is controlled using the Stallion management software "easyadm"
which is also used in the Stallion multi-port card driver software.
TruPort provides real UNIX tty devices allowing all applications that need to
communicate with serial devices to do so across an Ethernet network. The
easyadm software provides a convenient and easy-to-use front end for the
creation and management of devices including terminals, printers, modems and
other devices, making configuration simple.
TruPort is provided free of charge with the EasyServer II and runs on SCO UNIX,
SCO Open Server 5, SCO UnixWare, SVR4 UNIX and SunSoft Solaris.
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[3]
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Q
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What is Extend? |
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A
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Extend is software for Windows NT that transparently
extends the Windows NT serial (COM) ports to any point on the network by
associating local COM ports with the serial ports on the EasyServer II and
LantraServer. This allows you to physically locate your serial device away from
the Windows NT server while being transparent to the application.
The virtual COM ports created by Extend can be used with most applications that
use Windows NT serial ports including Routing and Remote Access Service (RRAS)
and fax software and provides a mechanism for pooling modems.
Extend is compatible with Windows NT 3.51 and 4, Windows Terminal Server and
Citrix WinFrame.
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[4]
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Q
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Can I update the internal software (or firmware) of
the EasyServer II or LantraServer to a later version? |
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A
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If your EasyServer II or LantraServer supports flash
upgradable memory then the answer is yes. If the unit has a firmware revision
of 6.0.0 or greater then the unit supports flash upgrade. To check the firmware
version, log into the unit and use the SHOW SERVER command to check the
firmware revision.
Updated firmware images are available from the download area of the Stallion web
site.
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[5]
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Q
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What is the default administrative password for the
EasyServer II and/or LantraServer?
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A
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The default administrative password or privileged
password is 'system'. If you are using a web browser to configure the
EasyServer II then you may be asked for a privileged user name and password. In
this case the default user name is "root" and the default password is
"system".
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[6]
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Q
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Does TruPort support attached printers or multiple
sessions like Stallion ATA driver does for EasyIO and EasyConnection? |
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A
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As of version 1.1.1 of TruPort, attached printers and
multiple session support have been added. Please go to the software download
area for the latest version of TruPort.
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[7]
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Q
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What are svr_tty and svr_print and how do I use them? |
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A
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Stallion provides two utilities for use with the
EasyServer II called svr_tty and svr_print. They are provided in as uncompiled
C language source code and can be compiled on most UNIX systems. Various
compiled versions for different UNIX systems are available from the Stallion
web site.
These utilities are used to provide a data connection to one or more EasyServer
II ports so that data can be read from or written to the remote serial port.
svr_print is designed to be used with UNIX printer interface scripts and
svr_tty is a more generic tool and is used with UNIX pseudo tty devices. Both
make TCP connections to a telnet listener (a listening TCP socket) on the
EasyServer II and send and receive data to or from the serial port on the
EasyServer II. Full details on the operation, installation and configuration of
these utilities is provide in the EasyServer II manual.
The introduction of the TruPort software has reduced the need for these
utilities on the operating systems supported by TruPort.
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[8]
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Q
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After rebooting my Window NT server, Extend cannot
re-establish a connection to the LantraServer. How do I fix this? |
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A
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This can happen if the application that had the
virtual COM port open did not shut down cleanly and close the port properly. In
these circumstances, the LantraServer may still think it has an active
connection on the port and will not allow a new connection to the port until
the old one has been cleared. The way to avoid this is to configure an
appropriate TCP keepalive timer in the LantraServer so that the LantraServer
can disconnect inactive connections in an appropriately short timeframe. To do
this, log into the LantraServer and execute the command:
CHANGE INTERNET KEEPALIVE TIMER 1
This will set the TCP keepalive timer to 1 minute which will disconnect inactive
TCP connections to the LantraServer after one minute or so.
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[9]
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Q
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I connected a modem to an EasyServer II port but the
modem doesn't answer the incoming call. What is wrong? |
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A
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There are several things you should check:
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Ensure the cable between the modem and EasyConnection port is wired correctly
as a full modem cable. Check the user manual for cable details.
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Check if DTR has been asserted by the EasyServer II by using a RS232 tester or
by using the command MONITOR PORT <port_number> STATUS.
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Check the configuration of the modem. Try resetting the modem to the factory
default (using an AT&F modem command) and then setting the modem to
auto-answer the incoming call (using a modem command like ATS0=1).
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[10]
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Q
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I am using a modem on an EasyServer II for dial-in
PPP or terminal sessions. The modems connect but I get garbage on my screen or
nothing at all. What is wrong? |
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A
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The most likely cause of this is a mismatch in speed
between the modem serial port and the EasyServer II serial port. It may be the
interface speed of your modem is not match with the EasyServer 2 port. For
example, you may have setup the EasyServer II port at 9600 bps and your modem
RS232 interface may be locked at 19200bps (or the modem may have remembered
that speed from the last time it was used). To fix this problem, you can
connect the modem directly to a terminal at the desired speed and type in 'AT'
<enter>. The modem will change its interface speed to this speed and
respond with 'OK'. Then connect the modem back to the EasyServer II. Now try
dialling in again. The modem interface and EasyServer II serial ports should
now be communicating at the same speed.
Note that when dialling out through a modem attached to an EasyServer II the act
of the EasyServer II communicating to the modem sets the correct speed in the
modem as most modems auto-detect the speed on their RS-232 interface.
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[11]
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Q
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When I print to a printer attached to an EasyServer
II port using svr_print or svr_tty, long print jobs get truncated and I lose
the end of the print job. How do I fix this? |
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A
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There are two major reasons for the end of print jobs
being lost:
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The telnet listener configured on the EasyServer II port used by the printer is
not in raw mode. Assuming the printer is connected to port 7 of the EasyServer
II and uses telnet listener 2007, the command to create the telnet listener
should be:
> CHANGE TELNET
LISTENER 2007 PORT 7 ENABLED CONNECTIONS ENABLED RAW MODE ENABLED
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The port or printer has a flow control problem that is causing data to be lost
when the printer's serial buffer becomes full. Ensure that the EasyServer II
and printer are both using the same type of flow control and make sure the
cable between the EasyServer II and printer is correctly configured for that
type of flow control. You should also check the printer documentation to make
sure that any special serial interface conditions have been met to ensure
proper flow control behaviour.
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[12]
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Q
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Can a serial port on an EasyServer II communicate
with a serial port on another EasyServer II across the TCP/IP network? |
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A
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Yes, this can be done. Here is an sample
configuration, consisting of the commands needed to configure the EasyServer
II, which will allow direct serial port communication between two EasyServer II
servers. Comments start with a "#" symbol.
EasyServer2 - unit one:
change port 8 autobaud disabled speed 19200
# assume hardware flow control
change port 8 access local flow control cts
change port 8 default protocol telnet
# disable ES2 from interpreting special control char
change port 8 telnet client signal request disabled
# this is the IP address and telnet listener of second EasyServer II
change port 8 dedicated 200.0.0.10 2005
EasyServer2 (IP address 200.0.0.10) - unit two:
change port 5 autobaud disabled speed 38400
# assume hardware flow control
change port 5 access remote flow control cts
change telnet listener 2005 connections enabled ports 5 enabled
change telnet listener 2005 raw mode enabled
This essentially sets up a listening TCP port on unit two which is connected to
by unit one, thus creating a connection between port 8 on unit one and port 5
on unit two. More or less configuration may be required depending on the
specifics of the devices and how they communicate with the EasyServer II ports
as well as the network in between. Consult the manual for further details on
port and server configuration.
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[13]
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Q
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Do I need to configure the LantraServer before using
Extend under Windows NT? |
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A
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You do not need to configure the LantraServer in any
way prior to running Extend as Extend will allow you to give the LantraServer
an IP address and will allow you to do basic configuration. This does not
prevent you from configuring an IP address in the LantraServer either directly
or using DHCP, BOOTP or RARP if required. Extend will then simply allow you to
configure the unit once it has auto-detected it on the network. |
