HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 1 This Product is Shareware, if you continue to use it Please Register to Legalise your usage _______ ____|__ | (R) --| | |------------------- | ____|__ | Association of | | |_| Shareware |__| o | Professionals -----| | |--------------------- |___|___| Member Updated June, 1995 -- Major upgrade This document has two main portions: 1) Introduction 2) Getting the System Up and Running 3) Software Updates - the product history 1) Introduction This is a major Easy Up and Running upgrade of the Hands On remote support package for DOS that includes a range of tools for a variety of purposes. 400 modem initialization strings were added in February, 1995, which will help most people setup your modems. The modem database lists the first 50 modems in a fairly generic setup, but with fairly elaborate setup strings, and the remaining modems with more modem model detail but simpler setup strings. Some people will argue that the addition of the HOMINS.EXE simple setup utility is more important than the modems. HOMINS is a simplifed subset of the full HOHOSTIN.EXE setup utility. Its use can somewhat reduce your setup confusion and/or the confusion of people that you are trying to support. The information below provides hints for where and how to go and look for information. Please note that by far the most common feedback that we have had to the initial release of Hands On 5 is that people only re-distribute portions of the package onto their BBS's. As a reaction, we have removed a number of files from the default BBS distribution, but have left them listed below. The HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 2 September 1994 and later distributions have the most useful 'core' of the package for you to evaluate. The full May BBS distribution comes in a file like HO5MX.ZIP. The core version will be HO5M.ZIP, with the eXtras in the HO5X.ZIP file. For November these change to HO5NX.ZIP, HO5N.ZIP, and HO5X.ZIP. We have no way of fully controlling what you have actually received so there is no sense indicating what you actually have. We plan to upload 'the rest' onto systems like Compuserve and will also supply the whole package when you ask at registration. We are continuing to experiment to see what most people consider a useful minimal release. Check with disk vendors and BBS's, and the like to see what they are carrying. The manual's names were changed from .DOC to .TXT in March, 1995. Its possible for you to be asked to look something up in a 'something.DOC', when you should look in 'something.TXT'. 1sthand.exe run it first. Its provides easy setup and access to the manuals. Use '1sthand setup' for a directed setup quick.txt for a quick start with Hands On gather.txt gather's manual readme.txt this file BBS.txt information for BBS people & vendors register.txt registration information ho.txt user documentation in plain text install.txt installation information manuals.txt lists the manuals for easy look up omi.txt omni/omi manual shr_ware.txt explains shareware update.txt history & new features vendor.txt shareware distributor information ho.exe HANDS ON program for the remote computer ho.hlp on-line help for ho.exe ho.ho configuration file for ho.exe hoask.exe batch file choice or query tool hocheck.exe time checking tool for batch files ... hodial.exe dialing program for host computer hoextr.exe interfaces to receive files using DSZ hoexts.exe interfaces to send files using DSZ horz.bat script to receive files using DSZ hosz.bat script to send files using DSZ hohost.exe HANDS ON program for host computer HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 3 hohostc.exe to configure HOHOST in memory hohostin.exe installation program for hohost.exe homins.exe simplified installation hohostin.res sample response file for HOHOSTIN homodset.exe modem configuration program homodset.dat sample setup data for modem horemove.exe to remove HOHOST from memory hospeed.exe to set screen update speed hostatus.exe to allow checking HOHOST's status in ram hotalk.exe chat or conversation tool homnu.exe simple dos menu, aka mnu.exe mnu.txt homnu's manual -- the omni file transfer tools -- omiget.exe uploads files for host computer omiput.exe downloads files for host computer omi.exe portest.exe a com port explorer wizard.txt manual for the wizard package wiz.exe the wizard automator wizfeed.exe the wizard's feeder show.exe to test run wizard scripts -- file enders -- tele.ini is a general setup file hands on setup files end with .HO omni file transfer setup files end with .OMI various help files end with .HLP some instruction files end with .DAT Xbase files end with .DBF and .DBT Wizard script files end with .SCR 1sthand's built in menu uses the menu.his history file and keeps its settings in settings.1h. It also uses the manuals.txt to intelligently look up information. We update the Hands On copies on Compuserve PCCOM (IBMCOM) UTILities LIB 3 regularly. Please note that other files will be included in the distribution from time to time. 2) Getting the System Up and Running HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 4 A Setup - configuring to your hardware. B Operation - initial test driving. C Quick Fixes - when the d**n thing doesn't work. Yikes! A Setup Try the full setup first, either from the HOMENU.BAT menus or by typing in "1STHAND SETUP", or by running the INSTALLer. This is a quick review that you can avoid by following the full setup process. Version 5.1 of Hands On includes the optional simpler HOMINS.EXE setup utility that dramatically reduces the choices. You can run it to simplify the setup, then edit the appropriate .HO files (HOHOST.HO or HO.HO) for your specific needs. Once you are Up and Running you can then go back and use the full setup to take advantage of the full feature set. Its also useful if you are a support person and want to distribute a simpler setup scheme to the people that you support. The installation and setup automatically guides you through the process described here. But if you have problems then you will want to know more about whats going on. Hey, I like to know "whats going on" in any case, so my guess is that other people will like the idea too. Therefore both the easy menuing description and the lower level description are provided in most cases. Please, there are often some alternate ways to get from 'A' to 'B', and only one or two are suggested here. Some people will immediately see better routes than those suggested here. Please use whatever does the job best for you in your situation. The product is designed to be very customizable to meet your specific needs. Run the 1STHAND.EXE program first. It is designed to help you get going. For a directed setup use "1STHAND SETUP" and it will guide you through the setup. The SETUP option in the HOMENU does this for you automatically. You may need to peruse the HO.txt manual and tailor the final part of the installation to meet your needs. When you are in the HOHOSTIN portion of the setup, please be sure to create a consistent .HO file: (basically HO.HO for HO.EXE and HOHOST.HO for HOHOST.EXE). Some of you will have noticed that the basic setup using HOHOSTIN does NOT provide access to everything. This is to keep things simple. If you need to do 'extra' things like setup for DIRECT access instead of MODEM access, then you need to edit the matching .HO file (HO.HO for HO and HOHOST.HO for HOHOST). HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 5 You may have already used HOHOSTIN to configure the host or remote, and may prefer to bypass this paragraph. The first thing is to ensure that the modem works with the software that came with the modem. They are basically guaranteed to be compatible. If/Once you know that they work together, steal the settings from the original software (write them down or print screen them) and transfer the values to HANDS ON. Start up hohostin.exe and set it to match your recorded values. The automatic setup includes many modems in its database, so you might look there for something close enough. (If you call your own number, hang up after the dialing is completed so the phone company can call the phone.) If it fails consider changing from port 1 to 2 or vice versa. If it still fails after that check out the quick fixes below. If you have arrived here during the HANDS ON installation process, you can simply try dialing, and change the port setting with hohostin if the call fails. Peruse and configure HOMODSET.DAT with your text editor, then run HOMODSET. This not only sets the modem into a reasonable state for HANDS ON, but in doing so it will confirm (if everything is OK) or deny (if it reports an ERROR) that you have indeed selected the right address and interrupt for your modem. There is no point in proceeding further until HOMODSET will run and report everything OK. You can tinker with the settings in HOMODSET.DAT to customise your arrangements. For example "ATS0=0" will tell your modem to NEVER answer the phone. "ATS0=3" will tell it to answer on the third ring. Reinstall, or reconfigure, to another COM port with hohostin if it continues to report ERRORs. This ensures that you have the correct COM port and the modem correctly setup. The modem MUST be set to echo the results back to the screen: "CONNECT 19200" etc. Change the initialization string until it does. The modem database only provides simple strings, to improve reliability. You will need to add bits for tuned performance with other known modems. We have supplemental information for this purpose, if you ask. 2 Operation - initial test driving. You will quickly discover that Hands On's automatic menuing dialing and the like are designed to be very open. There are two main reasons for this openness: A) many users only ever call one number and can include the number in the particular .HO file or with HODIAL (for the HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 6 Host) and completely automate the entire connection. B) consultants have their own databases by client and phone number that are likely to be used with a batch file to automate dialing. Many people use variously named .HO setup files. Hands On requires more initial setup, and then provides a more productive, and easier, low memory, usage than conventional retail competitors. Host Computer - and HOHOST Either use HOMENU or directly run the HOHOST program. If the Remote computer is to originate the 'phone call, then this may be all that is necessary. Although, its often useful to include an ATtention command "ATA\r" in the connect string to get the modem's attention. If the Host will originate the call then you might start HOHOST with a .HO file (HOHOST.HO is the default name) that contains a 'phone number in the connect string so that number will be dialed automatically. Or you can use the HODIAL to dial numbers. Third, you can select 1STHAND'S PHONE menu entry and you will be given some helpful options with F1 context sensitive help. This last choice is best if you will want to call more than one other number. The 1sthand scheme is designed more for the remote to call the host, but both directions work with the differences outlined in the on-line help. The 1sthand dialing scheme actually creates a MAKECALL.BAT batch file that the homenu automatically runs. So if you directly tell it to dial and it just quits, look for the makecall.bat that has been created and run that. This scheme allows you to integrate this capability into other software. Once HOHOST is resident and the call is established, the host computer can be used normally. The only difference is that everything that appears on the screen is also being repeated on the Remote computer's screen. The best way to remove HOHOST from memory is to run HOREMOVE. The HOMENU set includes this option. It is also possible to use utilities such as marknet/relnet. Note that some common mark/release utilities can NOT be used, because they do not restore the interrupt mask register. If you are using passwords, then ensure they are EXACTLY the same on both ends. Try to avoid such 'extras' until you get HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 7 up and running. Remote Computer You can use an HOMENU option to start the REMOTE or: Use the command: HO [will use HO.HO configuration file] or HO filename [use filename.HO configuration file] If the Remote computer was to originate the call, then the modem initialization string in the configuration file will usually include a dial command to call the host computer. If you want to call "Mike's" machine you can create a MIKE.HO setup file that contains configuration information including the phone number and password for that specific connection. You would then use "HO MIKE" to call that machine. Use the PHONE menu selection for this kind of easy .HO file setup, and when you want to be able to call more than one other number. If the host computer was to originate the call, then the initialization string may contain an answer 'phone command. Note that in this case it is important that the HANDS ON program not be run until after the 'phone starts ringing! (You might try just adding the "ATA\r" to the initialization string just to see what happens (the modem whines a lot).) A MUCH better way is to have a blank initialization string, and include a trigger string to respond to RING from the modem - A sample trigger string for the bottom of a .HO file follows: "RING" "ATA\r" "" 40000 This can be translated as follows: When the modem finds somebody calling it transmits a "RING" that the Hands On software detects and answers with the "ATA\r" string. The next "" is a blank follow-up response. The 40000 is a delay factor. For more information see scenario A7 in HO.txt. If the configuration file contains no modem initialization string, then the user at the remote computer can enter modem commands manually. (You would type in 'ATA' then tap Enter/Return) This is an alternate scheme for a consultant wishing to dial many different clients. (Before carrier is detected, HANDS ON behaves much like a normal communications program.) HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 8 Once both HANDS ON and HOHOST are running and connected to each other, they will automatically adjust the host computer's "baud" rate (if this feature is enabled) and the host computer will check the password provided by the Remote computer. Provided the password is correct, the Remote computer will effectively be able to take over the host computer, or alternatively to observe whatever the host computer is doing. Any key typed on the Remote computer will be acted upon by the host computer, and anything that appears on the host computer's screen will also appear on the Remote computer's screen. It is sometimes necessary to execute a command on the Remote computer, rather than transmitting the keystroke to the host computer. This is achieved by holding down some combination of left shift, right shift, ctrl and alt all at the same time (the exact combination is specified in the .HO file currently in use). When you do this a list of all the possible commands will be displayed, and you can then type the required command key: 3 Quick Fixes - when the d**n thing doesn't work. The most basic and common problems that you are likely to bump into are related to the modem. The following advice should be considered like a sandwich, with general advice like this above and below and various likely materials in between. Dvorak's Guide to PC Telecommunications has a list of the most common problems, which has been interpreted and amplified below. Remember that modems are NOT completely standardized and do NOT provide useful clues to less experienced users. When you ran HOHOSTIN in the directed installation did you P. Create consistent .HO file (eg. HO.HO or HOHOST.HO. Do it!) ? If not please rerun HOHOSTIN itself, or via 1sthand, and create both HO.HO and HOHOST.HO. Once again, run HOMODSET, as described above, then consider if: 1) Call waiting has not been cancelled. You can often dial 70# or *70 or try setting both modems to ATS10=255 for a long HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 9 wait to bypass call waiting. Try such long delays if you are using a cellular phone. 2) An external modem cable is bad or loose. Symptoms vary but include behaviour that may lead you to check that ANSI.SYS is installed. 3) The phone line is disconnected at the wall or the modem. Test push the connections together. We know someone who took days to realise that putting new insulation into the building's walls wrecked the phone line extension. 4) The communications software is incorrectly setup. Try N81. It has to be trying to work with the correct port, preferably COM1 or COM2. Try changing ports. A fair number of P.C.s cannot use COM3 or COM4 for communications (or anything else that matters). See 10) below. 5) Modem switches or jumpers are incorrectly setup. Is the modem switched on? (Our most common problem is leaving the external modem turned off for the first call of the day). 6) The modem is competing with another device for a COM port. No you cannot physically attach a mouse and a modem to the same port, but you can do so with software. Test by deactivating the mouse, or scanner, or whatever software it might be. Look at the back of the machine to see what is attached to which port. Try another COM port. 7) Its the wrong type of cable. Sorry you cannot tell visually. Direct connection and modem cables look alike, but are wired differently. We're experts because we also use the Little Big Lan network with serial connections (highly recommended for basic networking). Just because XYZ software DOES work with the cable does NOT mean that the cable is 'ok'. 8) Switches inside the computer are set incorrectly. Conflicting computer interrupts can cause significant hair loss in people trying to solve the problem. We supply the RS232OFF.EXE to reset interrupts that have gone nuts (You just type in "RS232OFF"). Yes, the original settings can all be fine, but some other software zonks the interrupts. A common example is Procomm which apparently resets more ports than just the one it is using. Microsoft's MSD.exe program is commonly available for interrupt checking. 9) There is a BIOS problem. AMI bios's have problems with HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 10 16550 chips. P. C. Softsmith has found common problems with 16550 chips user inserted into cards. Many cards are really designed to work with older chips and do not let a 16550 chip activate properly. Normal diagnostics (and technicians) will pass everything, but a separate test will find the 16550 acting like an older chip. If you buy the card with a factory inserted 16550, they should match and work fine. We can supply, or you can download, software from a BBS that 'fixes' the AMI bios to 16550 problem. 10) The software is incompatible with the modem. Their two features sets fail to overlap in some crucial area. Try some other software, even a simple dialer, to make sure you have correctly isolated the problem. We find this problem when people upgrade from something like a 2400 baud modem to a 14400, or return to using their spare 2400 baud modem. Change the settings to match the modem. 11) The modem is broken or defective. We have found some modems that overheat then gradually fail are very good tools for detecting problems with telephone lines. Voice checking a phone line does not indicate its condition for a modem, but your 'phone company can likely check it remotely from their office. 12) There are missing portions on the screen when running the remote access software over 19200 baud. Use a tool like MSD to check if the COM chips are 8250's, and upgrade to 16550's if they are. Or slow down. Other software can also interfere, so check your crop or fleet of resident or TSR software and prune it judiciously. We generally find that we can use Hands On at 38400 over any direct link including XT's to 386's, but your situation will be different. We use 115200 baud daily between two development machines. 13) A modern high speed modem will work fine, but may not be able to 'talk' to an older 2400 modem if the initialization strings are not compatible. Use a SIMPLE initialization string on the high speed modem. 14) We have noticed problems with a 14.4K modem on a 386-40 using an older 8250 chip. Its ALWAYS a good idea to upgrade to 16550 chips. 15) There are some manuals of various kinds included in the default HANDS ON distribution. Some judicious grubbing about will drag out a range of other tests and tools. HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 11 Try to get anything working, then steal its settings/information for the other things that you want to get running. If you have the system basically working, then keep changing small portions out from the working core until they work. As an example, we often just erase the setup file and restart when a problem continues, then rebuild with HOHOSTIN.EXE (which is available via 1sthand.exe if you wish). Many problems disappear once everything is reset to original defaults. Above all smile and keep trying. Its a challenge not a problem. 3) Software Updates - the product history Note that some of the utility programs have their own version number and update information in the matching .txt file. An example is HOMNU.EXE and MNU.txt. 5.50 June, 1995 Added the HOSPEED and HOSTATUS tools. HO now ignores control-break; strips the parity bit before displaying data while acting as a dumb terminal at the start of a session. HOCHECK now has a day of week check. The HOHOSTIN IRQ detection scheme has been improved. Changed the HOHOST exit from RAM scheme. Improved the product's overall awareness of OS/2. Improved the internals of the keyboard lockout scheme. Changed HOMODSET to work better with some modems that need a delay before each command is issued. Changed the call length limiter to avoid hangup on reboot (this can be done in the autoexec.bat). HO can now accept embedded requests as user prompts (eg passwords) in .ho files. HOHOST repeats the modem initialization string after the end of a session to fix some wonky modems that would otherwise refuse to accept further calls. HOGET and HOPUT now automatically terminate the transfer is carrier detect is enabled and carrier is lost. Other minor (depending on your point of view and usage) changes. 5.10 March, 1995 Changing files ending in DOC to TXT to minimise complaints about conflicts with Microsoft Word files. Tidied HOMINS.EXE arrangement, so HOHOSTIN.EXE no longer tries to write to HOMINS.EXE. 5.10 February, 1995 Fixes and improvements for modem init strings. Added over 400 simple modem initialization HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 12 settings. Added the optional (but recommended) HOMINS.EXE simplified setup utility. The installer now forces you to install in the current directory if you have the BBS version. Hopefully, this will cut down on the complaints on the poliferation of files. 1STHAND is now aware of the simple installer HOMINS.EXE in various ways, and checks for the installers in the current directory. 5.01 February, 1995 Minor changes to help make configuration easier. For example, more prompting in HOHOSTIN to re-create HO.HO and HOHOST.HO. Matching changes in the manuals. 5.00 September, 1994 By far the most common feedback is that BBS people only put part of Hand On on their BBS. The default BBS distribution has been shrunk in reaction. We have also significantly improved the ease of getting Hands On up and running, mainly in 1sthand.exe. This is the first EASY UP AND RUNNING release for Hands On. This includes a large number of minor changes including a more reasonable dialing setup using 1sthand. 1STHAND.EXE is now up to version 2 with numerous 'easy use' changes, including more command line parameters.. 5.00 July, 1994 Added PSL registration option. Cosmetic changes to 1sthand.exe, telemenu.exe and telemenu.hlp. Ongoing changes to the manuals based on user feedback. HOASK.EXE was inadvertently compressed with DIET in the initial 5.00 release and has now been restored to a normal .exe. (Testing shows that HOASK.EXE will normally run fine when DIETed, but that change made the difference) Changed HOHOSTIN.EXE so it leaves the INIT file on disk for further configuration uses. 5.00 June, 1994 Started this section. This is the first distribution where new users have significant likelihood of being less skilled. You should expect ongoing 'updates' as we discover better ways to get new users going. Its likely that the main changes will NOT provide enhanced help, but will instead improve the initial setup and automatic telephone connections. Reworking documentation and internal messages. The design goal is a more user friendly interface. Changed the name to HANDS ON. Now includes the telemenu. Reworked the names below to a generic name wherever appropriate. The version number reflects a clean break that is building on previous work. HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 13 4.23 1992 Allowed use of 25x80 text pages other than 0. 4.22 Changed the version number to stop people thinking that version 3.9 was a later version than 3.22!! 4.22 and 3.22 are the same! 3.22 Modified the way HOHOST's private mode works to avoid problems with CapsLock, NumLock and ScrollLock. Previously some PCs experienced a delay of 20 seconds or so while the BIOS waited for a keyboard interrupt that would never occur since HOHOST had disabled all keyboard interrupts. Now the keyboard interrupt is briefly enabled after any of these keys has been pressed. Modified the file transfer status window to report throughput in characters per second rather than percentage efficiency. 3.21 Added the capability to limit the length of a session (useful for toll-free numbers). Increased the buffer size to suit higher speed modems (this only affects screen refresh time and only at speeds above 2400 bps). Added to HOHOSTIN the ability to scan the PC's hardware looking for installed COM ports and locating the associated IRQ lines (from IRQ2 to IRQ15 inclusive). This makes it considerably easier to install for things like internal modems with non-standard IRQ lines. 3.20 Moved control of host printer redirection into HOHOST,HOHOSTIN, HOHOSTC (this now makes it possible to install HOHOST so that print redirection is off by default). Corrected a problem that caused \\ to be reduced to just \ and then to nothing when strings were being edited in HOHOSTIN. Added section 0 to HO.txt to provide a quick path to getting the package up and running. Made sending an initial "at&f" to the modem optional in HOMODSET. 3.19 Added support for IRQ8-15 for 16-bit I/O cards. Added HOHOSTC.EXE to modify HOHOST parameters during an active session. HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 14 Modified HOHOSTIN so that it is possible to redirect input into it, and added a sample response file HOSTIN.RES. 3.18 Corrected a problem with HO failing to detect a loss of carrier in the middle of a session. 3.17 Improved CTS handshaking for use with V42bis modems. Increased printer buffer size to cope with faster modems and longer propagation delays. Added direct support for external file transfer protocol programs such as DSZ. 3.16 Modified HOHOST's ring response code so that the user can choose to have a string sent direct to the modem instead of having it "typed". Added a "private" mode option to HOHOST to allow the host PC to run with a dead keyboard and blank screen. Added HOASK (a program like ASK but with a timeout) to replace HOKEY. Modified HOST to cut down memory usage slightly by freeing environment space. This could be significant for users who have very large amounts of environment text. Finally worked out what needed to be done to allow HOHOST to be loaded high (by QEMM's LOADHI for example) without hanging when the host should have been rebooted! 3.15 Modified HOHOST so that the "reboot on loss of carrier" option only takes effect if there has been a successful HANDS ON session at some time in the past (previously the PC would reboot when the carrier was lost even if HANDS ON had never been active, which sometimes caused rebooting to occur at unfortunate moments!). 3.13 Removed the messages about synchronizing the baud rate and sending the password, and replaced them with a beep so that line noise does not disturb the screen text so much. Modified the file transfer timeout process so that HO keeps on waiting for the transfer to commence until the user presses a key, rather than just waiting a specified time period. [Note that this eliminated one parameter from the .HO file.] HANDS ON Remote Access README Page 15 3.12 Added a new program, HOREMOVE, to remove HOHOST from memory. Previously this could be done by HOHOSTIN, but having a separate program avoided any danger of inadvertently modifying HOST parameters... 3.11 Added remote printing capability. [Note that this required an extra parameter in the .HO file.] 3.10 Changed HO.EXE and HOGET.EXE so that directories were created as required during file transfer. portions Copyright (C) 1994-5 P. C. Softsmith All rights reserved Vic Williams P. C. Softsmith ASP member/author 606 - 6455 Willingdon Ave (604) 433 - 5189 Burnaby, B. C., Canada CIS 75020,2664 V5H 4E4 INTERNET:vic_williams@mindlink.bc.ca