|
Version 3.73 NetDialOut
Users Guide
NetDialOut is COM port redirector software for Windows, which allows
applications to access networked device servers that provide remote
modems or other serial devices. PC Micro also publishes two other COM port redirector products: NetSerial and NetModem. NetSerial is a universal COM port redirector which supports
nearly all TCP compatible device servers. It also includes a virtual
modem emulator allowing modem based software to be redirected to telnet
servers or device servers. NetSerial also allows Cisco equipment to
be used for both Dial-Out and Dial-In applications. NetSerial can be
downloaded from: https://pcmicro.com/netserial NetDialOut was created as an alternative to the "Cisco DialOut
Utility" for Windows 95/98 software from Cisco Systems, Inc.
NetDialOut supports all the newer versions of Windows including Windows
7, Vista, XP, and 200x which are not compatible with tthe Cisco DialOut
Utility.
Features:
This Quick Guide is intended for users familiar with installing Windows
based software. The information below will enable you to get your NetDialOut
redirector up and running, as quickly as possible. Requirements: Operating System Software:
Software Installation and Configuration Overview:
Before installing the NetDialOut Redirector Software:
Run the NetDialOut installer to begin the Installation Wizard. It will take you though the following steps:
The installation should only take a moment to finish. Once it completes, you will automatically be taken to the NetDialOut "Select Ports" window shown below.
NetDialOut can create from 1 to as many as 256 virtual COM ports, which are each redirected by NetDialOut to access shared COM ports located on the modem server. The first step is to select which virtual COM port(s) you wish have NetDialOut create.
Once you have selected at least one virtual COM port and clicked OK,
the NetDialOut Configuration Window should appear. You can manually
get to this by right-clicking on the NetDialOut system tray icon
in the lower right on your taskbar (by your clock), and selecting "Configure".
The NetDialOut system tray icon looks like this: The NetDialOut Configuration window allows you define the Server IP address and TCP Port for each virtual COM port, and optionally which remote COM port it should redirected to.
The Use Multiple Server Failover checkbox allows a list of Failover
servers to be configured. NetDialOutt can automatically go to other
servers if the primary server is either full or unreachable. The Security options are: The Encryption options are: The command buttons on the NetModem Client Configuration window are
as follows:
Once you have assigned the correct Server IP address, TCP Port, and redirect method to each of the virtual COM ports, you should verify that each virtual COM port can communicate with the NetModem Server by selecting the COM port, and then clicking the Test Server Connection Button. The Security options are: None, Use Login/Password and Use Windows
Credentials. The command buttons on the NetDialOut Configuration window are as follows:
Once you have assigned the correct Server IP address and TCP Port to each of the virtual COM ports, you should verify that each virtual COM port can communicate with the NAS or Modem Server by selecting the COM port, and clicking the Test Server Connection Button.
If each of the created virtual COM ports tested with similar results as above, then you have successfuly configured NetDialOut. When the test stops, you can click on "Start" to test the port again, or click "Use Settings" to accept any changes that were made to your settings. The "Copy Log" button allows you to copy the test results to the clipboard, allowing it to be pasted into a document or email. The "Cancel" button exits the test without saving. Once you have successfully configured the virtual COM ports which were created, and you Save or Close the NetDialOut Configuration window, you will be provided with a reminder to install modem drivers which will guide you through the process outlined below.
The NetDialOut virtual COM ports by default do not have any modem devices
(drivers) attached to them.
For other brands of modem servers, refer to the manufacturer of your hardware. Many modem servers are able to use the Windows Standard 56k or 33.6k modem drivers built into Windows, but it is always the best practice to use the actual modem driver provided by the manufacturer if one is available..
Click the "Have Disk" button. DO NOT Click "Next".
Enter the path to your modem drivers .INF file, either by typing
it and click OK, or Browse for it. A list of one or more modem models will be displayed. If there is more
then one choice, be sure to select the one being used on the Modem Server..
Click "Next".
A list of available COM ports is displayed. Click the "Selected ports" option, and click the virtual COM port which you selected in the NetDialOut Configuration window (In this case it is COM4). Click "Next".
Your modem driver should now be installed. Click "Finish".
You should now see the modem driver is "Attached To"
the Client Virtual COM port. If no COM port is listed here, then something
went wrong with the modem driver installation. Assuming the modem driver installed successfully, your installation is now complete. All that is left is to configure your application software to use the new COM port (or to use the Modem Driver attached to that COM port).
You can display the NetDialOut Monitor Status screen by right clicking the NetDialOut system tray icon 
and selecting Status.
Each Virtual COM port created by NetDialOut is Listed under "Ports"
in the Status screen. Baud: The number of times per second that an RS-232 serial signal
can change on this port.
Configure: Opens the NetDialOut Configuration Window. (This button may be removed by the Administrator to prevent users from making changes to the configuration). Help: Opens the Users Guide. About: Displays the copyright and contact information. Client users can monitor the Data Flow occurring on all of the Virtual COM ports by selecting the Trace Tab in the NetDialOut Monitor.
The trace Window normally only displays messages when virtual COM ports are created or removed, or the virtual serial port driver is restarted. When you select the Enable Trace checkbox, you are shown the
serial data moving to and from the client and server along with the
timestamp and name of the COM port. You can also enabled the Hex
Display checkbox to show the data in hexadecimal numeric format
instead of the default ASCII code format, and you can enable Auto
Scroll checkbox to have the window scroll as more data is logged.
There are three color codes used in the trace data:
There are three buttons used to control the log: Clear: Erases the entire log from the window. Save Log: Saves the log file in either ascii format (.log) or binary format (.trc) Open Log: Opens a binary format (.trc) trace file that was previously
saved. Enabling the Trace can be a valuable tool for troubleshooting misconfigured
application software.
Some Cisco Access Servers have an IOS option called AAA, which
stands for Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting. Enabling AAA
on a Cisco Access Server causes it to request a users login/password
credentials when a client PC connects to a modem on the Access Server,
which it then authenticates via a RADIUS authentication server. Many other modem servers support some form of user authentication.
NetModem Server can be used
to authenticate from a Windows PC using Active Directory or a
local domain , and this can be used as a front end to NetDialOut . Doing
this also provides the benifit of an SSL/TLS encripted connection between
the clients and NetModem Server..
Use Login/Password will provide the server with a login and
password each time a virtual COM port is opened. When you select this
security option, a button will appear that says "Change Login/Password".
which
Use Windows Credentials will provide the server with the current user's Windows login information each time a virtual COM port is opened. NetDialOut obtains this information from Windows during the login process. After the NetDialOut is installed, the user will need to logoff and then login again before this option will be functional. Once you have enabled one of the security options in the NetDialOut Configuration, you should run the "Test Server Connection" to make sure that the security handshaking between the client and server are sucessful.
|
|
The NetDialOut Configuration Screen looks different when Use Multiple Server failover enabled. The usual input fields for IP Address and TCP Port, are replaced with the Server List options. These allow you to choose from several different lists of modem servers, and will allow you to edit any one of those lists. Up to 20 Server Lists can be defined, and each server list allows
up to 5 Servers to be specified. |
 |
|
In the Edit Server List you can defined up to 5 servers to be specified, in the order you want NetDialOut to connect to. A Server list needs at least two servers defined. Each Server entry must have the IP Address (or hostname) of the Server, and the TCP Port. A Pool Name is optional, if no Pool Name is defined, the default pool will be accessed. When an application opens a COM port that is configured to use multiple servers, NetDialOut first attempts to connect to the first server on the list. If that server is either full or unreachable, the client attempts to connect to the next server on the list. This continues until a server with an available modem is reached, or until all the servers have failed. |
 |
When using multiple servers, you can fine tune how long NetDialOut waits for each server to respond when the Client requests a COM port from a server. By default it waits up to 3 seconds for the server to respond, and if there is no response then it switches to the next server in the list. The settings can be found under the "Advanced" button in the NetDialOut Configuration window. The value is in milliseconds (1/1000th of a second), so the default value of 3000 = 3 seconds maximum. On a slow Network you might need to increase this value, and on a Network in which Several Failover Servers are defined, you might need to decrease the value in order to speed up the search.
10. Troubleshooting and Technical Notes
|
11.1..... If
the "Test Server Connection" Fails. |
11.1. If the "Test Server Connection" Fails.
First check that the NetDialOut COM port has the correct IP address
of the modem server defined, and the correct TCP port which has been
configured for modem pooling on the NAS or modem server.
If that does not solve it:
Find out if the modem server is accepting connections by going to a
Command Prompt, and running TELNET.EXE by typing in the following
and press [Enter] :
telnet 192.168.0.1 7001 (replace 192.168.0.1 with
the IPaddress of the modem server, and replace 7001 with the
TCP port of the modem server.
A black empty screen indicates a successful connection.
A "Could not open connection to the host" response
indicates that the Access Server is not accepting incoming connections
on that TCP port.
A "Login:" prompt indicates a sucessful connection,
which requires Security to be enabled in NetDialOut.
11.2. Solving Network Faxing Issues.
Only Class 2 or Class 2.0 fax modems can be
used over a network, due to Class 1 being very timing sensitive.
Most NAS and advanced modem servers support Class 1, Class 2, and Class
2.0. faxing. It's a good idea to check which fax class is supported
with the modem servermodem manufacturer before purchasing a NAS or other
modem server.
The Faxing software you use also needs to be configured for Class 2
or Class 2.0. Keep in mind that Class 2 and Class 2.0 are not the same,
so it's important that the software is configured for a fax class that
is supported by modem(s) located on the NAS or modem server.
Consult your faxing software documentation for information on setting
Class 2 or 2.0 in your faxing software.
There is also some information on this subject found on PC Micro's NetDialOut
Support Site.
11.3. Using NetDialOut under Terminal Services or Citrix XenApp.
Windows Terminal Services, Remote Desktop and Citrix XenApp are multi-user environments which can be used with the Site Edition of NetDialOut.
Terminal Services is part of Windows Server server (2008,2003,2000,NT4)
which enable users to access Windows-based programs are installed on
a terminal server, or to access the full Windows desktop. With Terminal
Services, users can access a terminal server from within a corporate
network or from the Internet.
Remote Desktop is a light single-user version of a terminal server included
in Windows Professional, Business, and Ultimate Versions. Citrix XenApp
is an advanced remote access infrastructure server for enterprise applications.
When using any of these environments to allow "Thin-Clients"
to access the shared COM ports, you should use the following procedure:
- Install NetDialOut Site Edition on the Terminal Services Server,
Remote Desktop, or XenApp PC.
- Select one virtual COM port in the NeDialOut configuration, and
assign the IP address of the modem server.
- Next Select as many additional Virtual COM ports as needed. (Usually
you will want to select one virtual COM port for each thin-client
user). Up to 256 Virtual COM port can be selected. All the additional
virtual COM ports will default to using the same Server IP address
as you assigned in step 2.
- When you close the client configuration window, you will be guided
to install a modem driver. When you are instructed to select the ports
to assign the modem driver to, select all the Virtual COM ports.
- Assign one of the Virtual COM ports to each thin-client user. This
will allow each user to access the next Shared COM port on the server
though their virtual COM port. This allows up to 256 thin-clients
to access the modem pool.
- If the modem server is configured to require User Authentication,
the NetDialOut Security setting may not be set for "Use Windows
Credentials". Instead the "Use Login/Password"
security setting must be used. This is because Terminal Services and
Citrix XenApp will not allow NetDialOut to access the current users
Windows Credentials.
To configure Windows 7, Vista or XP (non-home version) to become a Remote Desktop, you should use the following procedure:
- Right-click My Computer, click Properties, and then
click Remote tab.
- Turn on Remote Desktop by selecting the check box Allow users
to remotely connect to this computer.
- Designate users by clicking the Select Remote Users button.
Remapping COM ports in Windows Server 2008 or Server 2003
Windows Server 2008 and Server 2003 (all versions except the Web Edition)
includes a command line utility called change.exe which can map
any COM port to a different port number under the current users Terminal
Server session.
For example, a Terminal Services user could enter this command:
change port COM12=COM1
This allows the current user to access COM1 in their application software, which is redirected to COM12 by Windows Server. COM12 could be either a physical COM port, or a virtual COM port created by NetDialOut.
A second Terminal Services user could enter this command:
change port COM13=COM1
Now both users can access COM1 at the same time in their application
software, and they will really be using COM12 and COM13 respectively.
This allows all users to use application software configured for a particular
COM port, and allows legacy applications that only supported COM1-COM4
(or in some cases COM1-COM9) to be used by more then 4 or 9 Terminal
Services users at the same time. However, this will not work with TAPI,
so applications that need to communicate with a Modem Driver name rather
then a COM port value can not take advantage of this feature.
The change port command can be used as part of each users login
script to map COM1 to a specific NetDialOut virtual COM port which is
reserved for that user. For example if COM99 is reserved for a particular
user, the following would be added to that users login script: change
port COM99=COM1
You can run change port without any parameters to display the available
COM ports and the current COM port mappings.
A limitation of the change port command is that the new COM port exists only in memory, and is not written to the registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DEVICEMAP\SERIALCOMM which is where many application programs look to see which COM ports exist. One solution would be to create a dummy registry entry in this registry folder like this:
In which FAKE could be any unique name, and COM4 could be any unique COMx value. Making changes to the registry should only be done by an IT professional familiar with the precautions involved in registry editing such as backing up the registry first.
Name Type Data FAKE REG_SZ COM4
Limitations under Terminal Services, Remote Desktop, and Citrix XenApp
- Only one outbound PPP (Point to Point Protocol) connection can be
made at a time from any Windows PC, even under a multi-user operating
system such as Terminal Services Server, Remote Desktop, and Citrix
XenApp. This is not a limitation of NetDialOut, but rather a limitation
within Windows.
For example, A Dial-Up Networking connection to an ISP uses the PPP protocol. This causes the Windows routing table to be changed so that all TCP packets that are sent outside of the local subnet are directed to this PPP connection. If another PPP connection is created, Windows again changes the routing table which causes the first PPP connection to fail. If you need to allow multiple users to be able to make simultaneous PPP connections, you will need to install NetDialOut on each users PC instead.
- Citrix XenApp prevents more then one outbound VPN (Virtual Private
Networking) Connection to be made using a modem.
- If a VPN connection is used to connect to the network containing NetDialOut, then it is not possible to make a secondary VPN connection through NetDialOut. This is due to a limitation in the VPN protocol.
Additional Information on Terminal Services and Remote Desktop can be
found at Microsoft's web site using the following links:
Remote Desktop Frequently Asked Questions:
https://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mobility/rdfaq.mspx
How to deploy Terminal Services under Windows Server 2008:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc268349.aspx
How to deploy Terminal Server under Windows Server 2003:
https://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/techinfo/overview/quickstart.mspx
Windows Server Terminal Services Home Page:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/windowsserver/terminal-services/default.aspx
11.4. Preventing accidental client configuration changes.
If the Administrator is concerned about the possibility of a client
user misconfiguring the virtual com port settings, then the configure.exe
file can be removed from the NetModem Client folder. This is usually
located in c:\program files\netmodem\client\
11.5. NetDialOut advanced configuration options
To access the NetDialOut advanced configuration options, click on the
Advanced button from the NetModem Client Configuration screen.
The following options are found under the Options tab:
- Delay closing COM port for [7500] ms.
When this option is enabled, it causes NetDialOut to remain connected to the server (and the physical modem) for the specified amount of time in milliseconds that begins when the virtual COM port is closed by the application. This ensures that the modem is not assigned to another user while an application closes and reopens the virtual COM port, and ensures that an active connection is not lost if one application or process hands off a COM port to another one.
By default this option is Enabled, with a value of 7500 ms. (7.5 seconds).
- Update Routing Table if needed
When this option is enabled, NetDialOut will add a direct route to the modem server when a virtual COM port is opened, if the modem server is not on the same subnet as the NetDialOut PC and there is not already a direct route defined. Once the virtual COM port is closed, the added route will then be removed. The reason for adding a direct route, is that some PPP applications such as Windows Dial-Up Networking will change the computer's default route in the IP routing table when they have established a connection to the remote network. Once this change is made, the NetDialOut PC will no longer have a route to the modem server if the two PC's are not on the same subnet. Without a valid route, the NetDialOut PC will lose its connection to the modem server.
Some third-party VPN software will not permit changes to the routing table. If the NetDialOut PC is connected to the modem server through a VPN, this option may need to be disabled. In such a case, the VPN users would be unable to use NetDialOut to establish a dial-up networking connection.
By default this option is Enabled.
- Maximum time to wait for a Failover Server
When this option is enabled, and the NetDialOut virtual COM port is configured to use Multiple Server Failover this option will limit the time that NetDialOut waits for each server to respond before it gives up and attempts to connect to the next server in the failover list.
By default this option is Enabled, with a value of 3000 milliseconds (3 seconds).
- Synchronize with server during COM port open
When this option is enabled, each time an application requests to open a virtual COM port, the
COM port open request is not completed until the following events occur between the client and server:
1. The TCP connection to the server is established.
2. The SSL/TLS encryption negotiation is established (if encryption is used).
3. The COM Port Control protocol is negotiated.
4. The user authentication is sucessful (if security is used).
Some applications may require that the COM port open function will synchronize with the server by waiting until the server provides the modem before returning a sucess status, or returning a fail status otherwise.
By default this option is Disabled, allowing the virtual COM port to be opened immediately.
11.6 NetDialOut Virtual COM port driver
NetDialOut uses a highly optimized kernel-mode driver to create its
virtual COM ports.
The virtual COM port driver can be found in the device manager under
"Non-Plug and Play" drivers (you will need to enable
"View > Hidden devices" to see it).
The driver is controlled by a service in Windows. NetDialOut virtual
COM ports can be reconfigured by third party applications, by writing
to the VCOMM registry folder located here: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\VCOMM
11.7 Support for DOS Applications
NetDialOut is compatible with both Windows applications and many DOS
applications running under Windows. Generally a DOS application which
uses a COM port will do so by accessing the serial port hardware directly.
This hardware is called a UART, which stands for Universal
Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter.
32-bit versions of Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000, and NT include a subsystem
to run DOS applications known as the NTVDM, an acronym for NT
Virtual DOS Machine. The NTVDM monitors the standard
UART I/O ports for activity by DOS applications on COM1, COM2, COM3,
and COM4. The NTVDM redirects any activity on these ports to the Windows
COM port of the same name. For this reason, DOS applications can only
be used with NetDialOut on virtual COM ports COM1-COM4.
Some DOS applications allow you to configure the UART settings for the
COM ports. The NTVDM only works with the standard UART settings shown
below:
| Serial Port | Base Address | Interrupt |
| COM1 | 3F8 | IRQ4 |
| COM2 | 2F8 | IRQ3 |
| COM3 | 3E8 | IRQ4 |
| COM4 | 2E8 | IRQ3 |
While most DOS applications communicate with a COM port directly through the UART, there are a few DOS applications that can communicate by using the PC's BIOS Interrupt 14h or an enhanced version of the Interrupt 14h interface called a FOSSIL driver. If your DOS application says that it is compatible with Interrupt 14h or a FOSSIL, then you can install a third-party FOSSIL driver such as ADF or NetFoss, which can enhance performance of your DOS communication software. ADF is a free program which can be downloaded from https://digsys.se/adf.html
An example command line to load ADF on COM4 would be:
ADF.exe COM4 2E8 3 57600 4096 1024
This should be loaded in the same DOS window that your DOS application
is started from afterwards, which can be easily done in a batch file.
For more information on ADF, please refer to the ADF documentation.
ADF is a DOS driver, so it will only work on COM1-COM4.
NetFoss is a free FOSSIL driver designed to use Windows COM ports, so
it will allow FOSSIL compatible DOS applications to work on any COM
port value. You can download NetFoss from https://pcmicro.com/netfoss
12. Request Technical Support
Our technical staff has many years of experience in solving communication
related issues, and provide real guidance even on tough problems that
take trace log analysis or network packet analysis to figure out.
You can request support online at https://pcmicro.com/netdialout/support.html
or contact your PC Micro account manager for assistance. You can also
email support@pcmicro.com. Initial response time is usually under
an hour or two between 7:00AM - 7:00PM PST (Pacific Standard Time
GMT-7 ) Weekdays, and limited hours during weekends and US Holidays.
If you purchased or are evaluating NetDialOut through a local reseller
or a consultant, they may provide an additional level of technical support.
13. Update the License Key
NetDialOut has two licensing methods availabe:
- The Standard version is licensed per Seat,
meaning that each PC running NetDialOut needs a seperate license key.
- The Site Edition version is licensed by the maximum
number of simultanious connections that can be made by all
the users at your site. The NetDialOut Site Edition software can be
installed on an unlimited number of PCs at the site, and the total
number of connections is monitored by the included License Manager
software. The Site Edition does not require a license key for each
PC, as only the License Manager requires a key.
The Standard version of NetDialOut allows a fully functional 30 day
evaluation if no license key is entered into NetDialOut. If you decide
to purchase a license key, you are provided with an electronic license
certificate (PDF file) which contains a license key that can be entered
into the NetDialOut to unlock the 30 day limitation.
To update your NetDialOut Standard version License Key, do the following:
- Open the NetDialOut Monitor window by double clicking on the system
tray icon.
- Select the License button. The current license information
is displayed, including how many days are left if the software is
running in evaluation mode.
- Select the Change button.
- Type in your License Key in the field titled License Key.
- Optionally type in the User Name and Company Name.
- Select OK to accept the new information.
The Site Edition version does not require a licence key in NetDialOut , instead it it requires the IP address of the PC running the License Manager. To select enter the IP address of the License Manager, do the following:
- Open the NetDialOut Monitor window by double clicking on the system
tray icon.
- Select the License button. The current IP address of the
License Manager PC is displayed.
- Enter the new IP address of the License Manager PC
- Select OK to accept the new information.
14. Uninstalling the NetDialOut Software
To Uninstall the NetDialOut software do the following:
- Navigate to the Windows Control Panel and select the "Add
or Remove Programs" Icon
- Select NetDialOut in the list of installed programs.
- Click the Change/Remove button to begin the Uninstall process.
- Select Uninstall, and click Next.
- After uninstalling NetDialOut,, remember to also remove any modem
drivers that were attached to the virtual COM ports. This can be done
from the "Phone and Modem Options" in the Windows Control
Panel.
Windows does not need to be restarted after installing or uninstalling the NetDialOut softwarere.
Copyright © 1997-2009 PC Micro Systems and Odin Software. Portions Copyright © 1997-2009 Microsoft Corporation. Portions Copyright © 1998-2009 The OpenSSL Project. This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit (https://www.openssl.org). All Rights Reserved. NetDialOut and PC Micro are Trademarks or Registered Trademark of PC Micro Systems, Inc. Windows and Microsoft are Trademarks or Registered Trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. WinFax and pcAnywhere are Trademarks or Registered Trademarks of Symantec. Citrix, XenApp and XenApp are Trademarks or Registered Trademarks of Citrix Systems, Inc. RC2 and RC4 are Trademarks of RSA Security, Inc. VMWare is a Trademark or Registered Trademark of VMware, Inc. Cisco and IOS are registered trademarks of Cisco Systems, Inc.