🚀 go-pugleaf

Dale Walker asks about dialling in from a home computer to an office
computer, which will then do comms over a leased line. There's one modem
in the home computer, two in the office computer.

"What is the best way of connecting two modems to one computer?"

I assume that machines at both ends are PC-clones running MSDOS or
Windows.

I have done this. Use remote control software; I used Carbon Copy for
DOS at the time, but might choose Reachout if doing it today.

You run remote host software on the office computer, viewer software
on the home computer. The home computer connects to the office computer,
and effectively takes control of it: you can do anything the office
computer can do normally  from home (so long as this doesn't involve the
COM port you're using for remote control!). In particular, you can dial
out on a modem connected to the other COM port. Which is exactly what you
want.

"Do I have to be careful which com ports I use (I know not to use the
"same IRQ as the mouse)?"

If you are using a PC-clone, don't use COM1 and COM3 simultaneously,
nor COM2 and COM4. Use different IRQs for the two ports.

"Is it possible to use both modems concurrently?"
Yes

"Will Laplink allow this?"
I shouldn't think so, but don't know for sure. Use Carbon Copy, Reachout,
PC Anywhere, etc.

I don't think this is what you want, but it is possible, with suitable
hardware and software, to dial up a full network connection (your home
computer becomes a full network workstation).


Small print: the host computer will be running the remote control host
software as a TSR. This uses up memory, so you may want to do things to
free up memory (load high, use QEMM, etc.).

"TIA."
"My pleasure, in retrospect.

HTH,
--
Michael Salem

On Fri, 31 May 96 10:17:15 GMT, Michael Salem
<michaels@michaels.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>Dale Walker asks about dialling in from a home computer to an office
>computer, which will then do comms over a leased line. There's one modem
>in the home computer, two in the office computer.
>
>"What is the best way of connecting two modems to one computer?"
>
>I assume that machines at both ends are PC-clones running MSDOS or
>Windows.
>
>I have done this. Use remote control software; I used Carbon Copy for
>DOS at the time, but might choose Reachout if doing it today.
>
>You run remote host software on the office computer, viewer software
>on the home computer. The home computer connects to the office computer,
>and effectively takes control of it: you can do anything the office
>computer can do normally  from home (so long as this doesn't involve the
>COM port you're using for remote control!). In particular, you can dial
>out on a modem connected to the other COM port. Which is exactly what you
>want.
>
>"Do I have to be careful which com ports I use (I know not to use the
>"same IRQ as the mouse)?"
>
>If you are using a PC-clone, don't use COM1 and COM3 simultaneously,
>nor COM2 and COM4. Use different IRQs for the two ports.

Uh-oh! The mouse also needs to be present as well as the two modems on
the office computer. All 3 items need seperate IRQ's and there's only
2 are available for comms. Can you still get a bus mouse with a
dedicated card or are there any other ways around this?

>
>"Is it possible to use both modems concurrently?"
>Yes
>
>"Will Laplink allow this?"
>I shouldn't think so, but don't know for sure. Use Carbon Copy, Reachout,
>PC Anywhere, etc.
>

The current version of Laplink for Windows does have remote control
capability!

>I don't think this is what you want, but it is possible, with suitable
>hardware and software, to dial up a full network connection (your home
>computer becomes a full network workstation).

A far too expensive option for something that'll only be used two or
three times a week!


/------------------------------------------\
| Dale Walker              dale@virus.com, |
| http://www.gold.net/users/ge75/dale.html |
\------------------------------------------/

Dale Walker writes, in response to my answers to his questions:

Me: If you are using a PC-clone, don't use COM1 and COM3 simultaneously,
    nor COM2 and COM4. Use different IRQs for the two ports.

Dale: The mouse needs to be present as well as the two modems.
    All 3 items need different IRQs. Are there ways round this?

My answer was misleading. Modern equipment and software often allows you
to use non-standard IRQs for comms. So if at least one of your office modems
allows you to set it at, say the COM3 address, but using the non-standard
IRQ5, you're OK. I didn't think of the mouse conflict when answering
originally,

By the way, you may find that in practice you can use standard ports with
the mouse connected so long as you never move the mouse when online -- which
may be OK if you connect out of office hours. This is only worth trying in
extremis (no available IRQs).

HTH,
--
Michael Salem