RIO Specialix device on SCO server w/Win95/98 wkstns

[RachelD]

Hello,

Hopefully this question belongs in this forum. If not, sorry.

Anyway, I'm trying to help out a doctor friend. His office has a SCO UNIX server which runs specialized medical management software. This software requires the users to dial out to send out claims, etc. I haven't been to the office yet (going tomorrow), but what information I have managed to glean is that they have a RIO Specialix Port RTH (16 port), to which is attached a Multitech Multimodem ZDX.

They have no IT people at all, so getting a description of their network and devices has been very difficult.

The workstations are Win 95/98. They want to set up dial-up internet access. I don't know UNIX and am not familiar with these particular devices - I've glanced at the documentation for them but it is still not clear to me whether I can attach to these devices through windows in order to provide them with modems to dial out with.

I know that no modems appear in the modem control panel in windows - their connectivity is handled through the med. mgmt. software which resides on the server

Anyone know if it's possible to see this device in windows? Is there any setup on the UNIX side I might have to do to make the modems available?

TIA
Rachel

 

[edfair]

You probably don't want to even try. Better would be to share the phone line between two modems and have the 95/98 access through a proxy server. Or add a phone line for internet access only, shared over the network. Or add DSL and surf the high speed and claims over the low speed.
Since you have 16 port serial access you probably have serial connections to the workstations.
SCO has the capabilities but the dial out modem at probably 19.2 isn't going to support access very well.
Sounds more like an integration problem where you need to change access to the SCO to network rather than serial and adding internet sharing via 98SE or commercial software.
Ed Fair
efair@atlnet.com

Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply.

Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[RachelD]

Thanks for your reply. I have now been to this office and spoke to the group who set up the server/med. management software - things are a lot clearer now! They did not recommend trying to use these modems either. For one thing, in terms of speed - you're right, they are way too slow. Also, providing access to these modems would be a definite security risk, and since this is a doctor's office with confidential patient data, I can't knowingly compromise that.

Their SCO setup is a bit of a nightmare - they have other offices dialing in, so changes I make for them have an immediate effect in other locations.

One of my initial suggestions to them was to share access through a WebRamp or similar product; they aren't quite ready to go that route. It looks like they will just be sharing a new phone line with individual modems in their win98 pcs.

Again, thanks for the response.

 

[edfair]

Not a nightmare, just a complicated interconnection. I support 8 installations like this running somewhat similar software. And one even more complicated.
Be thinking about using Linux as a firewall and sharing the internet through it over a network. Ed Fair
efair@atlnet.com

Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply.

Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.

 

[RachelD]

I would love to, but they won't do it. They only have two people they're putting online right now. If my doctor friend were going to be there for several years I'd encourage him to step in that direction (and start figuring out a better way to connect the other offices at a higher speed), but he retires in the summer. His partners are pretty clueless about this stuff.

Rachel

 

[edfair]

You get a lot of that in the medical profession. Ed Fair
efair@atlnet.com

Any advice I give is my best judgement based on my interpretation of the facts you supply.

Help increase my knowledge by providing some feedback, good or bad, on any advice I have given.