Copyright: Artisoft i.Share 3.0 Server Help © 1998 Artisoft, Inc.
Citation: Artisoft i.Share 3.0 Server Help © 1998 Artisoft, Inc.


Introducing Artisoft i.Share 3.0

Sharing one Internet account

Artisoft i.Share lets all your networked computers use a single Internet account. With i.Share, you no longer need a separate account with an Internet Service Provider for each person on your network. Each person can use the Internet for his own purpose at the same time through one shared account.

To use i.Share, you need to install the i.Share server software on a Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 95/98 computer that has an Internet connection. Then you install the i.Share client software on every Windows 3.x, Windows 95/98, Windows NT 4.0 or 3.51 computer that you want to be able to use the Internet connection being shared by the i.Share server.

How client computers use the Internet

After i.Share is installed, when someone working at a client computer wants to use the Internet, he simply starts an Internet application (such as Netscape) just as if he has a direct connection. Working in the background, the i.Share server automatically gets on the Internet and lets the client use its connection. The person using the client computer can get on the Internet without ever seeing the i.Share interface.

One server can share multiple Internet connections and multiple modems

An i.Share server can share multiple connections (resources); for example, one to the Internet and one to a corporate intranet. The person at a client computer can select whichever connection resource she wants to use, and can also use multiple resources simultaneously.

Also, Windows NT 4.0 i.Share servers can run and share more than one dial-up connection at the same time. This feature is unavailable on Windows 95/98 i.Share servers.

Tips

•	  Click here for explanations of each of the tabs in the i.Share Server window.

•	  Click here for instructions on upgrading i.Share to more concurrent users.


Status

The Status tab lets you view client activity, disconnect clients and start or stop the server.

Server – The server's i.Share name. This is the name that users at client computers see when they connect. It’s distinct from the computer's network name. You can change the name from the Configure tab.

Status – Shows whether the server is currently sharing its Internet resources. In use indicates that an Internet/Intranet account is being shared. Ready indicates that no resources are being shared. Stopped indicates that the server is not available for use (see Stop Server button, below).

Activity

Total Resources – Shows the total number of Internet/Intranet accounts available on this computer for connection.

Active Resources – Shows the number of Internet/Intranet accounts that the server is currently logged into.

Started At/Stopped At – Shows the date and time when the server was last started or stopped.

Users – Shows the number of i.Share clients that are currently using the server's Internet connections. The progress bar indicates how close you are to i.Share's maximum number of users.

Details button – Click to go to the Session Details window, which displays detailed information about the users currently sharing the server's connections.

Maximum – Shows the maximum number of people who can use the server's Internet/Intranet connections simultaneously, using i.Share.

Start and Stop Server buttons

Click Start Server to make this computer's Internet connections available to i.Share clients, or Stop Server to make them unavailable to clients.

Dial-Up Networking

Access button – Click to go to the Using Dial-Up Networking window, which lets you use an Internet application on this computer without conflicting with i.Share clients' connections.

Tips

•	For information on increasing the maximum number of users, click here.

•	If your i.Share server tries to make a dial-up connection to the Internet every time you start the computer, click here to go to troubleshooting instructions.

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Using Dial-Up Networking window

Dial-Up Networking lets your server use the Internet without interfering with client connections.

•	Status – Shows whether the selected resource is currently being used.

•	Resource – Shows which Internet/intranet account is being used.

•	Select Internet Resource – This list shows all Dial-Up Internet or Intranet resources available on the server. Click the one for which you want to see Status and Resource information in the fields above.

To let your server use a shared Internet resource:

1	Click a resource in the Select Internet Resource box.

2	Click Start Use to connect to the selected resource.

3	Now you can run an Internet application on this computer.

4	When you’re finished using the Internet, come back to this window and click Stop Use to disconnect from the selected resource.

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Security

Use this tab to set passwords for Internet access and restrict Web browsing.

Internet Resources

Lists the Internet and Intranet resources available on this server.

Passwords – Click to set passwords for the selected resource.

Refresh – Click to update the Internet Resources list. i.Share scans your computer for available Internet/Intranet connections.

i.Watch - URL Restrictions

Shows the i.Watch restrictions currently in effect. A red circle indicates a disallowed Web site; a green check indicates an allowed site.

Access to all other URLs – Shows your choice to allow or disallow all Web addresses not on the list.

i.Watch – Click to go to the i.Watch Restriction List, where you can modify the i.Watch restrictions.

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i.Watch Restriction List

Use this window to set up or change i.Watch Web site restrictions.

URL List

Shows the URLs of the Web sites you've allowed or disallowed. A red circle indicates a disallowed site; a green check indicates an allowed one. A red dot indicates a URL that has not yet been resolved.

•	Add – Click to add a new URL to the i.Watch list.

•	Modify – Click to change the selected URL, or its allowed/disallowed setting.

•	Remove – Click to delete the selected URL from the list.

•	Import – Click to import a list of URLs from another source. The list must be in comma delimited format (.csv). The new URLs are added to your current list.

•	Export – Click to export your i.Watch list to use in another program.

•	Allow access to all other URLs – Check to allow access to the entire Web except for those specifically disallowed in the URL List. Clear the check box to disallow access to the entire Web except for those specifically allowed in the URL List.

Restriction Notice

Click Select to go to the dialog box where you can select or create the message that clients will see when they try to go to a prohibited Web site.

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Select Restriction Notice

Use this dialog box to specify the notice that clients see in their browsers when they try to access a Web site prohibited by i.Watch.

•	Use default notice – Click to use the default restriction notice supplied with i.Share.

•	Specify file containing notice – Click to specify a notice of your own. The notice must be an HTML document without any graphics or links to other files. Click Browse to select the notice file.

Click here for the text of the default restriction notice and others supplied with i.Share.

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Restriction notices

The following i.Watch restriction notices are supplied with i.Share:

•	Default notice – "Access denied by i.Watch. Please contact your network administrator for access to this site."

•	Access Denied Contact Administrator.htm – "Access denied by i.Watch. Please contact your Network Administrator to access this site."

•	Access Denied Contact Mom.htm – "Access Denied - You are not allowed to view this site. Please contact your Mom if you really need to access this site."

•	Access Denied Contact Dad.htm – "Access Denied - You are not allowed to view this site. Please contact your Dad if you really need to access this site."

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Enter Resource Passwords

Use this window to enter passwords for the Internet resource selected in the Security tab. You can set two levels of passwords for each resource: one to admit a client to this resource but not to Web sites prohibited by i.Watch, the other to override i.Watch restrictions and allow a client unlimited Internet access using this resource.

•	Resource – Shows the resource selected. To select another, click OK to return to the Security tab and click another resource. If more then one resource is selected, only the first is shown here.

•	Items Selected – Shows the number of resources selected. The passwords you assign will apply to all of them.

•	Unrestricted access – Enter a password that will allow a client unlimited access to the Internet through this resource, overriding i.Watch restrictions.

•	i.Watch restricted access – Enter a password that will allow a client access to this resource, but apply i.Watch restrictions to his Internet use.

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URL in the i.Watch List
Add/Change URL in the i.Watch List

Use this window to add or modify a URL in the list of i.Watch restrictions.

•	URL – Type the URL of the Web site.

•	Access to this URL – Click Allowed to permit access to the URL, or Disallowed to prohibit access. You can use this field to exempt a subsidiary page of a Web site from i.Watch restrictions placed on the site as a whole. Click here  for more information.

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Invalid/Duplicate URL

Use this window to correct duplicate or incomplete entries when importing Web addresses for your i.Watch list.

•	A duplicate URL indicates that a Web address being imported is the same as one already on the list, but its allowed/disallowed setting is different.

•	The title "Invalid data found during Import" indicates that a Web address is being imported that doesn’t have an allowed/disallowed setting.

URL – Shows the Web address being imported.

•	Access to this URL – Click Allowed to permit access to this Web address, or Disallowed to prohibit access. You can use this field to exempt a subsidiary page of a Web site from i.Watch restrictions placed on the site as a whole. Click here  for more information.

•	Insert – Click to import this Web address into the i.Watch list.

•	Skip – Click to ignore this Web address and continue importing.

•	Skip All – Click to ignore this Web address and all subsequent duplicate or incomplete Web addresses while importing this file.

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Configure

You can use this tab to change the i.Share server's name, the server’s audit logging settings, and the server’s interaction with Dial-Up Networking.

Identification

Server Name – Shows the i.Share server name of this computer. Click Modify if you want to change it. Note that the i.Share server name can be different from the computer's actual network name.

Activity Logging

Shows information relating to i.Share's logging feature. You can click Modify to go to the Configure Activity Logging window and change settings.

•	Status – Shows whether or not activity logging is turned on.

•	Log File – Shows the name of the file to which i.Share is currently saving activity log data.

•	History – Shows the number of log files i.Share is currently keeping.

Dial-Up Networking

Shows the settings for how i.Share interacts with Dial-Up Networking. You can click Modify to go to the Dial-Up Networking Control window and change Dial-Up Networking settings.

•	Window Control – Shows how i.Share controls Dial-Up Networking's Internet Connection window. Windows Control is not supported under Windows NT 4.0; it appears grayed out on NT computers.

•	Connection Control – Shows what i.Share will do if the connection is unexpectedly terminated.

•	Disconnect Delay – Shows the number of seconds i.Share will wait after all sessions have been closed and no-one is actively using the server before it hangs up Dial-Up Networking.

Display i.Share Status at Startup – Check to have this i.Share server program open whenever you start the computer. If unchecked, the i.Share server still will automatically run at startup, but it will remain in the background.

Tip

You can always open the i.Share server interface by clicking its icon in the system tray.

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Modify Dial-Up Networking
Dial-Up Networking Control

Use this window to specify how the i.Share server interacts with Microsoft Windows' Dial-Up Networking.

Dial-Up Networking Window

The Dial-Up Networking program automatically opens an Internet Connection window whenever a dial-up connection to the Internet is made. Because Internet connections may start and stop at any time due to i.Share client activity, the Internet Connection window can become a nuisance to someone working on the server. These options let you control the way it appears:

•	Minimize window – The window opens in a minimized state. You‘ll see it on your status bar but it won’t open on your screen.

•	Show window – The window opens on-screen.

•	Hide window –- Dial-Up Networking occurs in the background, and you never see any indication of the window.

Note:  These dial-up networking window radio buttons are disabled under Windows NT 4.0, because an Internet Connection window doesn’t pop up.

Dial-Up Networking Reconnect

Click one of the these options to specify what i.Share does when a dial-up connection to your Internet Service Provider is terminated because of a timeout or other reason:

•	User controlled – You’ll have the option to decide whether to reconnect. This selection is unavailable under Windows NT 4.0.

•	Reconnect when needed – i.Share does nothing, and the connection remains terminated until client activity reopens it.

•	Reconnect immediately – i.Share automatically tries to reconnect to the Internet Service Provider.

Note:  You should select Reconnect Immediately only if you want the connection to your Internet Service Provider to stay up for as long as the server program is running, even if there is no Internet activity on your network.

Disconnect Delay (Seconds)

Specify the number of seconds you want i.Share to wait after all sessions have been closed and no one is actively using the server before it hangs up Dial-Up Networking. You can specify any time from zero (no delay) to 10,000 seconds. The default is 60 seconds.

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Modify Server name

Use this window to enter a new i.Share server name for this computer. The i.Share server name appears to clients when they're connecting to an Internet resource. It is distinct from the computer's network name.


About

This tab gives version, serial number and maximum users information about i.Share. it also contains an Upgrade button. Click here to go to information about upgrading i.Share using the Upgrade button.


Session Details

This window shows detailed information on the clients currently sharing this computer's resources. The information updates automatically every few seconds.

Active Sessions – Shows the number of Internet applications currently sharing the server's resources.

Maximum Sessions – Shows the maximum number of Internet applications that can share resources at any one time. Click here for information on increasing i.Share's maximum.

Current Sessions

Shows details about the Internet applications currently sharing resources. Click a client in the window to select it.

•	User Name – The i.Share client name.

•	Last Command – The last Winsock command the client sent.

•	Bytes Sent – The total number of bytes the client sent during this session.

•	Bytes Received – The total number of bytes received by the client during this session.

Disconnect – Click to disconnect a selected client from the resources it’s using.

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Information

This tab shows settings relating to how i.Share operates on your network and connects to the Internet.

Network Bindings – Shows the network protocols that i.Share is bound to.

Winsock Information – Shows information about the type of Winsock that i.Share is using.

•	Using Version – The version of Winsock that i.Share is using to connect to the Internet.

•	Description – The description from the Winsock that i.Share is using.

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Configure Activity Logging

Use this window to turn activity logging on or off, or change your audit logging settings.

•	Record activity to log file – Check to turn activity logging on. Clear the check box to turn activity logging off.

•	Path – Shows the location of the activity logging file. Click Browse to select a new folder.

•	Use only one log file – Click to have i.Share write all audit log data to the same file. Note that this file will continually increase in size as the data is written.

•	Use a separate log file for each day – Click to have i.Share begin a new activity log file at midnight every day. The filenames will be keyed to the date; for example, the file name for June 22, 1998 will be 19980722.csv.

•	Days of logs to keep – If you selected a separate log file for each day, enter the number of days i.Share should keep old log files before automatically deleting them. You can click the arrows to raise or lower the number showing. A setting of 0 means that only the file for the current day is kept.

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Select Folder

Use this window to select a new folder for i.Share to create its activity logging files.

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Understanding error messages

Click the error message you’re interested in to view possible solutions. You may have to scroll down to find the error message you need.

Access denied

An Internet resource has already been selected

Attempting an operation on an invalid adapter number

COM port already in use by another application

Connection manager is out of memory

Could not locate the correct function call

Could not put URL into list

Dial-Up connection - Authentication failure

Dial-Up connection - Cannot find connection in phone book

Dial-Up connection - Error in command

Dial-Up connection - Line busy

Dial-Up connection - No answer

Dial-Up connection - No carrier

Dial-Up connection - No dial tone

Dial-Up connection - Unable to establish connection

Dial-Up connection - Voice answer

Error creating a thread on the server

Error writing registry value

General Error

Insufficient system resources exist to complete the request

Invalid channel handle

Invalid command sent/received

Invalid memory handle

Invalid parameter

Invalid session handle

New serial number and verification key are not valid

No Internet resources found. Please install TCP/IP and/or Dialup Networking

No memory is available

Problems reading i.Watch information

Problems writing new i.Watch information

TCP/IP (PPP) not configured for connection

The Client and Server versions are incompatible

The Client cannot continue this session - shut down your application

The data area passed to a system call is too small

The Internet connection is already in use

The logon session does not exist. It may already have been terminated

The memory control block address is invalid

The password entered is not correct

The request was aborted

The requested service has not been started

The selected resource is not connected

The service did not respond to the request in a timely manner

There is not enough memory available for this operation

This network connection does not exist

This will not increase your maximum user count

Transport no memory

Server has returned out of memory

Unable to access Winsock database

WSGVUTIL.VXD could not be found in the program directory


Troubleshooting general system problems

First, try ending and restarting the application.

If the problem persists:

1	Exit all Internet applications, press Ctrl+Alt+Del, click WSLLDR32, then End Task.

2	Restart an Internet application and reselect your i.Share server.

If you still have problems, try restarting the i.Share client and i.Share server computers.

Tip

This solution applies to several error messages.


The password entered is not correct

Passwords can be required for each Internet resource on the server.

Check with your system administrator to ensure that you're using the correct password. Alternatively, reset the Internet resource password on the i.Share server.


Troubleshooting application problems

The session between your i.Share client computer and the i.Share server no longer exists. This could be because the server was stopped, or because a user at the server disconnected your client session, or because of a problem on your network.

Exit all Internet applications on the i.Share client computer. Then go to the Artisoft i.Share Connection Manager window, choose the i.Share icon and make a new Internet resource selection.

This forces the client computer to reconnect to the i.Share server.

Tip

This solution applies to several error messages.


Troubleshooting dial-up connection problems

When there's a problem with the Dial-Up connection settings or your modem or your phone line or your Internet Service Provider (ISP) equipment:

1	Stop the i.Share server (click Stop Server, on the Status page).

2	At the server, make sure all your Dial-Up Networking settings are correct and that your modem and telephone line are working correctly.

3	Start a manual Dial-Up connection by clicking the connection entry. Make sure the Save Password option is checked and that you have the correct modem settings required by your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

4	Connect to your ISP, then disconnect and start the i.Share Server.

5	At an i.Share client computer, re-establish your application's connection.

Tips

•	This solution applies to several error messages.

•	You may experience dial-up connection problems if you didn’t follow the pre-setup instructions for the i.Share server. The instructions are part of i.Share’s Setup, but you can also find them in Chapter 2 of the Installing and Using Artisoft i.Share manual that’s included on your i.Share CD. The pre-setup steps will be effective even after you’ve already installed i.Share.


Dial-Up connection - Authentication failure

The Internet Service Provider (ISP) account name and password are incorrect.

1	Check the Dial-Up Networking phone book entry for your account and password.

2	Stop the i.Share server.

3	At the server, invoke a manual Dial-Up connection by clicking the connection entry. Make sure the Save Password option is checked and that you have the correct modem settings required by your ISP.

4	Connect to your ISP, then disconnect and start the i.Share server.

At an i.Share client computer, re-establish your application's connection.


No Internet resources found. Please install TCP/IP and/or Dialup Networking

The i.Share server requires that the Winsock 2 and TCP/IP protocols and/or Dial-Up Networking are installed and set up correctly for your network.

Make sure that the software you need is loaded and working correctly.

Tip

You may want to check with your Internet Service Provider (ISP) to make sure your Dial-Up Networking settings are correct.


Unable to access Winsock database

The i.Share server requires that the Winsock 2 and TCP/IP protocols are installed.

Make sure that the required software is loaded and working correctly. To do this, run a reliable Internet application directly on the i.Share server. You may need to properly install the Winsock 2 and TCP/IP network drivers.


WSGVUTIL.VXD could not be found in the Windows system directory
WSGVUTIL.VXD could not be found in the program directory

The required file – WSGVUTIL.VXD – is missing from your install directory. The i.Share server won't function correctly until this file is restored.

Restore the file from a backup or saved location, or remove and reinstall the i.Share software.


COM port already in use by another application

Another program on the i.Share server is using the modem/COM port. The other program must release the COM port before it can be used by the i.Share server.

If ModemShare is installed on the server, the COM port may have been allocated to another client.


The Client and Server versions are incompatible

The software versions for the i.Share server and client are different. Update Artisoft i.Share on all your computers.

i.Share version compatibility

i.Share 2.5 clients can connect to i.Share 3.0 servers. However, an i.Share 3.0 client can’t connect to an i.Share 2.5 server. i.Share 3.0 will not work with the LANtastic Internet Gateway that’s included with LANtastic 7.0.

Tip

See Artisoft's World Wide Web site, at http://www.artisoft.com, for the latest updates.


Problems writing/reading i.Watch information

The i.Share server was unable to write to or read from the i.Watch list on your hard drive. Make sure the file iwatch.dat, in your i.Share directory, is not being used by another program. If this is not the cause, your hard drive may be full or damaged.


The server won't start because your i.Watch data has been corrupted

The file iwatch.dat, which contains your i.Watch list data, is missing or has been corrupted. i.Share will automatically create a new one, but your i.Watch list will be empty.

Click here for information on recovering a lost i.Watch list.


New serial number and verification key are not valid

The upgrade serial number and verification key you entered are not valid. Check the numbers and enter them again.


This will not increase your maximum session count
This will not increase your maximum user count

The serial number and verification key you entered won’t increase your maximum number of concurrent users. It will either reduce it or keep the number the same, depending on your current maximum. (To check your current maximum, look at the Status tab under Users.)


Recovering a lost i.Watch list

i.Share stores your i.Watch list in the iwatch.dat file. It also keeps a backup copy of the list in iwatch.bak, in your i.Share directory. If your iwatch.dat file becomes lost or corrupted, you can recreate your i.Watch list using iwatch.bak.

i.Share backs up iwatch.bak from iwatch.dat every time you make a change in the i.Watch Restriction List window and click OK. To recover a lost i.Watch list, you must perform the following steps BEFORE making any changes in the i.Watch Restriction List window.

1	Exit the i.Share server program by clicking its icon in the system tray and selecting Exit.

2	In your i.Share directory, copy iwatch.bak and rename the copy iwatch.dat, overwriting the old iwatch.dat.

3	Launch the server program again by clicking Start, Programs, i.Share, i.Share Server.

  Related Topics


Could not put URL into list

A URL could not be added to your i.Watch list. You have exceeded the maximum number of entries possible in the list.

Instead of making so many entries in the list, consider using the Allow Access to All Other URLs feature to allow or disallow the entire Web, and then make a few exceptions. Click here  for an explanation of this feature.


Upgrading i.Share to more concurrent users

If you have the evaluation version of i.Share, or the 3- or 10-user version, you can purchase an upgrade over the telephone and activate it using the Upgrade button. You can purchase versions of i.Share that support 3, 10 or 32 concurrent users.

To check your current maximum number of users, click the i.Share server’s Status tab and look for Maximum.

Note:  Regardless of whether you have the 3-user, 10-user or 32-user version, i.Share will support 32 concurrent Internet sessions. In other words, 32 Internet applications can be connected to the Internet at the same time, but they can only be run from the quantity of computers allowed by your i.Share license (3, 10 or 32).

To upgrade i.Share, call Artisoft's headquarters at 1-520-670-7100 and make payment arrangements. Callers in the U.S. and Canada can call the toll-free line at 1-800-846-9726. You can also get information about upgrading from Artisoft's World Wide Web site at www.artisoft.com.

When you purchase the upgrade, you'll receive a new serial number and verification key. Then you can follow these steps on every i.Share client and server computer:

1	Open the i.Share program, if it isn't already running.

2	Click the About tab (server) or the About button (client).

3	Click Upgrade. The Upgrade i.Share window opens.

4	Type your new serial number and verification key into the fields in this window.

5	Click OK, then restart your computer to make the upgrade take effect.


Upgrade i.Share

If you have the evaluation version of i.Share, or the 3- or 10-user version, you can purchase an upgrade over the telephone and activate it using the Upgrade button. You can purchase versions of i.Share that support 3, 10 or 32 concurrent users.

To check your current maximum number of users, click the i.Share server’s Status tab and look for Maximum.

Note:  Regardless of whether you have the 3-user, 10-user or 32-user version, i.Share will support 32 concurrent Internet sessions. In other words, 32 Internet applications can be connected to the Internet at the same time, but they can only be run from the quantity of computers allowed by your i.Share license (3, 10 or 32).

To upgrade i.Share, call Artisoft's headquarters at 1-520-670-7100 and make payment arrangements. Callers in the U.S. and Canada can call the toll-free line at 1-800-846-9726. You can also get information about upgrading from Artisoft's World Wide Web site at www.artisoft.com.

When you purchase the upgrade, you'll receive a new serial number and verification key. Then you can follow these steps on every i.Share client and server computer:

1	In the Upgrade i.Share window, enter your new serial number and verification key.

2	Click OK, then restart your computer to make the upgrade take effect.


active/inactive

The i.Share server can be Ready (started) or Stopped. When it’s stopped, its Internet connections are not available to be used by i.Share clients on the network.


resource

An Internet or intranet connection (account) being shared by an i.Share server computer. An i.Share server could have several available resources.


URL

Uniform Resource Locator. A URL is a Web page's address, for example, http://www.artisoft.com.


system tray

The lower right corner of your taskbar. The clock is displayed there, and the icons for any programs that are running in the background, such as i.Share.


resolved

A URL is resolved if a Web page with that address really exists on the World Wide Web. An unresolved URL is one for which no Web page exists. These are marked with a red dot in the i.Watch list. All new URLs are considered unresolved until you click OK to close the i.Watch window, at which point i.Share checks them against the Web.


Internet application

Any software program that interacts with the Internet; for example, an e-mail program or a Web browser.


Server tries to connect to ISP at startup

If your i.Share server tries to start a dial-up connection to the Internet when you first start the computer, you’ll need to change a default Windows setting.

Follow these steps to prevent your server from automatically dialing your ISP:

1	Click Start, Settings, Control Panel.

2	Double-click the Internet icon. The Internet Properties window appears.

3	Click the Connection Tab.

4	Either select “Connect to the Internet using a local area network,” or clear the check box for “Connect to the Internet as needed.”

5	Click OK.

If you make this change, you won’t be able to set a timeout in the Internet Properties window. But you can still use a timeout by setting it in the Dial-Up Networking window instead. Click here to go to instructions for setting a timeout value.


Saving money by setting a Dial-Up Networking timeout

If you were using a modem dial-up connection to get on the Internet before you installed i.Share, you may be accustomed to disconnecting manually. With i.Share, however, an Internet connection can be used simultaneously by several i.Share clients who might finish at different times.

To avoid the cost of continuous connection to the Internet, it’s best to set a timeout value on the i.Share server in Windows Dial-Up Networking, for each of your dial-out connections. The timeout option automatically terminates the connection to your Internet Service Provider after a given period of inactivity that you define.

A timeout of 10-15 minutes is generally long enough to keep a connection at an i.Share client from timing out during a natural pause, but short enough so that you’re not wasting connection time after the client is finished.

When a connection has timed out and is disconnected, it will be automatically redialed and reconnected the next time an i.Share client starts an Internet application.

Windows 95/98 steps

1	On the i.Share server computer, double-click My Computer, then double-click Dial-Up Networking.

2	Select the icon for your Internet Service Provider.

3	From the File menu, select Properties.

4	Click Configure.

5	Enter the timeout setting in the “Disconnect a call if idle for more than __ mins” field.

6	Click OK.

Windows NT 4.0 steps

1	Double-click My Computer, then double-click Dial-Up Networking.

2	Select the phone book entry from the drop-down list, and click the More button.

3	From the More menu, select User preferences.

4	Enter the timeout setting in the Idle seconds before hanging up field.

5	10 minutes is 600 seconds; 15 minutes is 900 seconds.

6	Click OK.


Winsock

Winsock is the supporting program that handles input/output requests for Internet applications in a Windows operating system. It's called Winsock because it's an adaptation for Windows of the Berkeley UNIX sockets interface. Sockets is a convention for connecting and exchanging data between two program processes within the same computer, or across a network.

Winsock runs between an application program such as a Netscape browser and the Internet program, TCP/IP.

Winsock 2, provided with i.Share, offers better performance than previous versions of Winsock.


TCP/IP

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) is the program that every Internet user and Internet information server must run to connect to the Internet. Each request you make to get to a Web server requires the use of TCP/IP.


Using i.Share with Artisoft ModemShare

Artisoft ModemShare (version 7.0 or 32) server computers cannot dial out on the same modem at the same time that an i.Share server is using it for an Internet connection.

For example, if you're using a ModemShare modem to send out faxes for an extended period of time, i.Share clients won't have any access to the modem until your ModemShare connection ends.

For this reason, if you expect to use a modem much of the time for ModemShare, it's recommended to have an additional modem on your network for use with i.Share.


Starting and stopping the server

You can start and stop the i.Share server at any time. When the server is stopped, no clients are able to share its Internet resources.

Even when stopped, the i.Share server continues to run in the background on your computer. You can open the program at any time by clicking its icon in the system tray.

1	Click the Status tab.

2	To stop the server, click Stop Server.
To start the server, click Start Server.

Note:  Whenever you start the server, i.Share rechecks all unresolved URLs in the i.Watch list. Click here for more information.

Tip

If your i.Share server tries to make a dial-up connection to the Internet every time you start the computer, click here to go to troubleshooting instructions.

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How to let clients use your Internet connections

Once the i.Share server software is installed, you don’t need to do anything more to make your Internet accounts available to others. The i.Share server program runs automatically whenever you start your server computer. Whenever the server is running, it automatically makes its Internet connections available for use over your network.

Although it operates in the background, you can go to the i.Share interface any time by clicking its icon in the system tray (the lower right corner of your screen). It looks like this:

Tips

•	Click here to find out how to use shared Internet accounts from the server computer itself.

•	Click here to learn how to check on i.Share clients’ use of your Internet accounts.


Seeing which clients are using shared connections

The i.Share server program lets you check at any time to see how many clients are using the server's shared Internet resources, the number of Internet applications that each client is running, and the amount of traffic each one is causing.

1	Click the Status tab. In the Users field you can see how many clients are currently sharing the server's resources.

2	Click Details. The Session Details window shows a breakdown of Internet activity by individual client.

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Running an Internet application from this computer

Because this computer is an i.Share server, connecting and disconnecting from the Internet is a process that is controlled automatically by i.Share client activity. This can cause problems for someone running an Internet application on this computer. For example, if all client activity ceases, i.Share will automatically disconnect from the Internet, even if someone on the server is using it.

To avoid such problems, you must coordinate with client activity before and after running an Internet application on this computer. In effect, you tell the server that you're another client using the shared Internet connection.

1	Click the Status tab.

2	In the Dial-Up Networking box, click Access. The Using Dial-Up Networking window opens.

3	Select an Internet resource from the Select Internet Resource list.

4	Click Start use.

5	Run your Internet application as usual. When you're finished, return to the Using Dial-Up Networking window.

6	Click Stop use.

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Disconnecting a client

From the i.Share server you can disconnect a client computer from the resource that it’s currently sharing.

Note:  Disconnecting a client does not prevent him from further use of that resource. To prohibit a client from connecting to a resource, see Setting passwords for server resources.

1	Click the Status tab.

2	Click Details.

3	Select a client by clicking its line in the Current Sessions list.

4	Click Disconnect.

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Setting passwords for server resources

You can limit client access to a server resource by assigning the resource a password. A client must enter the password before he can connect to that resource.

For each resource you can set two levels of password access. One password allows clients access to the resource but applies the i.Watch restrictions to their Internet activities. A different password allows access to the resource and overrides the i.Watch restrictions, enabling unlimited Internet use.

1	Click the Security tab.

2	Click a resource in the Internet Resources list. To set the same password for multiple resources, hold down Ctrl and click more than one.

3	Click Passwords.

4	In the Unrestricted access field, enter a password that will permit unlimited Internet use, unhindered by i.Watch restrictions.

5	In the i.Watch restricted field, enter a password that will permit access to this resource but apply i.Watch restrictions to Internet use.

6	Click OK.

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Using i.Watch to restrict Web site access

With i.Share's i.Watch feature, you can block clients' access to undesirable Web sites and individual Web pages. You can set up i.Watch in one of two ways:

•	To disallow a limited number of Web sites and allow access to all the rest

•	To allow access to a limited number of Web sites and disallow all the rest

To add a Web site to the i.Watch list:

1	Click the Security tab.

2	Click i.Watch.

3	Check Allow Access to All Other URLs to allow access to the entire Web except for the sites specifically disallowed in the URL list. Clear the check box to disallow access to the entire Web except for the sites specifically allowed in the URL list.

4	Click Add.

5	Enter the URL of the Web site to add to the list.

6	Under Access to this URL, click Allowed to permit access to this URL or Disallowed to prohibit access. You can use this field to exempt a subsidiary page of a Web site from i.Watch restrictions placed on the site as a whole. Click here  for more information.

7	Click OK.

Note:  When a client attempts to load a prohibited site on his browser, a message appears containing an explanation that you compose. Click here for information on composing the message.

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Making a URL an exception to the i.Watch list

The i.Watch feature lets you designate any URL as an exception to the i.Watch list. This is useful when you want to make a subsidiary page of a Web site exempt from the i.Watch restriction placed on the site as a whole.

Examples

•	You want to prohibit access to the partisan politics site www.extremist.com but permit access to its page www.extremist.com/register, where you can register to vote over the Internet.

•	You want to permit access to www.localnews.com but prohibit access to its subsidiary page www.localnews.com/violentcrimes.

To make an exception, add the Web site as a whole and the subsidiary page as two separate URLs in the list. For each one:

1	Click the Security tab.

2	Click i.Watch.

3	Click Add.

4	Enter the URL of the Web site or subsidiary page.

5	Under Access to this URL, click either Allowed or Disallowed.

6	Click OK.

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Changing a URL in the i.Watch list

You can modify any Web address in the i.Watch list.

1	Click the Security tab.

2	Click i.Watch. The i.Watch Restriction List window opens.

3	Click the Web address you want to modify in the URL list.

4	Click Edit.

5	Enter the new Web address in the URL field.

6	Under Access to this URL, click Allowed to permit access to this URL or Disallowed to prohibit access. You can use this field to exempt a subsidiary page of a Web site from i.Watch restrictions placed on the site as a whole. Click here  for more information.

7	Click OK.

8	Click OK in the i.Watch Restriction List window.

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Removing a URL from the i.Watch list

You can easily remove any URL from the i.Watch list. This can have the effect of permitting or prohibiting access to the Web site, depending on your permit/prohibit setting.

1	Click the Security tab.

2	Click i.Watch.

3	Click the Web address you want to remove in the URL list.

4	Click Remove.

5	Click OK.

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Importing and exporting lists of restricted Web sites

When building your i.Watch list of Web site restrictions, you can import lists of Web sites that were created in other programs. You can also export your own i.Watch list for use in other programs.

To be imported, a list of restricted Web sites must be in .csv format. When you export your i.Watch list, a file in .csv format is created.

When you import a list, it is added to the i.Watch list you already have.

  Importing i.Watch Web sites

  Exporting i.Watch Web sites

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Importing i.Watch Web sites

1	Click the Security tab.

2	Click i.Watch. The i.Watch Restriction List window opens.

3	Click Import.

4	Select the .csv file containing the Web site restrictions to be added.

5	Click OK to close the i.Watch Restriction List window.

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Exporting i.Watch Web sites

1	Click the Security tab.

2	Click i.Watch. The i.Watch Restriction List window opens.

3	Click Export.

4	Choose a path and filename for the .csv file to be created.

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Composing a message for clients who encounter i.Watch restrictions

When an i.Share client tries to access a Web site prohibited by i.Watch, a restriction notice appears in his browser window. i.Share provides a default notice, but you can also select a notice of your own.

The notice must be an HTML document that you have created using a Web authoring tool such as Microsoft FrontPage. The document must have no references to any external files, meaning no links or graphics. Any Web page effects that are contained within the HTML document itself are permitted, such as font sizes, background color, horizontal rules, etc.

To use an HTML document as the restriction notice:

1	Click the Security tab.

2	Click i.Watch.

3	In the Restriction Notice box, click Select.

4	Click Specify File Containing Notice.

5	Click Browse and select the HTML document.

6	Click OK until you’ve returned to the Security tab.

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How i.Share works with your network

Artisoft i.Share client and server computers communicate using your network's communication protocol (NetBIOS or NetBEUI). When you installed i.Share, it automatically bound itself to your network protocol.

i.Share also uses the TCP/IP protocol, which is used to communicate over the Internet. Incoming data from the Internet is received over TCP/IP by the server, which translates it into your network protocol and passes it along to the client. The client computers never receive original TCP/IP data and thus have built-in security against harmful Internet viruses.

To see which protocol i.Share is bound to, look at the Information tab's Network Bindings section.

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Using i.Share's activity logging feature

i.Share's activity logging feature lets you save a record to disk of all shared Internet access on the server. The activity log includes:

•	Which clients connected to the Internet, and when

•	The reason each client session was terminated

•	The amount of Internet traffic in kilobytes that each client session created, sending and receiving

•	Times and dates of when the server was started and stopped

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Turning activity logging on or off

1	Click the Configure tab. In the Status field you can see whether activity logging is currently enabled or not.

2	In the Activity Logging box, click Modify. The Configure Activity Logging window opens.

3	To turn activity logging on, select the check box for Record activity to log file.
To disable logging, clear the check box.

4	Click OK.

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Specifying how i.Share saves activity logging data

You can customize the way i.Share saves activity logging data in the following ways:

•	Specifying the location of the activity logging files

•	Specifying whether activity logging data is always added to the same file or to a new file each day

•	Specifying how many days' worth of data is preserved

1	Click the Configure tab.

2	In the Activity Logging box, click Modify. The Configure Activity Logging window opens.

3	To change the location of the activity logging files, click Browse and select the folder you want.

4	Click either Use only one log file or Use a separate log file for each day.

5	In the Days of logs to keep field, enter the number of days i.Share should preserve activity logging data before automatically deleting it. Enter 0 to have i.Share keep only the file for the current day.

6	Click OK.

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Changing the i.Share server name

You can change the name you give your i.Share server computer. The name is seen by i.Share clients when they share this computer's resources. It is distinct from this computer's network name.

1	Click the Configure tab.

2	In the Identification box, click Modify. The Modify Server Name window opens.

3	Enter the new i.Share server name.

4	Click OK.


Controlling the Dial-Up Networking window

The Dial-Up Networking program automatically opens an Internet Connection window whenever a dial-up connection to the Internet is made. Because Internet connections may start and stop at any time due to i.Share client activity, this window can become a nuisance to someone working on the server. You can specify that the window be minimized or hidden instead.

1	Click the Configure tab.

2	In the Dial-Up Networking box, click Modify. The Dial-Up Networking Control window opens.

3	Under Dial-Up Networking Window, select one of the following:
Minimize window – The window opens in a minimized state. You’ll see it on your status bar but it will not open on your screen.
Show window – The window opens on-screen as normal.
Hide window – Dial-Up Networking occurs in the background, and you never see any indication of the window.

4	Click OK.

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Controlling dial-up reconnection

A dial-up Internet connection can close down for several reasons, including an inactivity timeout by your Dial-Up Networking program, an inactivity timeout by your Internet Service Provider, or trouble on the phone lines.

You can specify how i.Share responds when a connection terminates.

1	Click the Configure tab.

2	In the Dial-Up Networking box, click Modify. The Dial-Up Networking Control window opens.

3	Under Dial-Up Networking Reconnect, select one of the following:
User controlled – You’ll be offered the choice of trying to reconnect or not.
Reconnect when needed – i.Share does nothing, and the connection remains terminated until client activity reopens it.
Reconnect immediately – i.Share automatically tries to reconnect to the Internet Service Provider. Note that you should only select Reconnect Immediately if you want the connection to your Internet Service Provider to stay up for as long as the server program is running, even if there is no Internet activity on your network.

4	Click OK.

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Resolving i.Watch URLs

i.Share automatically checks URLs that you add to the i.Watch list to ensure that a Web page with that address really exists. An unresolved URL is one for which no Web page could be found. Unresolved URLs are marked with a red dot in the i.Watch list.

When you add new URLs to the i.Watch list, either manually or by importing, they all display as unresolved until you click OK to close the i.Watch Restriction List window. At that point i.Share checks them against the Web.

Whenever you start the server, i.Share rechecks all unresolved URLs in the i.Watch list. It also performs this check whenever you close the i.Watch Restriction List window.

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Dial-on-demand configuration

If any i.Share client computers on your network are using the dial-on-demand option to connect to the Internet only when needed, you must set the server program's reconnection option to Reconnect When Needed.

1	Click the Configure tab.

2	In the Dial-Up Networking box, click Modify. The Dial-Up Networking Control window appears.

3	Under Dial-Up Networking Reconnect, click Reconnect when needed.

4	Click OK.


Optimizing i.Share's network protocol bindings

To allow i.Share clients access to the Internet, the i.Share 3.0 server program interacts with the Network section of your Windows 95/98 or NT 4.0 Control Panel.

If you're having problems with i.Share, follow these steps to check your network protocol bindings.

Windows 95/98 steps

1	Click Start, Settings, Control Panel. Double-click the Network icon.

2	In the Network window, make sure the Configuration tab is selected. All of your network protocols (such as LANtastic NetBIOS, Microsoft NetBEUI or Novell IPX/SPX) are indicated by this network cable icon:

3	Double-click the network protocol you’re using for i.Share to open the Properties window. Make sure the Bindings tab is selected. This lists the services to which the network protocol is bound.

4	Make sure there’s a check mark next to Artisoft i.Share 3.0 Server. The network protocol you’re using for i.Share should be the only one that has this box checked.

5	Double-click any other protocols and click the Bindings tab. Make sure the i.Share Server check box is cleared for the protocols you’re not using with i.Share.

6	From the Network window, double-click Dial-Up Adapter to open the Dial-Up Adapter Properties window. Click the Bindings tab.

7	Make sure the check box for TCP/IP -> Dial-Up Adapter is checked. If the window lists other protocols bound to the Dial-Up Adapter (such as NetBEUI or NetBIOS), make sure those check boxes are cleared. Click OK.

8	Click OK, and reboot your computer if you’re prompted to do so.

With these Network Control Panel settings, i.Share should run correctly.

Windows NT 4.0 steps

1	Click Start, Settings, Control Panel. Double-click the Network icon.

2	Click the Bindings tab, then click i.Share 3.0 server.

3	The network protocol you’re using for i.Share should be the only one that shows this network cable icon:

If the cable icon doesn’t appear next to the network protocol you’re using for i.Share, click the protocol then click the Enable button.

4	If any network protocols that you aren’t using for i.Share appear with the cable icon, click the protocol then click the Disable button.

5	Click OK.

With these Network Control Panel settings, i.Share should run correctly.

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.csv format

A .csv, or comma-delimited, file is a text file in which data fields are separated by commas. A .csv file can be read by any word processor or spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel.