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              WhoIs ActiveX DLL README
                     Feb. 1998
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    Copyright (c) Able Consulting, Inc., 1998


This document provides information for the WhoIs ActiveX DLL. 


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How to Use This Document
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To view Readme.txt on screen in Notepad, maximize the Notepad window.

To print Readme.txt, open it in Notepad or another word processor, 
and then use the Print command on the File menu.


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CONTENTS
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1. Supported Configurations/Platforms
2. Installing
3. Connecting to a WhoIs server
4. Buying the Released Version
5. Product Support 


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1. Supported Configurations/Platforms
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The WhoIs DLL currently runs under Windows 95 and Windows 
NT 4.0. The WhoIs DLL requires the following minimum 
configuration:

- A 486 processor
- 8 MB of RAM
- A 9600-baud modem 
- TCP/IP Protocol Installed
- Connection to the Internet


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2. Installing
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You will want to install the WhoIs DLL on a PC that has the ability 
to connection to the Internet (in order for the DLL to
communicate to a WhoIs server).

If you're going to use the WhoIs DLL with ASP, then you 
must install the DLL on the PC where the web server is located.

To install the ACI WhoIs ActiveX DLL, double-click the setup.exe 
and follow the instructions in the setup program.

In most cases, you will need to reboot your PC after the install
has completed.

If you install the VB 5.0 sample program, then you will
need to have VB 5.0 installed on your PC in order to run it.

If you install the ASP 3.0 sample page, then you need to copy
it to a virtual directory with executes permission.  Otherwise,
the web server will show the text of the ASP page, rather than 
running the ASP page and returning the results.


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3. Connecting to a WhoIs Server
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To connect to a WhoIs server, you pass to the WhoIs DLL the following 
three parameters:
 - Host Name (or IP address)	e.g.  whois.internic.net
 - Query String			e.g.  microsoft.com
 - Timeout in seconds		e.g.  30

The WhoIs DLL will attempt to setup a connection with the Host Name.
It will then ask the WhoIs Server who the entity is in the Query String.
If the inquiry takes longer that the Timeout parameter, then the WhoIs
DLL will return a "Connection Timed Out...".  Otherwise the results from
the WhoIs server will be returned.

For code examples, please see the VB or ASP example code.


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3. Buying the Released Version
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If this is a shareware version, you can buy the released version by 
contacting Able Consulting, Inc. at:

     http://www.able-consulting.com
or
     sales@able-consulting.com

Once the released version is installed, the shareware notice in the
results string will not show up anymore.


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4. Product Support
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If you need help with installing and/or running the WhoIs DLL, 
please send email to:
     support@able-consulting.com

We will try to respond within a 24-hour period.


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5. Frequently Asked Questions
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Q) I get the following an error message "Unable to create ACIWhoIs object". What shall I do?
A) Make sure to download and install the latest version of the ACI WhoIs DLL. Versions prior to 1.0.0.57 had a setup problem.  
A) Remember to reboot the computer after you've run setup.

 

Q) I keep on getting the following an error message "Connection Timed Out..." What shall I do?

A) Make sure to download and install the latest version of the ACI WhoIs DLL. Versions prior to 1.0.0.70 had a timing problem.  

A) Make sure you have a connection to the internet.  Try pinging the WHOIS server via a DOS command window  (e.g.   ping  whois.internic.net). 
  
A) If you're running the DLL from an ASP web page, then try stopping and restarting the IIS web server.   This will clear any old versions of the DLL from the IIS's cached memory.
 


Q) How do I tell which version of the ACI WhoIs DLL that I have installed on my computer?
A) Locate the ACIWhoIs.DLL in your window's system directory (e.g.  on NT:   c:\winnt\system32).  Next, right-click on the DLL and select Properties menu. Then click on the Version Tab.  The file version will be shown at the top.

 

Q) When running the ACI WhoIs DLL setup, I get the following error message "OLE files are in use".  What shall I do?

A) If you should get this error message, you will need to reboot your PC, then run the setup again.  The setup is unable to update the OLE files since they are in use by another program and/or system.  Note, after running setup, you will need to reboot the computer before the ACI WhoIs DLL can be used.  

 

Q) When the ACI WhoIs DLL returns the results of a query, which text is from the DLL and which is from the WHOIS server?

A) Only the shareware notice (at the being of the results) are from from the ACI WhoIs DLL.  Note, if you have a licensed version, there will be no shareware notice.

 

Q) How do I get rid of the shareware notice?

A) You need to purchase a license (see above purchase link).  We will then email you a license file.  You will need to save this license file into the window's system directory.
 


Q) The WHOIS result contains the following phase: "look up on a single record with !xxx format".  What does that mean?

A) When ever you perform a query that returns more than one result, each item return will have a (xxx) after it's name. You can then see the individual record by sending the WHOIS server the "xxx" with a "!" in front of it  (e.g.   !xxx  )

 

Q) How do I know which WHOIS server that I am getting the result from?

A) When calling the ACI WhoIs DLL, you pass in the name of the WHOIS server (e.g.  whois.internic.net). Note: the InterNIC registration services host contains ONLY non-military Domains and POC's.

 

Q) What other WHOIS servers are on the Internet?

A) InterNIC Registry:  whois.internic.net
    American Registry:   whois.arin.net 
    European IP Address Allocations:   whois.ripe.net 
    Asia Pacific IP Address Allocation:   whois.apnic.net 
    US Military:   whois.nic.mil

 

Q) Which command(s) can I send to the WHOIS server?

A) Send the WHOIS server the command "HELP".  It will reply back with the WHOIS's help guide.


Have a question which isn't answered here?
Please email support@able-consulting.com 



