Multi-Port Serial card compatibility list:



Synergy SS554 & SS558

Digiboard PC/4x, PC/8x, PC/16x

Quatech  non-intelligent series

Arnet    non-intelligent series



Any other non-intelligent Multi Port Board with contigous port addressing

may be used with Modem Assist.



Q: Can I use a Multiport Serial Boards with Modem Assist Plus?



A: Yes, As long as it is a NON-INTELLIGENT board. Synergy Solutions

will continue to research the INTELLIGENT boards and support them

as soon as possible. Also, Synergy Solutions now provides a 4 port NON-

INTELLIGENT board and is competitively priced. Discounts are given to current

Modem Assist users. Call us at (800) 846-9726 for more information.



Q: Will Modem Assist Plus share the FAX portion of a FAX/MODEM?



A: Yes, In Windows you can use our Windows redirector to redirect a comm

port and use products like WINFAX PRO, ECLIPSE FAX, FAXWORKS, etc.. to fax

out. If you are wanting to also have inbound fax capabilities you should

dedicate a modem to that task and not share it through Modem Assist. If you

also have a need to fax from DOS, the only fax package to date that will

allow you to go through Modem Assist PLUS is Multitech Express FAX for DOS

and Windows. It supports NASI but you have to use Multitech modems with it.

If you have further questions on this please call our Tech Support Dept.



Q: Can Modem Assist Plus be loaded HIGH?



A: Yes, Modem Assist Plus does not do this automatically but you can use

DOS 5.0 LOADHIGH command and other packages such as QEMM or 386MAX.



Q: Does Modem Assist Plus support the Hayes ESP card?



A: NO, not at this time. We are currently looking at the Hayes ESP and hope

to add support for it in the next version of Modem Assist Plus.



Q. Upon loading Windows I get "Error loading MACOMM.DRV".

A. Be sure WINDOWS\SYSTEM\COMM.DRV has been copied to 

   WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSCOMM.DRV.

   Also be sure SYSTEM.INI [boot] has COMM.DRV=[valid path]MACOMM.DRV.

   Also be sure MCLIENT.INI [Redirector] has CommDriver=MSCOMM.DRV.





Q. In Windows I get "Initialization Failure - Network Management"

A. If this is Windows for Workgroups, be sure that in the Network 

   Setup, the Network Driver, "IPX/SPX Compatable Transport with NetBios"

   is NOT loading. 



   Also be sure in the Network Setup, the Network Driver, "Microsoft Netbeui"

   is the default protocol. (Assuming of course, the network is Netbeui only).

            

   If this is an IPX installation of MA+, be sure SYSTEM.INI has 

   [386enh] networks=..,vnetware.386,vipx.386,...



   Also be sure VIPX.386 is no older than 5/12/94 and that IPXODI is no older

   than 10/31/94 or IPX.COM is version 3.1.

 

   Check the NIC driver date against the Driver List Synergy Tech

   Support is currently keeping. (3Com, Intel, SMC, NE2000...)





Q. When dialling inbound at 57600 bps, the modem drops the connection 

   part way through negotiation.

A. MA+ 4.0G had a problem with negotiating inbound at 57600. Get MA+ 4.0M.





Q. When dialling inbound at any speed above 9600 bps, the modem drops

   the connection part way through negotiation.

A. Turn off Negotiation Progress messages on the inbound modem.

      Hayes compatable:    AT &F W0 S95=0 &W

      US Robotics     :    AT &F &A0 S27=128  &W





Q. Connecting through MA+ I get garbage characters, lost characters,

   hanging, unusually slow speeds, or, I get Data Errors, Data Overruns

   or Buffer Overruns in the MONITOR.EXE program during my data communications

   session through MA+.

A. Be sure the serial port in the modem server has a 16550 UART chip.  

   Be sure the IRQ setting of the serial port has a higher priority than 

   the NIC in the modem server. 

   

   IRQ priority in increasing order is,

   

         IRQ 0

         IRQ 1

         IRQ 2

         IRQ 9

         IRQ 10

         IRQ 11

         IRQ 12

         IRQ 13

         IRQ 14

         IRQ 15

         IRQ 3     often used for COM2: and COM4:

         IRQ 4     often used for COM1: and COM3:

         IRQ 5     often used for LPT2: enabled only if printer is attached

         IRQ 6

         IRQ 7     often used for LPT1: enabled only if printer is attached

         IRQ 8

         

   Be sure NIC and ODI drivers are current also (see above).





Q. Faxing through MA+ fails part way through transmission.

A. Be sure the modem server is configured optimally as above.

   Faxmodem MUST be a Class 2 faxmodem.

   Fax application MUST be configured for a Class 2 faxmodem.

   Modem server MUST have a 16550 UART serial port.

   If NetBios, be sure modem server's PROTOCOL.INI has [netbeui] NCBS=30

   and SESSIONS=15 

   If NetBios, be sure modem server and client's SYSTEM.INI [386enh] has 

   NETHEAPSIZE=64





Q. pcANYWHERE DOS gives message "Invalid Port Parameters".

A. INT14 doesn't support speeds higher than 9600 bps.  Lower the Data Rate.





Q. I get the message "All Servers are Busy or Unavailable", but in the

   MONITOR.EXE program, the state shows available for all lines.

A. Be sure the NIC driver, IPX.COM/IPXODI.COM and VIPX.386 are up to date.

   Often if they are not, you will see the LINE allocated briefly and 

   then released and the client will recieve this message.

   Be sure SERVER.CON has no PERMIT statements, or that the PERMIT 

   statements are used correctly.

   



Q. I get the message "No Servers Responded" on the client but the

   MONITOR.EXE program shows available for all lines.

A. Be sure all LINES defined in the SERVER.CON file belong to a GROUP.

   Be sure the network drivers are up to date.



Q. My modem is attached and on but the MONITOR.EXE program shows the state

   for the LINE is OUT or MFAIL.

A. MFAIL - Be sure the PORT ADDRESS and INTERRUPT in the SERVER.CON file

   correspond to the jumper settings on the serial port or internal modem.

   Also be sure there are no other hardware devices using that 

   interrupt. Sometimes disabling serial ports in the BIOS SETUP of a 

   computer is not sufficient and they must be disabled by either jumper

   switches or removal.

   

   OUT   - In MA+ 3.0, use PAREDIT.EXE to edit the SERVER.CON file and 

   change the LINE setup to "NO MODEM ATTACHED" (or ASCII edit just change

   MODEM=ATQ0E1X1V1S0=0 to MODEM=N).  Then unload and reload MSERVER.EXE 

   ("MSERVER -" to unload). Load MLCLIENT.EXE. 

   Run TERM.EXE. 

   MAKE A CONNECTION.

   CHOOSE FROM LIST OF GROUPS AND LINES.

   Select the line name in question.

   Type the following at the "SERVER DID NOT DIAL..." screen.

      ATZ

      AT&F

      AT&C1

      AT&D2

      AT&W

   Press ESC twice to return to DOS

   Set the SERVER.CON file back to what it was. Unload and reload

   MSERVER.EXE. Run MONITOR.EXE. The line should show state AVAIL or INBND.



Q. Dialling inbound and having INHOST.EXE launch pcAnywhere 5.0 DOS 

   configured for NASI, pcAnywhere disconnects the modem and reports

   to the effect of "Could not initialize port".

A. The NASI driver in pcAnywhere always looks for an available port. 

   pcAnywhere terms it an available "Specific Service Name". Modem Assist

   Plus terms it an available "Line". 

   If there are no other available NASI ports at the time the inbound 

   call is made and pcAnywhere is launched, then pcAnywhere will give

   the above message. Of course this will always be the case when the 

   modem server has only one modem attached.

   To overcome this problem, cret STATION TYPE|SERVER.

   Edit the appropriate PARSET (normally PARSET 1).

   Select LINES from the main screen.

   Add a new line. Name it GHOSTLINE.

   Give the same PORT ADDRESS and INTERRUPT as the first Line you 

   originally had defined.

   Specify that there is NO MODEM ATTACHED. This is imperative.

   Save this Line configuration.

   From the main screen, select GROUPS.

   Add a new group. Name it DONT_USE. 

   Group names must be less than 8 letters.

   Select ADD A LINE. Select GHOSTLINE.

   Select DONE. Select FILE|SAVE. Select QUIT.



   Now pcAnywhere will always see an available NASI port and will launch

   successfully.



Q. I get "...initialization failure" when running MSERVER.EXE.

A. 1.Ensure that the IPX or NETBIOS drivers are loaded in memory.

   2.Ensure that MSERVER.EXE is not ALREADY loaded in memory.

   3.Ensure that SERVER.CON is not defining more LINES than you are licenced.

     This condition will produce the error message,

         "...initialization failure. Connection Request."

   4.Ensure the SERVER.CON file is not corrupted or containing erroneous

     syntax.



Q: When I run MCLIENT CONNECT I get the message All communication 

   servers are busy or unavailable” but I know that there is no one using the 

   modem. Why can't I get connected?

A: Even though the message Initialization completed appeared when the 

   MSERVER program was run on the communication Server, this does not mean 

   that the modem is available for use.

        

    Run the Monitor program and press the page down key. Look at the 

    state field and see if it displays the state OUT, which means it was 

    manually removed from service or MFAIL, which means that the modem 

    is turned off or is not functioning. Check the following items:



    The modem is properly connected and powered on.

    The modem is attached to the correct port as specified in the f Modem Assist Plus.

    Set the MODEM=N parameter in the LINE statement for the port and 

    try to access the modem again.

    When the modem is properly initialized by the MSERVER program, the 

    Monitor will reflect the state of the modem as AVAIL or INBD and is 

    ready for connection.



Q:  When I use my 3rd party INT14 communications program and I connect to 

    a BBS I immediately get the connection dropped No Carrier. What am 

    I doing wrong?

A:  You need to check the FLOW control that is set in your communications 

    program and confirm that Modem Assist Plus is set the same way. If 

    the communications program is set for hardware flow control you will 

    need to go into PAREDIT and edit the CLIENT.CON file and select 

    hardware flow control. You must unload and re-load the MCLIENT 

    program so the parameter file changes are used.



Q:  When I load the MSERVER program I immediately get a Network error and 

    I cannot go any further?

A:  The Network Interface Card (NIC) IRQ is probably set to the same IRQ 

    as the communications port you are using. You will need to change the 

    NIC IRQ to resolve the problem (See page B.4, Multiple Devices 

    Assigned to an Interrupt Level).



Q:  When I am looking at the Monitor screen on the communication Server I 

    see that I am getting frequent Data Overruns. What can I do to avoid 

    these?

A:  Typically this is an indication that the Network Interface Card (NIC)  

    IRQ is set at a higher priority than the communications port you are 

    using. If you change the IRQ of the NIC card to a lower priority 

    (higher numeric value) this should resolve the Data Overruns. (excluding 

    IRQ 2 and 9)



Q:  I am using an old PC as the communication server but when I load 

    MSERVER the workstation hangs. What’s wrong?

A:  Check the BIOS date of the PC, if the date of the BIOS is beforee PC should not be used as the Server 

    if this is the case.



Q:  I have a high speed modem and I noticed that the INT14 communication 

    software I am using will only allow me to go to 9600. Doesn’t Modem 

    Assist Plus go up to 115,200?

A:  Yes, Modem Assist Plus does support speeds up to 115,200 but the 

    communication software that you are using only supports the basic 

    INT14 specification. If you want to go faster than 9600 you will need 

    to get a communications program that supports the extended INT14 

    specification that Modem Assist Plus uses or a NASI compatible 

    software which will allow you to achieve speeds of 115,200.



Q:  I have a 286 computer that I would like to use as my communications 

    Server and share four modems. Is the 286 computer going to be able to 

    handle four 9600 BPS modems?

A:  Yes, the 286 can easily handle up to 4 modems as long as the computer 

    is dedicated to the task and is not also being used as a workstation.



Q:  I have a 386 computer and would like to share two 9600 BPS modems on 

    COM 1 and COM 2 but still continue to work in Windows. Is there going 

    to be a noticed speed loss?

A:  The user of the 386 will not notice any major speed difference but the 

    users of the modems will notice a slight decrease in performance when 

    using the modems at 9600.



Q:  Can I load the MSERVER and MCLIENT program in upper memory?

A:  Yes, using DOS 5.0 or any other memory manager it is possible to load 

    the programs (using the LoadHigh command) into upper memory.



Q:  I would like to write a batch file that will automatically load the 

    MCLIENT program and then invoke my communications  program when a 

    modem is connected. Is there a way to check to insure I have a modem 

    connection?

A:  Yes, when MCLIENT CONNECT is issued, Modem Assist will set a DOS 

    Error level so that it ca a NASI communication program for Inbound and try to connect 

    through INHOST, the line hangs up.  What is wrong?

A:  Some NASI communication software will not load when a connection is 

    already established.  It will try to make its own connection to the 

    Server and will end any current connection.  Programs like this will 

    not work for Inbound using INHOST.  If the program has an INT 14 

    option, it should be used instead.



Q:  After I load MCLIENT CONNECT and go into my NASI program, I get an 

    error message "Cannot open channel".  What is wrong?

A:  When using NASI programs, it is not necessary to use the "CONNECT" 

    statement or use the menu programs.  NASI has the connection and 

    menuing options built in.





Common Installation Problems



The most common problems encountered during an installation include the 

following:



Multiple Devices Assigned to an Interrupt Level

If you use standard PC communications (async) ports, you will be limited to 

two lines because each needs a separate interrupt level to operate properly. 

This is true even though most current boards are capable of being addressed 

as one of four different addresses. This restriction does not apply to users 

of IBM PS/2 machines since the interrupt scheme allows multiple boards to 

share an interrupt level.  The following table shows which interrupts are 

used on which ports:

        

        Common name         Interrupt level

        COM1                            4

        COM2                            3

        COM3                            4

        COM4                            3



Even though four different addresses are used, only two interrupt levels (3 

and 4) are used. This means that, for example, you could not use COM1 and 

COM3 together on the Server.



Optionally, you can use a non-intelligent (no processor on board) multi-port 

board which contains either four or eight external connections. A multi-port 

board uses only one interrupt level and, because two interrupt levels are 

normally reserved for asynchronous ports (you can use any interrupt level 

that is not in use), you can install two in each Server. In any case, you 

must know the correct hardware address and interrupt level for each line 

(port) or the Server will not function properly. Please consult the hardware 

manuals that came with your equipment to determine the proper values to 

specify.



Care must be exercised to ensure that a single interrupt level is not used by 

more than one board. The possible interrupt levels (and most common uses) 

are shown in the following table. The lower the number, the higher the 

priority (handled first) in the system.



Level   Standard use

0       Not available, used for timer

1       Not available, used for keyboard

2       Available, generally used for network cards and devi, you should not run your network at a 

        higher priority than your lines as the network activity could 

        cause data overruns to occur in high activity systems.

3       Available, the standard COM2/COM4 level.

4       Available, the standard COM1/COM3 level.

5       In a PC (8088, 8086), not available if you have a hard disk. In 

        an AT (286/386/486), available if you are not using LPT2 (the 

        second parallel port). This is a good choice for your network 

        card.

6       If you have a floppy disk, not available. Available for systems 

        without a floppy disk.

7       Available if you are not using LPT1 (the primary parallel port)



NOTE:   Remember that standard COM boards each use an interrupt level and that 

all of the ports on a multi-port board can share a single interrupt level.



Duplicate Hardware Addresses

Every board in the system must have a different address. Each line (port) 

being shared by a Server must have a hardware address that is unique and is 

not being used by any other device in the system.



The standard COM addresses are shown below.

Common name             Address

COM1                        3F8

COM2                        2F8

COM3                        3E8

COM4                        2E8



Incorrect Parameter Set Values

It is easy to forget that communication values specified by the Client will 

override the Server values when a connection is made. 



The order for collection and use of parameter set values are as follows:

a)      any value supplied by a communications program in use will 

        override the client and server parameter set values (i.e.. baud 

        rate, parity, etc...).

b)      any value supplied by the Client will override the server 

        parameter set values.

c)      any value not supplied by a Client is obtained from the Server 

        parameter file for the allocated line.

d)      any value not supplied in either parameter file is defaulted 

        based on values internally kept in the Server.



Modem Set to Auto-Answer Mode When Using Inbound

The communication Server controls modem conditioning for receiving calls. 

For the inbound feature to work properly, your modem must have auto answer 

turned off and DTR set to Normal mode. Many newer, high-speed, modems have 

switch settings and commands that can be used to change the behavior of DTR. 

Modem Assist requires the modem to drop any active connection and return to 

command state when DTR is dropped.  



Not Enough Buffer Space 

Buffers are used to hold information sent to and received from the Server. 

Generally, the movement of information across the network (between the Server 

and Client) is much faster than the movement of data across communications 

lines. Data is therefore saved in buffers until it can be sent by the Server 

or received by thnt. Providing 

mor9 e buffer space in a machine allows the system to process your 

communication data more efficiently.  This efficiency occurs because the 

incidence of  the system waiting for buffer space to process data is reduced. 

The default value is 8,192 bytes in the Client and 15,360 bytes in the Server. 



Incorrect Communications Parameters 

When you specify a parameter that cannot be supported by the equipment 

attached to your communication server you could have trouble.  A common 

error is to specify the wrong baud rate.  A 2400 baud modem will usually 

go slower (1200 baud), but not faster.



Wrong Type of Flow Control

The type of flow control you select is dependent on the hardware capabilities 

of your modem and the type of flow control supported by (and selected in) 

your communications software.  Modem Assist PLUS default flow control is 

XON/XOFF which is represented by 11H,13H (FLOW=(11H,13H)).  To specify no 

flow cis selected 

by coding the value FLOW=(1,1).



Incorrect Parity, Data Bit, and Stop Bit Combination. 

The choice of parity, data bit and stop bit is dictated by the communications 

software you are using.



Network Adaptor Card Priority Set Too High

Setting a network adapter card at a higher priority interrupt level (lower 

numeric value) than the communications ports can cause data overruns on the 

communications lines during periods of high network activity.

